VW Beetle Cabriolet Register (Karmann 1949–1980)
Between 1949 and 10 January 1980 the coachbuilder Wilhelm Karmann in Osnabrück built 331,847 four-seat Beetle Cabriolets (VW Type 15, later 1302 and 1303), the best-selling convertible of its time. This registry documents surviving, missing and destroyed cars by chassis number, from the first split-window Type 15 to the last car, a Mars Red 1980 cabriolet kept in Karmann's own collection. Chassis numbers follow Volkswagen's scheme: plain sequential numbers until July 1964, then 15 + model-year digit + serial (159 means 1969 or 1979 depending on length). Entries start from public auction records and documented cars; owners add their own car with photos and history. The earliest 1949–53 cars are covered in depth by karmann1952.de; this registry spans the full production run.
Maintained by Sverre A. Blindheim
47 vehicles · 1 visible · 46 private · 7 countries · 1955–1980
| Model year | Total | Built | Coverage | United Kingdom | United States | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 2 | 3,610 | 0.1 % | – | 1 | 1 |
| 1956 | 2 | 6,550 | 0 % | – | 1 | 1 |
| 1957 | 1 | 7,972 | 0 % | – | 1 | – |
| 1958 | 1 | 9,624 | 0 % | 1 | – | – |
| 1962 | 1 | 10,129 | 0 % | – | 1 | – |
| 1963 | 1 | 10,599 | 0 % | – | – | 1 |
| 1965 | 1 | 10,754 | 0 % | 1 | – | – |
| 1967 | 1 | 7,583 | 0 % | – | 1 | – |
| 1968 | 3 | 13,368 | 0 % | 2 | 1 | – |
| 1969 | 2 | 15,802 | 0 % | – | 2 | – |
| 1970 | 1 | 18,008 | 0 % | 1 | – | – |
| 1971 | 3 | 24,317 | 0 % | 2 | 1 | – |
| 1972 | 2 | 14,865 | 0 % | 1 | – | 1 |
| 1973 | 3 | 17,685 | 0 % | 3 | – | – |
| 1974 | 3 | 12,694 | 0 % | 2 | – | 1 |
| 1975 | 1 | 5,327 | 0 % | 1 | – | – |
| 1976 | 1 | 11,081 | 0 % | – | – | 1 |
| 1977 | 3 | 14,218 | 0 % | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978 | 5 | 18,511 | 0 % | 3 | 2 | – |
| 1979 | 8 | 19,569 | 0 % | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1980 | 1 | 544 | 0.2 % | – | – | 1 |
| Unknown year | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Total | 47 | 328,697 | 0 % | 21 | 15 | 11 |
Exists 47
46 of 328,697 built are in the registry (0%)
The figures include all cars in the registry, also those not shown publicly.
- United Kingdom, 21 vehicles
- United States, 15 vehicles
- Germany, 4 vehicles
- France, 2 vehicles
- Sweden, 2 vehicles
- Belgium, 1 vehicle
- Monaco, 1 vehicle