Windows enlarged slimmer door and windshield posts.Aerated vinyl material replaces nonporous leatherette seat upholstery.Crank operated sliding steel sunroof replaces the fabric sunroof.Transparent “Quick Check” brake fluid reservoir.Increased trunk space due to the flatter style gas tank.Transmission synchronised in all forward speeds.Sunvisor and grab handles provided for passenger’s side.Parts are very easily changed between years which is one of the great things about the Volkswagen in general. But remember, the presence of one or more of these changes does not identify a particular model year. The letter preceding the numbers help identify the engine size and horsepower. Below are some tables which shows all changes which has occurred from 1961 through 1977. The engine number is stamped on the base of the generator/alternator stand. On all cars since January 1, 1969, at the top edge of the instrumental panel.On the ID plate next to the front hood lock on Super Beetles.On the ID plate behind the spare tire on all except Super Beetles.
Stamped on the frame tunnel under the rear seat.So, if the first three digits of your chassis number is 118, then it would mean that it’s a 1968 Beetle. The last six to seven digits are the chassis serial number.
The third digit is the last digit of the year, for example 5 would indicate 1965 and 2 would indicate 1972. The first two digits identify the model as a Beetle (11) or a Karmann Ghia (14). Beginning in 1965, Volkswagen incorporated the year and model in the chassis number. Volkswagen began a chassis numbering sequence that ran consecutively from the 1940’s through 1964. The only positive way to tell the year is by Chassis Number. External changes throughout the years have been relatively minor. It’s not easy to tell one year from another.