Matchbox #15 Volkswagen 1500

From 1969 this is one of the rarest Matchbox models. It was only made in this configuration for about 6 months. That is to saw with regular wheels with thick axles and steering. You can see that the front wheels turn aka the auto steer feature in the third photo. There is also a diagram on the box top and bottom.
In mid 1969 Matchbox switched to the Superfast wheels to compete with Hot Wheels. Ended up being a Hot Wheels lite thing. They were not as fast and the wheels didn't look as good as Hot Wheels or Johnny Lightning.
Back to this car. the 1500 refers to the 1500cc engine introduced in 1967, for the real one of course. Of course it is better known as the Beetle Lesser known as the Volkswagen Saloon but Matchbox referred to it as such. In the last photo is the original Matchbox Volkswagen Saloon.
Looks like they were trying to cash in on the Love Bug with the road rally racing car number on the car doors.