TRYING TO GET MY HEAD AROUND THIS

Good afternoon good people.

Can someone please clarify something for me.

I have a 1980 model Golf MK1 with a 1300 GF engine in it.

I have however known since being an MK1 owner that the swallowtail models were only on the production line in '74 & '75.

How do I land up with a 1980 model with the swallowtail shaped rear end?

I also read that the bonnet on the swallowtail runs off smoothly at the front. Mine has the bonnet from the later model and more than likely the original as the car was never in a smash.

I got the car as a shell so was easy to inspect. To my surprise nothing had been tampered with so I'm wondering how this is possible?

Please shed some light.

Are you mixing up a later Series 1 small light with an early S1 swallow tail? Both had small rear lights compared to the post '80/81 larger rears but only 74/75 had the swallow tail indentation in the rear panel.

Hi there.

No, I am aware of the differences between the series I and series II, however mine does have the dipped rear end and is a 1980 model.

Will post a pic.

Is it a genuine UK car or has it been imported at some stage. Has someone changed the rear panel.

That'll be a basketcase. 

I'm not sure of the history of the car bro, I got it as a shell with papers and all the parts in a garage (each one!) with the original 1300 GF engine which I'm now using in the car, it was easy to inspect as it was empty.
I did inspect the car thoroughly and nothing appeared to be altered, the car also doesn't have a spot of rust, it's quite a great little cabby👌I am in S.A, is there no way the VIN would help?

Roach What is a basketcase?

if you have the vin number pm it to me I can try and look it up, if made in SA then I wont be able to check it though I can see only euro models

if thats an original VIN number from euro car, 174 means it was built pre april 74 and have probably one of the earliest MK1 still around. ETKA doesnt even go back that far, and from what this page says they dont really exist that early…
Swallowtail Owners

rubjonny I will post a pic of the tag and the firewall.

How would it be registered as a 1980 mod then?

absolutely no idea. if the rules are similar to UK then unless you have documented evidence of the real age of the car then you often end up with the registration being the date the car was imported, rather than the real age of the car

its possible the vin is wrong or from a different country than germany and its had a rear panel at some point. not uncommon, back in the day when your new mk1 got rear ended it was economical for the insurance to repair so someone could have asked for a swallowtail panel to be fitted.

on the other hand, if it was actually 17A not 174A, then it would have been made some point in December 79 which would tie up nice with an 80 registration, and you've just had a swallowtail panel fitted at some point in the past

Gee it seems that there is the same sort of thing happening over there as here….. My 81 Rabbit/Golf Diesel was mis-registered as a gasser, and I would have to have an emissions test done….to which I said that is really funny as the vin says Diesel but I will gladly take it to every emissions shop in town and demand that it is done blowing up all the machines in the metro area……..  They changed it to Diesel in the registration program data base when I showed them the title….Then my Aqua-Blue Perl Cabriolet was registered in Alabama as Purple…… go figure.