Engine identification

It is important to know which engine is installed when it comes time for maintenance or refurbishment. Not all 1200 Beetles are equipped with a 1200 cc engine. Many engines are interchangeable, often without modification to the chassis or bodywork, so it is possible that your car is equipped with a different engine. It may be a larger engine or an engine from another year.

If the engine has been replaced with a refurbished engine, the letter combination may be different (if there is an engine number). Please ask the supplier of the refurbished engine for the year of manufacture and displacement, as they tend to use their own letter/number combinations.

The engine number allows you to determine the type of engine and its displacement. The first letter(s) indicate the displacement and type of engine. The following numbers indicate the model year. Engines manufactured before July 31, 1965 did not have letters in their numbers. For these engines, we can only provide the model year.

Consult the model year / engine identification documentation we provide before you order parts for your classic Volkswagen engine.

Please note: our engine identification documentation assumes that your car still has all its original technical specifications. These documents are an additional service from which no rights can be derived.

Click here to view the model year / engine identification documentation