The Ovals

1953 to 1957

Old Bugs never die...they just go faster!!!

For those of you who don't speak fluent VW, Beetles produced from mid 1953 to the end of 1957 had an oval shaped rear window; hence the nickname "Ovals". Although the earlier "Split Window" Beetle is the dream car for many of us, Ovals are becoming increasingly rare and are equally desirable.

We are fortunate around here, as there are still a large number of Ovals on the road in all conditions ranging from "now there's a good project" to highly detailed customized cars.

Without further ado, here are some local Ovals...

Martin's Oval - 19kDa Bro's Wheels

My youngest brother wreaked havoc around town with this car for a number of years. I honestly couldn't tell you what year it is - he originally bought a '57, then replaced the body pan AND the body (and still insisted it was the same car!). If you called it either a '56 or a '57, you wouldn't be far wrong.

He had a hot engine in there (2000cc, then a 1907cc) with a close ratio third gear. That car could fly! Alas, he found himself needing to give up a toy. His '65 Barracuda (a very nice car) won, and he sold the Bug to my other brother (yes, a whole family of Bug Nuts!), who replaced the go-fast goodies with stock pieces, then sold the car...I'm not sure where it is now...

Martin's Engine - 19kMy bro always kept the car sparkling, and was proud of his engine. Mind you, the local constabulary weren't too keen about having it always on display...

 

 

'54 Bug - 17k...And the Winner is...

Doesn't every town have one car that always stands out in it's class? Well, there are a few in our club, and this beautiful '54 is one of them. Totally restored body, mounted on an IRS pan, with plenty of get-up-and-go. Another one of the regular cruisers...

Group Shots

Here we have a couple Ovals leaving Volksfest '92. I'm unsure as to the identity of the black Oval here, but I believe that the Burgandy car was, unfortunately, stolen, stripped, and left for dead in a logging area. It was eventually recovered and re-assembled in a rather half-assed temporary fashion, driven for a while, and I believe it's now being parted out. The owner of it at the time of the theft consoled himself by buying the lovely '54 I showed you earlier.

These two shots were taken on a road trip to the BugNationals in Seattle. Four ovals on a weekend cruise - gotta luvit! From left to right, my '57, the '54 featured up above, Martin's '56 and another '54 or '55 (can't remember the year or owner's name)

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