1959 Volkswagen Beutler Coupé 1.2
- Engine
- 1.2L air-cooled flat-four, 31 bhp
- Colour
- Light brown metallic with dark brown roof
A rare Beutler coupe on a Volkswagen Beetle platform, one of an estimated 28 examples produced by Swiss coachbuilders Fritz and Ernst Beutler of Thun. Introduced at Geneva in 1954, the model featured an aluminium body with a more aerodynamic profile than the standard Beetle. This 1959 example was delivered new to VW Garage Herzig in Vevey and subsequently underwent a meticulous eleven-year restoration in Switzerland, completed in the 2000s, that involved full body-off work carried out in part by a craftsman who had trained at the Beutler workshop.
Ownership
- 2022-07-03Auction saleSold CHF 138,000 (≈ $152K)
- 1959 →Factory deliveryVW Garage Herzig, Veveypartial documentation
Original purchaser, a VW dealership in Vevey, Switzerland. Acquired the car new at approximately CHF 11,400 in a light brown metallic finish with black roof and beige interior.
- Date unknownPrivate saleRestoration-project buyer in Switzerlandpartial documentation
Acquired the car in the late 1990s as a restoration candidate; commissioned a comprehensive multi-year restoration including full body-off work, repaint, and interior retrim, completed over roughly eleven years.
Competition
- 20152015 Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceBest of Show
Award won by a 1924 Isotta Fraschini 8AF bodied by Carrosserie Worblaufen, a firm where Ernst Beutler trained; this event is referenced as background on the coachbuilder's heritage, not a competition entry by the VW Beutler itself.
Maintenance & restoration
- —RestorationEugen Marschall bodyshop
Full body-off restoration carried out in Switzerland over approximately eleven years, completed sometime in the 2000s. Bodywork was handled with assistance from Eugen Marschall's coachbuilding shop, which employed Fredy Pfister, a craftsman trained at Beutler. Mechanicals were also overhauled as part of the same programme.
Restoration took roughly eleven years in total; the car has seen minimal use since completion.
- —BodyworkMarcel Reusser
Exterior repainted in light brown metallic with a dark brown roof. Interior re-trimmed in two-tone beige and dark brown leather by a specialist trimmer; boot and engine bay lined with stepped vinyl.
Interior work carried out in Spiez, Switzerland; this work formed part of the broader restoration programme.
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