THE AIRCOOLED ARCHIVE
Every chassis, engine, and factory code for aircooled Volkswagens.
Decode your VIN, identify paint and upholstery by factory tables, look up engine stampings, compare vehicles side by side — all grounded in primary-source manuals and community-verified data.
TOOLS
Built for owners, restorers & enthusiasts
Chassis Decoder
Decode any chassis number from 1938 to 1980. Model year, body style, factory, production era — all from the stamped serial.
OpenEngine Decoder
Look up letter-coded or pre-1960 numeric engine stampings. Displacement, horsepower, regional variants, platform compatibility.
OpenCompare
Side-by-side comparison of two chassis or two engines. Spec deltas, M-code diffs, rarity scores, and regional variant breakdowns.
OpenCatalog Explorer
Browse paint codes, upholstery, trim, and model numbers by year, platform, and body variant. 2,500+ catalog entries from 1952–1979.
OpenArchive Chat
AI-powered search across factory manuals, VW Facts archive, and catalog data. Ask natural questions, get cited answers.
OpenKnowledge Graph
Explore the relationships between engines, models, M-codes, factories, and paint codes in an interactive force-directed graph.
OpenParts Classifieds
Community parts board — post wanted or for-sale listings. Built into your restoration build's parts checklist.
OpenHelp build the archive
Spotted an error or have factory data we're missing? Submit a correction and help improve the decoder for everyone. Every correction is reviewed and, once approved, applied across the entire system.
Submit a correctionFree forever, upgrade for API access
The decoder and archive are free. Pro and Premium plans unlock REST API keys, bulk decode, data exports, and priority support for shops and businesses.
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