1967 Early bay - is this rare?

[baydreamer2]

Hi all. Owned an 1968 early bay back in 2008, always missed it. Recently aquired this nice bus, it was registered in the UK in Dec '67 and is left hand drive. I was told that the reason it was LHD was because vw were yet to build RHD bays. I do remember when the Audi TT first came out that it was LHD only.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Ronnie n Mags, near Glasgow.

 

[YellowBay69]

Nice ride - interesting to hear what the good peeps of the forum have to say

 

[sparkywig]

I think you've been misinformed, VW started production of LHD and RHD buses at the same time.
For example, 67panel on here has an August 1967 build date RHD panel van.

 

[ozziedog]

Don’t worry yourself too much about that bollocks, that is a cracking looking van .

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,and then some

 

[matty74]

Very nice looking van I thought my eyes were deceiving me but there appears to be no fresh air grille on the front panel

 

[sparkywig]

Very nice looking van I thought my eyes were deceiving me but there appears to be no fresh air grille on the front panel

I noticed that, be interesting to see what's behind there.

 

[fallingoffalot]

Very nice bus, but yeah where's the grill?

 

[ozziedog]

Very nice looking van I thought my eyes were deceiving me but there appears to be no fresh air grille on the front panel

As with lots of things on older cars especially VWs, trends come and go. For instance lowering, deseaming, Frenching, smoothing, raising, dechroming not that there’s a heck of a lot of chrome on these. I know of several that have been ‘ smoothed ‘ over including some on here. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible that this one’s had a new front panel fitted at some time, when there was a shortage of Early front panels and only lates were available, so the high up front indicator points were covered and the vent box too at the same time for a cleaner look ? Poss?
I haven’t seen anything Frenched for a while that wasn’t done at least a decade ago.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, Wotll be new ?

 

[dubselector]

When I got my 71 back in 2008 the front grill had been " deleted"- by badly tacked in metal and a bucket full of filler. Ended up putting front panel from windscreen down on it, at the time all that was available was a late bay panel and indicator blanking plates - it's not hundred percent correct as has a badge bulge, but at least my mate welded it up correctly with minimal filler needed. I briefly entertained putting old school Mini indicators on it or trick in- headlight ones - but glad I saw the "low light ' and cut in the original Hella units

 

[dubselector]

Then, turns out it was 2007 although my camera date could have been wrong