Because the Germans didn't like to make styling changes for their own sake, we now have another Teutonic machine for which I cannot provide an exact year of manufacture. The door handles indicate that it's pre-1960 (unless, of course, someone has swapped early doors on a later Beetle), and the size of the rear window means it's post-1957. Any VW expert who can tell the difference between a '58 and '59 from these photos, please enlighten us; until that point I'm going to take a 50/50 shot at accuracy and say it's a 1959.
VW didn't put a lot of decoration on these cars, but the Wolfsburg emblem below the trunk release is a real beauty.
You got a 36-horse 1200 in your Beetle for '58 or '59, which was power enough for highway cruising. That doesn't necessarily mean that's what this Beetle has in the back; even if the owner hasn't swapped in some kind of Weber-ized Type 4, after nearly 50 years it's likely that at least a 1600 has found its way into this car.
I've always liked this style of antenna mounting; sure, it looks funny, but busted-off antennas are easy to replace.
The blue tarp in the back indicates that this Beetle isn't exactly watertight during the rainy California winters. Let's hope the floorpan isn't rusty!