Rare 1946 Volkswagen Beetle Found in a Basement, Spent Decades in the Dark

Beetle production exploded in the 1950s when output grew from 100,000 to more than 500,000 units per year in less than a decade. Yearly production reached one million units in 1965 and remained in the seven-digit territory until 1973.

Pre-1950 Beetles, on the other hand, are a different story. Because production in the 1940s barely exceeded 10,000 units per year. Those made in 1940 and 1941 are the rarest at around 8,500 units, but the 1946 version is also scarce at a little over 10,000 examples. And needless to say, significantly fewer than that have soldiered on until 2022.

There's no database to tell us how many 1946 Beetles are still around, but one was recently discovered in the basement of a former U.S. VW shop. And that's a big deal because the Beetle wasn't officially imported into the United States until 1949.

How did it get here? Well, that's a piece of information we don't know, but there's a big chance it crossed the pond as a used car. What we do know for a fact is that it spent several decades in a basement.

Documented by YouTube's "Drive Analog," the location of this rare Bug remains a mystery, but the property belongs to a guy who ran a Volkswagen parts shop. The basement is still loaded with unused Beetle parts, while the yard is packed with components ranging from doors and fenders to dashboards, seats, and wheels.

Given the man's passion for the "People's Car," it's not exactly surprising that at some point he purchased a split-window, pre-1950 model. He also owns a 1954 variant, which isn't as rare as the 1946, but still scarce compared to 1955 to 1980 Beetles.

As you might have already guessed, the car has seen better days. The blue paint is worn out, and many parts are missing, while the interior is loaded with spares from other Beetles. But it's still in one piece, and it only has minor rust issues.

The original engine has been removed, and there's no info if it still exists, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's buried somewhere in that basement.

If you're not familiar with early Beetles, they were powered by 1,131-cc (69-cubic-inch) four-cylinder boxer engines rated at no more than 24 horsepower and 51 pound-feet (69 Nm) of torque. Far from impressive, but decent for an affordable vehicle back in the day.

So what will happen with this Beetle? Well, it's unclear whether the owner is looking to sell it or not. But "Drive Analog" does say he hopes "we can get it out safely" in the video's info section, so maybe this old Bug will get a second chance. Until that happens, see it resting in the dark in the video below.