Beetle Paint Colors and Codes

One can check the original color of one's Beetle from the chassis number plate which in our case was located in the front, under the bonnet behind the spare tyre. Please however keep in mind that the code printed to the plate might not always be the same with the actual body color. There are lots of reported cases where the paint code on the plate is different from the original color on the body. These things just happened way back then. Our case is also alike. The code written on the plate is 14 (VW Blue) even the original body color is 100% sure Ruby Red (code 11). So it is always a matter of cross checking the plate and the body. One can analyse if the body is repainted or if it is original color. In our case there is no doubt that Ruby Red is the correct original color.

The 1967 original Beetle body color options that we've fount are Black L41 (code 10), Ruby Red L456 (code 11), VW Blue L633 (code 14), Lotus White L282 (code 42), Java Green L518 (code 20), Zenith Blue L639 (code 08), Savannah Beige L620 (code 02) and Fontana Grey L595 (code 09).

One can find original colors from old Volkswagen brochures. TheSamba.com has a great archive of old original brochures for different years in their litterature section. We found ours from 1967 brochure "It Comes in 7 Colors" and "1967 VW Beetle Sales Brochure" which also included the interior options. The brochures are lacking actual codes so those we found from TheSamba.com Type 1 Color Combinations Chart which includes Beetle Paint Code Listing. The list also includes original interior color combinations used with any particular body color. Wolfsbürgwest has also highly recommended Beetle Color Charts on their web page where you can search colors according to the particular production year. We also found a Glasurit Vintage Color Recipe Book ie paint mixing instructions from TheSamba.com discussion forum.