From Dan S – Hey there, I thought I’d share my recent find with you… I just purchased this rare 1962 356 S Cabriolet from its long time owner of 40+ years. He knew what he had and I paid a ton of money for it, but when will you find another one?! It is all numbers matching with original engine and tranny, totally complete, and runs and drives beautifully!

It has had one repaint in its lifetime from its original light ivory to the current Azul blue (or so I think it’s called) back in 1981. The front seat covers and carpet were also replaced at that time, and it all looks amazing inside! The soft top is still original to the car! The engine was rebuilt in ’93 or so. All lights, gauges, turn signals, etc work…even the original Blaupunkt radio works!!!

The body is remarkably straight with great gaps, and perfect closing doors. There is no rust on the body (other than tiny surface rust where paint was nicked) and very little on the underside (even the front pan is solid and unaffected from battery acid as so many have suffered. No dings or dents on the body! The car has never been hit or in an accident.

The previous owner loved this car and drove it from time to time up until 2010 or so when the front wheel locked up. He put it away (in the barn where it had always been stored), did a tune up on it so sitting wouldn’t hurt the engine until he could address the wheel, and there she sat until I found her.

The owner has had some health issues over the years that simply stopped him from being able to get the car back on the road. It was a lengthy, almost month long, negotiation with the family to purchase the car, and the extraction was quite an adventure, having to swap rims off of it with another car that he had put the original date code matching set on because the tires were better…LOL (I have all original matching rims including spare and hub caps too!)

Luckily my trailer has a power winch, but the heavy floor jack and dirt floors don’t fare well! It took close to 4 hours total due to location of the VW that it’s correct wheels were on, etc. But the moment will never be forgotten, and I’m putting a very special car back on the road. She’s up and driving again as of today! I’m not sure when I will, and even if I will, do a restoration on her.

For now I’m not even going to wash the dirt and dust off! It’s just cool this way… I hope you and your readers enjoy my submission. The car was named Ludwig by the last owner, and though I prefer female names for cars, I am continuing the tradition and loving Ludwig more every day.

Thanks to Dan for sharing his find with us! It looks like he found himself a great car that will only appreciate in value, but it sounds like he is enjoying it regardless of the value (which is how it should be with a car like this)! I wish him the best with it and hope he will keep us updated on it.