Factory code: Type 15
Again, like the saloon, the VW 1302 LS Cabriolet makes way for the VW 1303 model. The Beetle reaches its final stage of development in the 1303 model – apart from a clamping strip for the bonnet seal, not a single screw or sheet of metal is the same as in the first Beetle.
Throughout its history, the Cabriolet is constantly adapted to developments in the saloon: all changes to the technology and bodywork are also incorporated into the Cabriolet, and the most powerful engine is regularly used. The 1303 LS Cabriolet delivers 37 kW (50 PS) from 1,600 cc, while the curved, forward-sloping windscreen and padded dashboard are responses to increased safety requirements, particularly in the USA.
When sales of the Beetle saloon are discontinued in Germany in 1975, production figures shoot up to a total of around 160,000 units.
On 10 January 1980, an era finally comes to an end with the last VW Beetle 1303 Cabriolet rolling off the production line: after a total of 331,847 Cabriolets and 31 years of production, the Beetle in its open-top version is discontinued.
