The humble 1500 ‘notch’ was introduced in 1961, but who would have imagined back then that one day someone would increase capacity to a far more hairy 2275cc, then bolt on a blower? This totally pristine ’64 example has had the Dub world drooling for the last few years, but now it’s actually come up for sale…

It’s being offered here on Oldbug.com and while the pricetag of $45,000 (£32,568) might put some folk off, when you see the level of spec – and finish – and compare it to similar quality air-cooled Porsches from that era, it actually looks amazingly good value.

With its rare factory sunroof, pop out opening rear windows, period alloys and attractive charcoal colourscheme, it ticks all the ‘looks absolutely gorgeous’ boxes. And as far as we can see, no stone has been left unturned during its preparation with new factory rubbers throughout accompanied by the relevant bits of chrome trim, making the car look as good, if not better, than it would have done when it left the showroom over five decades ago.

The contrasting red interior is equally impressive, with racing style lap belts adding a bit of visual drama. As well as the meticulously tailored carpets, totally mint headlining and virtually unsat-on looking freshly retrimmed pews, a particularly nice touch is the EMPI ‘coach’ steering wheel which has been fully restored and indeed colour coded to match the interior.

As is the locking Gene Berg shifter. Interestingly, the original instruments in the cowled dash have been replaced by retro-looking alternatives with a central rev counter replacing the original speedo and a boost gauge fitted instead of the usual clock.

But of course the car’s real talking point, and the thing that sets it apart from any other notch out there, is what’s lurking in the back. Namely a totally custom built 2275cc engine featuring all manner of internal goodness with a monster T03/4 hybrid turbocharger bolted to it. Less than 3000 miles have been covered on the new unit.

Having undergone a body-off restoration, we doubt you’ll see a cleaner notch, nor one that’s actually likely to out-perform virtually everything else on the road – including quite a few modern hot hatches. The ultimate retro rocket, we’d say.

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage