Semaphores! Man, I get excited by these old-school turn signals that came on the earliest Beetles, like this 1958 example out in Seattle. The appendages flutter out the B-pillar like a set of delicate wings, letting you know which direction the Bug intends to travel. They were specific to European-market models, as I’m sure some bureaucrat in the DOT hated their wonderful wonkiness and scuttled the whole thing (sorry, I’ll remove my tinfoil hat). Find this project-grade ’58 Beetle here on craigslist with a $3K asking price.
I actually have no idea why the semaphore concept didn’t take hold on U.S.-market models, but I’m sure there was at least some aspect of concern over Americans understanding what these pop-out wings were meant to do. I’m guessing they broke pretty easily too, especially if they got stuck in the “out” position or rendered useless by cold weather. It was likely far, far easier to just stick with the illuminated turn signals U.S. customers were used to.
The seller says this is a largely complete car, although it is missing the desirable semaphore stalks. The Bug is for sale mainly due to his wanting a car he can actually drive, and although this one fire up a few years ago, it’s still too much work for him to take on right now. The interior looks presentable, with what appears to be an original radio still in the dash. The passenger side floor will need to be replaced, and there’s some rust in the rockers.
The old-school California blue plates give some indication as to how long the Beetle has been off the road, but beneath that engine lid is a numbers matching motor. That’s unreal, considering how frequently these engines were swapped out and how old this Bug is. The seller says the sale of the Beetle will include a large parts stash, with goodies such as: “I will include donor rockers if wanted. I’ve got seats, muffler, passenger side floor panel to repair rusted out section, and more parts.” Seems like a potential deal for a rare Euro-market Beetle.
This VW is a bit unusual. 1st, I read on “VW through the years”, VW stopped the semaphores in 1955 for US models, 1960 for all others. Also, it appears it had turn signals on top of the fenders, new for 1958 with US models, previously on the outside of the headlights, and I think US models had bumper over riders in ’58 so this may be an export model( non-US) with later model fenders. Many European cars had “trafficators”, and some Army soldiers referred to them as Macht Nicht sticks, but that term also meant roadside mileage markers in Germany. I don’t think these flashed, just the arm that stuck out, which didn’t meet US requirements at the time. Grab it now before it follows the VW bus route,,,
Yep….thought it was just a blank off on the US bodies….maybe why it’s missing ?
I am Not fan of these but they do have their loyal followers. For entertainment I do sometimes see classic vw’s being repaired on youtube “Mustie1” channel he is a fanatic classic VW fan !
I don’t know about everybody else, but two years ago, if you asked me what a semaphore was I wouldn’t have had a clue. To be honest it sounds like a body part, a disease, a woman of ill repute, or some type of language syntax. It could have been anything but the thing that it is, a turn signal indicator on a VW. It just goes to show you, you never know.
A semaphore was a type of signal that railways/railroads used. That’s where I first heard the term used. What became of Loco Mikado?,I assume from his title that he would know about semaphores.
Semaphores are how ships have communicated for centuries. When you see a yacht with bunches of small flags with different patterns on them, those are semaphores. Each one represents something, like a letter, but the position they’re held (when on sticks in a signaler’s hand) is crucial to their meaning. Sometimes they’re held straight out horizontally, and that’s how the turn signal paddles got their name.
Funny,I didn’t see any semaphores? All I saw was the slots where they used to be.
The ad states the semaphores are missing.
Just an aside, as an ex Washingtonian, this car indicates it’s in Spokane, though advertised in the Seattle Cl. The two towns are almost 300 miles apart. Culturally they’re even farther apart than that………….
Hard to believe this car has been listed for nearly a month at what doesn’t seem all that bad of a price relative to apparent condition. Is the air cooled VW market (aside from Type 2s) getting weaker too? I had a stuttering VW period in my car life that spanned about a 20 year period ending more than 30 years ago, so while I have a warm spot still, I’m out of touch with the contemporary action. Looks like a savable car to me……
I looked up that Fritz Hahn tag screwed to the car.
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.hahn-gruppe.de/hahn/automobile/hahn_gruppe/unternehmen/geschichte/1960.de.html&prev=search
For years, it was common for Americans to go to Europe, for work or military service or vacation, buy a European car to use there, and bring it home. Usually these cars had to meet US rules like having sealed beam headlights, but it’s not hard to picture some getting through, especially when imports were more of a novelty.
For a point of reference the California plates were issued in 1980.
When did Beetles get the large, square back window ? This thing looks like a “bitsa” car to me. But then again, I know exactly zero about Euro models.
I found a 51 in the Seattle area around 1980 and turned a VW fanatic friend on to it. We brought it to his place and he fixed it up. Being a go-fast Dubber, he was not too happy with it. I thought it was the coolest Beetle I ever saw, with those tiny tail lites, split oval rear window and semaphore arm. BTW – semaphore turn indicators were common on trucks before the war. I have a nice brass and glass one for mine.
My first car at the age of 15 was a ’58 VW and it didn’t have semaphores. It had blinkers.
This Bug seems cheap to me . I have been collecting semaphores but need a Bug to put a pair on … too far for me but someone should grab it .
It is right in my back yard, according to the listing. But an oval window is mandatory to get my interest. I thought the square back glass was 59 and later (?). Am I correct in thinking this Euro-sold car has a very early 59 feature, but was sold or licensed as a 58 ?
’57 was the last year for oval back glass. This is correct for any ’58.
I said once and I will say it again. Any Beetle will do for me.
Thanks for edjumakating me on that back window, Uncle Bob.
Not Semaphores but Trafficators. Didn’t you guys go to school??
Turn signals were not required until 1955. When I was a kid we had a 1940s truck on the farm that still had trafficators , or wigwags as we called them. We had a few other cars and trucks that had add on turn signals because they were not original equipment.
In my day, a “Wig Wag” was also known as a low air pressure warning device on older trucks. If this fell out of the ceiling, it was time to bail,,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPdPKMO2UlQ
Semaphores on the beetle were dropped off the us versions in 1955 in the euro versions in 1960. The us version had the overriders for both bumpers the single blade is indicitive of being a euro version
This is an original bug for the stated year. 58 was the first year of the square rear window, which ran through the 64 model. 65’s took a little bit larger than that. Euro cars ran semaphores much later than the US models. Cars to this country had topfender mounted blinkers with clear plastic lenses. (After market tried to get these replaced with amber colored units for increased visibility.) Euro cars didn’t have the bumper over riders that the US had. Remember as well that these cars came stock with stale air heating systems, 36hp engines, and no synchro into first transmissions. If you don’t know what all that means, avoid this car.
Synchronized 1st gear didn’t arrive until the 60’s somewhere, though my ’62 Beetle did not have it, so it must have been after ’62.
I don’t know much about VW’s but my father bought a new 1954 VW in Rhode Island and it did NOT have semaphores.