Standard

If you’ve visited a European Volkswagen event you will definitely have seen cars from the DKG club, all from the Peruwelz area of Belgium. When the club gets together they are almost impossible to miss, with a variety of models, mostly Old School Cal Look, Resto Cal and German Lookers, all beautifully restored with real attention to detail. After walking around the cars it is apparent that this a prestigious club and one that the members are extremely proud to be part of, with not just some of the most perfect cars in Europe but some of the best examples in the world.

This 1955 Standard is no exception to the high standards that the DKG keep, but being an OG paint car it is not at all what we expected to see parked with the club. This car belongs to Gregory Van Hullebusch. Gregory is well known throughout the VW world. I can’t think of anyone who has seen his other Type3 and not been completely stopped in their tracks. With its jaw-dropping paint job and mirror finish original Fuchs it isn’t easy to walk by and not take a sneak peek through the crystal clear glass to be greeted by that unbelievable interior. Just a truly classy car.

Like so many of us who go on to build this sort of car, Gregory’s passion for air-cooled Volkswagens started when he was still a schoolboy, way back in 1994. The “virus”, as he calls it, was transmitted to him by his schoolmate Johan, who was already afflicted with the obsession so many of us know only too well. He recalls the ’67 “Special” Type3 Squareback in a 1995 issue of Super VW magazine. Although in its full 90s glory, Banana Yellow on plashed 2L Fuchs with that colour-coded interior you can still see the Cal Look connection which has taken Greg so far in the cars he has owned over the years.

This 1955 Standard model Oval is an original Belgium-delivered car that has never been restored. This Standard was delivered with factory-fitted chrome bumpers, handles and headlight rings by request of its original owner, Mr D’ieteren. It was common across Europe to spec up your base model Beetle during the 1950s, a cost-effective way to keep up with the Joneses. Gregory purchased the car in 2020 after being given the heads up by his friends Annick and Stepane. The first time he laid eyes on the Beetle it was sitting under 5 mm of dust but completely unmolested, with only 78,328 km on the clock.

The car was all original from top to bottom and in outstanding condition, needing only repairs to the right-hand side heater channels and lower panels. The deck lid and bonnet were repaired and blown in the Standard L255 Jupiter Grey. At this point Gregory would like to give a shout out to his friend Diego from Nostalgia Cars for finding the parts and paint and also especially to his friend Ludo magician (Nabot) for his work blending and perfectly matching the patina. He even managed to make the licence plate match the car!

Being a Standard model, this car still uses the old-fashioned cable braking system. In fact cable brakes were fitted to Standard cars up until 1964! In late 1950 all Deluxe models got treated to the new hydraulic braking system. Although they sound a little sketchy, cable brakes actually work particularly well if they are set up right and are kept well maintained. Gregory had the whole setup worked through and new brake linings fitted.

As for the motor, he kept the original matching numbers stock 30hp engine but gave it a little more vintage speed poke with a Judson kit and Okrassa exhaust. The front axle has been given adjusters and dropped spindles. Four new kyb shock absorbers have been added. The wheels are aged 356 reps 4.5 & 5.5 x 15”, wearing full profile 155 r15 and 185 r15 tyres.

Gregory would like to thank all his friends for this project. And his wife Doro, his kids and especially his Loucas. They all love old rusty, weathered Beetles.