From Dan S – Hey there, I thought I’d share my recent find with you… I just purchased this rare 1962 356 S Cabriolet from its long time owner of 40+ years. He knew what he had and I paid a ton of money for it, but when will you find another one?! It is all numbers matching with original engine and tranny, totally complete, and runs and drives beautifully!
It has had one repaint in its lifetime from its original light ivory to the current Azul blue (or so I think it’s called) back in 1981. The front seat covers and carpet were also replaced at that time, and it all looks amazing inside! The soft top is still original to the car! The engine was rebuilt in ’93 or so. All lights, gauges, turn signals, etc work…even the original Blaupunkt radio works!!!
The body is remarkably straight with great gaps, and perfect closing doors. There is no rust on the body (other than tiny surface rust where paint was nicked) and very little on the underside (even the front pan is solid and unaffected from battery acid as so many have suffered. No dings or dents on the body! The car has never been hit or in an accident.
The previous owner loved this car and drove it from time to time up until 2010 or so when the front wheel locked up. He put it away (in the barn where it had always been stored), did a tune up on it so sitting wouldn’t hurt the engine until he could address the wheel, and there she sat until I found her.
The owner has had some health issues over the years that simply stopped him from being able to get the car back on the road. It was a lengthy, almost month long, negotiation with the family to purchase the car, and the extraction was quite an adventure, having to swap rims off of it with another car that he had put the original date code matching set on because the tires were better…LOL (I have all original matching rims including spare and hub caps too!)
Luckily my trailer has a power winch, but the heavy floor jack and dirt floors don’t fare well! It took close to 4 hours total due to location of the VW that it’s correct wheels were on, etc. But the moment will never be forgotten, and I’m putting a very special car back on the road. She’s up and driving again as of today! I’m not sure when I will, and even if I will, do a restoration on her.
For now I’m not even going to wash the dirt and dust off! It’s just cool this way… I hope you and your readers enjoy my submission. The car was named Ludwig by the last owner, and though I prefer female names for cars, I am continuing the tradition and loving Ludwig more every day.
Thanks to Dan for sharing his find with us! It looks like he found himself a great car that will only appreciate in value, but it sounds like he is enjoying it regardless of the value (which is how it should be with a car like this)! I wish him the best with it and hope he will keep us updated on it.
I’ll bet he’ll get a ton of “thumb’s ups” driving it around like that, but I’m hopeful that’ll wear off soon, and he’ll clean it up ;)
Once he spends a long weekend with a claybar, and plenty of appropriate products, I’m sure he’ll love Ludwig even more!
Very cool Dan; thanks for not only sharing, but putting another one back out on the road!
This story makes me happy in so many ways. It’s really nice to see a car go to an appreciative owner and not to a quick flip for huge profit. I’m glad the owner paid huge money for it. Honestly, it was probably cheap, given the history of the car and condition. And most of all I’m happy to see it back on the road.
Agreed!
I’d love to see it when it’s cleaned up a little.
Clean it up and let it be the shining star it is !!!
WOW! Great find Dan!,, I had two of these while stationed in Germany in the late 60’s. great handling cars, good on the autobahn. It looks good hope you’re just going to clean-up and enjoy, original cars quire desirable.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Bernie
I don’t get it….where is the rust? …the damaged body panels?
There aren’t even any missing parts—-now that’s not right.
All kidding aside, it’s good to know that there are 356s that have been sitting yet remain whole and in good driveable condition. You’ve found and saved a good one. Congrats and enjoy.
Great find Dan! I got my first barn find this summer definitely not as prestigious but I love my 71 Karmann Ghia. After having to leave it up north for an excruciating 3 weeks my wife and I embarked on our first classic car trip, 5 hours back home, and loved the car even more. I now use it as my daily driver and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to boring new cars now!
Excellent car and find. But it leaves me wondering what you had to pay for it?
Congrats on the find! What a gem!
Can you share why the wheel was locked up? You left us hanging with that one.
Wash the dirt off of it, at least. Maybe change the oil.
AWESOME find Dan!!! I sure hope you can enjoy this beauty for a long time:)
Hey guys, the car was an amazing find. The front brake had seized and caused the wheel to lock up. We rebuilt it, put new tires on her, charged the battery, added fresh gas (old gas was already drained when put away)…and she fired right up, and drives amazingly well. Really solid car overall. Thanks for enjoying the story.
Was the Vw also for sale?
Great find Dan, and great submission. Look forward to an update in the future.
Superb find and a true jewel in the rough. Keep us updated!
Very Nice! It will look even better once it’s washed.
What a great car Dan…
Etienne