A piece of contemporary Austrian-Spanish history is going under the hammer in Vienna: the Dorotheum is auctioning off Bruno Kreisky’s Beetle convertible in an auction of 87 classic vehicles.
The former Federal Chancellor was driving the “1975 Volkswagen 1303 Cabriolet”, as the car is called in the description, around his holiday home on Mallorca. The open Volkswagen has largely been preserved in its original condition.Kreisky (1911-1990), Austrian Chancellor for 13 years from 1970, settled in Calvià on Mallorca at the end of the 1970s. On May 5, 1978, the convertible with the license plate number 1-PM-8483 was registered in his own name. “There are numerous photos showing Kreisky with his family and the Beetle, even a detailed interview was conducted with him while driving on the island “, writes the Dorotheum on its website. “Even when Kreisky’s health was severely affected in his last years, he insisted on being driven in his Beetle convertible.” The 1303 was the last expansion stage of German production. From its predecessor it took over the more powerful engine variant of the boxer with 50 hp from 1584 ccm. The most striking external feature was the now curved windshield, which was due to new safety regulations in the important North American market. In the course of production, a switch was made from roller steering to a new rack and pinion steering system before production of the sedan, which had found a designated successor in the Golf, ended in Germany in 1975. Due to continued strong sales figures, the production of the convertibles at Karmann in Osnabrück continued. When its end was announced in 1979, there was a great outcry, but even demonstrations could no longer change the decision that Wolfsburg had made. Production stopped on a Thursday, January 10, 1980. The “Marino Yellow” vehicle will be offered at an auction of 87 classic vehicles on July 2 in the Dorotheum Vehicle Center. According to Dorotheum, the estimated value is between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.
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