Would you drive this ‘New Old Stock’ Volkswagen Beetle?

This car has sparked a bit of a debate here at Car & Classic. It’s a conundrum you might have with any low-mileage vehicle: Do you drive it, or simply admire it? Usually, we’d argue for the former. It’s just a number, after all. Cars are there to be used, and putting miles usually does them more good than harm. But this is a unique case. There’s low mileage, and then there’s this 1979 Volkswagen Beetle 1303S Karmann Cabrio. It’s done 3 miles.

Having barely turned a wheel in 46 years, and been kept exceedingly well all that time, this Volkswagen is effectively ‘New Old Stock’. Most cars would have more miles on the clock by the time they reached the forecourt, so this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a brand-new fifty-year-old car. Let’s face it, if Volkswagen started making these again, we’d all be in the queue to buy one.

So, how has this car survived all these years without being driven?

It was registered by Volkswagen Main Dealer JEM Motors in 1979, but remaining unsold, ownership was transferred to dealership proprietor Mr James Edward Molyneux in 1983. By then, Karmann had stopped building 1303-based Karmann Cabrios. Mr Molneux recognised this coachbuilt convertible as a sound future investment and squirrelled the Karmann away in dry storage. The car remained there until his death in 2023. It was then acquired by its current keeper, who, in his younger years, had been a VW New Car Salesperson with the record for the highest volume of UK Beetle sales during the late ‘70s.

Since then, the Beetle has been carefully cleaned and recommissioned to the point that it runs and drives. The owner has covered 1.1 miles on private ground, bringing the odometer total to 3.1 miles.

It’s been road registered all that time, but the ‘FDH 424T’ plates have never actually been fitted to the car; you’ll note there are still no holes drilled in the engine deck lid. This car has never been to an MOT test station, and it still need never visit one if you don’t want to as it’s now tax and MOT exempt.

Mr Molyneux also kept all the original equipment and paperwork. Even the factory roof cover, which you never see since VW dealers often binned them, is still with this Beetle. It really is quite the time capsule, and it’s incredible to find that this car seemingly hasn’t deteriorated whatsoever during those five decades in storage.

So, what would you do with this car?

We think it likely this Beetle will end up in a private collection or museum. It would look fabulous in a mock-up of a ‘70s Volkswagen dealership. Hang up some bunting and stick a starburst pricetag in the windscreen and you’ve travelled back five decades. For specialist VW restorers, this is a superlative reference vehicle; it shows you exactly what these are supposed to look like and exactly how the factory put it together.

Us? Well, we’d still drive it. We wouldn’t pile on the miles, leave it outside, or throw the Empi parts catalogue at it, but we would savour the opportunity to drive what is likely the best original example of this car left anywhere in the world. If you’ve always promised yourself a Karmann Cabrio, then why not buy the best one you possibly can and simply enjoy it.

Whatever you choose to do with this ‘New Old Stock’ Volkswagen Beetle 1303S Karmann Cabrio, it’s a fabulous thing and we’re sure the next owner will cherish it for years to come.

The auction is underway right here on Car & Classic. Bidding ends at 7pm on Thursday 26th June. Good luck!