1957 Oval Window Volkswagen Beetle VW Bug Barn Find Clear Title Rot Free

Please read the description very thoroughly. especially the "fine print" at the end. and study the photos keenly to familiarize yourself with the car's condition. I know this car doesn't look like much at a glance. but you'll be missing out on a great Oval if you dismiss it too quickly. The short version: There is absolutely no rot to the body or chassis with the usual exception of a bad spot on the battery tray. This is a numbers matching car with all of its original panels. aprons. and so on. The car has clearly had a bump here and there but it's never been seriously wrecked and there is no collision damage to the body itself (no wrinkles in the wheel wells or things like that). Has a clear title in my name. A real diamond in the rough! I hope you can see the hidden potential. It would be a very straightforward restoration and worth a fortune when it's done. On to the (exceedingly) long version: Available for purchase is a very exciting car. a true barn find Oval Window Volkswagen Beetle. This is the car that Volkswagen enthusiasts' dreams are made of. This 1957 model Bug. built in May of that year. hasn't moved from its place in a concrete garage for 40 years! It was put into hibernation before it was even 20 years old. The previous owner bought it. drove it home. and parked it to "restore one day. " As these things so often seem to go. it literally wasn't touched since. The owner contacted me about the car last summer as well as a few other people. We all made him an offer on it. Mine was the best. so I was the lucky one to bring the car home. Due to some big expenses. however. I've come to the sad realization that I'm going to have to let someone else bear the fruit of this incredible find in the end. This '57 VW is truly going to be what I will always look back on as "the one that got away. " I don't see me ever finding anything else like it. and probably 99% of collectors will never find one in the first place. The only bad spot on the car is in the battery tray. as is so common. I guess I saw some bad spots on the muffler. if we want to be thorough. but that almost goes without saying. Otherwise. the car is absolutely positively rot free. I don't even see any areas that look anywhere close to rotting. It seems so incredibly solid that I would think you can sandblast the whole thing and not end up with any pin holes or other bad spots (that's not a guarantee. I just think it's probably true). There is some surface rust throughout. but it is surface rust only. There isn't a speck of rot anywhere in the wheel wells. shock towers. lower quarters. ANYWHERE. The fenders will obviously need some pounding out. the hood is cracked in the usual places on the side and bottom. and the W decklid is creased towards the bottom. All are repairable. and I believe they are the car's true original parts. The front apron will need some hammering. too. but otherwise. take a good look and see that the main body of this car. as well as the doors. appear to be straight as an arrow. I don't see any evidence of collision damage anywhere on the body. which is almost unheard of. Something obviously gave the front bumper a good lick. but there are no traces of damage or wrinkling in the wheel wells or elsewhere that I can see. The battery tray has been patched by a previous owner. but you may want to weld in a new one the "right" way. Otherwise. this car won't need a single panel cut out and a patch welded in anywhere. When it's done. it will proudly be an all original German steel car. which is extremely rare and extremely valuable. This is a body and chassis numbers matching car. The windshield looks to have been replaced. but all the rest of the glass is original Sekurit. and everything else on the car is original German Volkswagen or Hella. The fenders are "dimple fenders" and they have the original wiring conduit up front. Correct 4 tab hood with a beautiful Wolfsburg Crest. Even has the original floor mats with the holes for the buttons in the pans. Has the correct "H" rear apron and front apron. The windows roll up and down nice and the vents open and close like they should. Both doors lock as they're supposed to. The door panels are actually really nice. they can maybe even be used after restoration. The headliner is in surprisingly good shape except for. tragically. a pretty good tear on the left side. Maybe it can be repaired half decent and save you from installing a whole new one?The engine is the correct 36 horse power motor. though it seems to have been from a '58 model originally. It's actually kind of neat because the shroud has a plate stating it was rebuilt by Sears. which gives some of the internal specifications. There's no way of saying for sure. but I'd be willing to bet that it doesn't have many miles on it since the rebuild. Probably a really good engine. and yes. it's free spinning. I bet it can be up and running in an afternoon if you do the usual prep work. clean the carb. and throw in a battery. The car is still 6 volt. by the way. It was not stored with fuel in the tank. which looks surprisingly clean inside. Car actually has some cool. vintage accessories. It has an aftermarket fuel gauge kit. which looks complete although I obviously don't know if it works. There has also been a windshield washer kit installed. although I'm not sure if it's complete. It has the nozzle and a foot pump near the floor. at least. It has a rare Philco radio. or at least I'm calling it rare because I can't find another one like it or any information about it. Has a pull knob cleverly installed on the glove box lid. There seems to have been some sort of repair. perhaps even welding or brazing. done to the pillar area. Can it be that this was originally a semaphore car? I doubt it. but maybe you'll find yourself lucky when you begin stripping it down. Has the original VW key which works both the ignition and the door handle! Car is free rolling. The one tire doesn't stay inflated more than a couple days or so; the others last a while longer. I believe this car is complete. original. and unmolested enough to be worth over $20k if a nice restoration is done on it. If you want a car that will be a good investment. this is it. Most cars aren't worth what you have in them once they've been restored. but this one should be worth all that and more. An Oval Window that has never been wrecked and still wears all its original panels isn't exactly something you see every day. I think it's safe to assume that the odometer has rolled over and the mileage given is not correct. Clean and clear Ohio title in my name. Car is sold as is and where is. Buyer to pay for and arrange any and all transportation. I will accommodate by being there to help you or a transport company retrieve the car. otherwise I am not to be involved. I ask that you very kindly do not bid if you are anything less than an enthusiastic buyer with cash in hand. Buyer is to pay in cash ONLY. Title will not be signed over and car is not to be removed from my premises until vehicle is paid in full. I'm very happy to answer any questions. Thanks and good luck!