VW Reference

This section is your handy 'one-stop shop' for information on Volkswagens sold in Australia. This information comes from a wide variety of reference sources, especially the large selection of books and manuals available to members in the Club Veedub library. All the reference titles can be accessed by clicking on the title of your choice.

Firstly there is a large and detailed written History of VW in Australia, broken down into five-year blocks. From the very first contact with the Kubelwagen by Aussie soldiers in North Africa; the first VWs sales and the establishment of our local VW factory; the boom years of the 1960s and the decline and sale of the factory in the 1970s. The dark years of the 1980s, and VW's complete restart under a series of independent importers in the 1990s. The story of the new Volkswagen Group Australia in the 2000s, and the record success VW enjoys in Australia today.

Because our Beetles (and Kombis and Type 3s) were manufactured here in the1960s, our VWs were rather different from those sold in Europe, the UK and the USA. Today most people don't know that VWs were made in Australia; they still think they are 'German' cars. Yet they were every bit as Australian as the Holden or the Falcon. The Australian Volkswagens page describes the many differences between our VWs and those made in Germany.

  • Model Types describes the series of model number systems used by Volkswagen in the air cooled era. If you've ever wondered what the difference between a VW Type 141 and a Type 144 is, this is the page.
  • Chassis Numbers lets you work out the 'year model' of all the VW models sold in Australia up to 1990. There are overseas sites that do this too, but this one is the only one that is specifically Australian.
  • VIN Codes explains the current 17-digit codes used on all modern VWs made since 1980. If you want to know what your Jetta's WVWZZZ1KZAM180201 VIN code means, this is the page.
  • Engine Codes describes the engine's size, layout, fuel and power output, and the years of production, based on the VW letter code stamped on the block/case, from the earliest air-coolers up to the late 2000s.
  • Paint Colours lists the unique range of Australian Dulux colours used on Australian-made VWs here in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. You won't find this Aussie-specific info on American or British websites.
  • Part Numbers describes how Volkswagen's 211 263 175B (for example) part number system works. Each of the blocks of three digits, and each digit in turn, means something.
  • Ignition Parts lists the current Bosch (and Beru, where available) part numbers for plugs, points, condensors, rotors and distributor caps for those VW models fitted with them.