Volkswagen Beetle

We will talk about the classic model. The last such Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line in 2003 after more than six decades of production. A small sedan, one of the greatest cars, coveted to this day. A dramatic story, crazy sales and filming in your own franchise.

At the time of the release of the last Beetle, 21,529,464 copies were produced. For comparison: Ford Model T produced 15 million units.

Zuk originated as Adolf Hitler's idea for the project of his movement Kraft durch Freude (Strength through Joy (KdF)), which was partly a social program and partly political propaganda.KdF was invented in order to demonstrate the prosperity of Germany, raise the life of the working class to the standards of the middle class and provide the masses with new luxury goods and quality leisure. At the same time, the construction of a new Autobahn high-speed highway began, the introduction of inexpensive Folk radio and the creation of KdF summer camps, cinemas, concert venues, resorts and cruise liners for working-class families.

One of the most important parts of the KdF movement was the people's car (Volkswagen) for workers whose biggest transportation ambition was to exchange their bike for a motorcycle. At the end of 1933, Hitler summoned the brilliant but mercurial automobile designer Ferdinand Porsche to discuss the new car and its design.

In order to make what later became a Beetle accessible to any working-class family, Hitler wanted his People's Car to cost less than 1,000 Reichsmarks. It was supposed to be small, but with enough interior space for two adults, three children and their luggage, which could be stowed under the hood and behind the rear seats.He had to accelerate to 100 km / h and spend 7 liters of fuel per 100 km of travel. In addition, the machine had to be simple and easy to maintain.

To drive the car, Hitler insisted on an air-cooled engine installed in the rear. This was due to the fact that in German winters the temperature often dropped below zero. Polyethylene glycol antifreeze became available a little later, so in order for the entire radiator not to be in ice in the morning, a garage was needed.

The idea of creating such a popular car was not new. In fact, the best-selling car in the world before the Beetle was the Ford Model T. The Model T was a very different car, the design of which was aimed at American farmers. It had an engine that could run on a variety of fuels, it was easy to maintain. Large ground clearance and wooden spokes of wheels for driving on dirty, unpaved roads. As well as a design that could be easily modified for a number of other tasks, including becoming a portable energy source for field work.

Despite the differences, the Model T inspired Hitler to create the Beetle. He even adopted their assembly line system. The Beetle's design was the result of a collaboration between Porsche, which included ideas for an economical car, and Hitler, who provided ideas and sketches. It's funny that Hitler never learned to drive a car. Porsche also traveled to the U.S. to visit Ford's Detroit plant to study its layout and operation, and to hire expatriate German workers who wanted to return home.Today the Beetle looks quaint and old-fashioned, but in the 1930s its streamlined shapes were the pinnacle of futuristic design. Rationalization was in vogue. Not only airplanes, locomotives and cars received smooth lines to improve aerodynamics, but also pencil sharpeners, toasters, kettles, radios and telephones. In addition to considerations of reducing air flow resistance, the streamlined body panels of the Beetle meant that they could be stamped by machine, and much less steel was required. The body shape was so dense that the car could stay afloat in the water.There was an air-cooled four-cylinder engine in the rear. This engine was named Boxer because in action the pistons looked as if two boxers were fighting with gloves on. The light alloy contributed to the cold start. Air cooling not only helped in winter, but also prevented boiling in summer when driving at high altitude through the Bavarian Alps.

Rear-wheel drive made it possible to install a simpler smaller transmission, improve traction on ice, leave behind noise and most of the notorious smell of the car. In addition, the engine could heat the car through a simple heat exchanger - not very efficient, but a big plus at a time when car heaters were a rare luxury item.

The only available color was blue-gray.

Since the average German family could not afford to spend 990 Reichsmarks at a time, the "Beetle" could be bought according to the savings book scheme. That is, it was just necessary to save up, but with a mandatory monthly payment.

Unfortunately, no one got their Bug. The design was not completed until 1938, and by that time Hitler was thinking of something else. Only a few hundred Beetles were built, and all of them went to the military. The rest of the money collected under the savings book scheme was spent to pay for the Second World War.

During the war, the new Volkswagen plant switched production to the production of a square off-road military version of the Beetle called Kubelwagen. A car for three people and a machine gun instead of a family of five. Several tens of thousands of copies were produced, despite the fact that the plant was repeatedly bombed by the Allies, as a result of which three quarters of the plant was destroyed.

After the war, the Volkswagen plant was seized by the British, who intended to dismantle it and send it to the UK as compensation for damage. The plant was under the command of Major Ivan Hurst, whose first task was to monitor the neutralization of an unexploded bomb wedged into the plant. If this single operation had not been successful, the Beetle would have instantly disappeared into the obscurity of automotive history.After the bomb was defused, Hurst noticed fancy cars with rounded shapes. He offered the found samples to American and British automobile factories.

The result was one of the worst business decisions ever. No British car manufacturer wanted anything to do with this deal, and Americans, especially Ford, hated the Beetle, calling it ugly and poorly designed. Only the French showed interest, but the lobby of French automakers led to the breakdown of the deal.

The only thing that saved the factory was that Hurst signed a contract to supply 20,000 vehicles to the occupying forces of the British army, who were in desperate need of reliable transport. The assembly line reopened on December 27, 1945 and was put into production in 1946. By March, 1,000 khaki-colored cars were being produced monthly. By 1947, the Volkswagens (the name was slightly changed) began to be produced for the civilian market with chrome bumpers, hoods and interior trim.

In 1949, the company was returned to the German government in the form of a private Volkswagen company. Heinz Nordhoff was appointed director of the plant. He adhered to the policy of preserving the "Beetle" as it is, instead of making radical changes, and focused on exports, as well as on the domestic market, in order to get hard currency for bankrupt Germany.Heinz Nordhoff was particularly keen to enter the American market, first by exporting, and then by founding a subsidiary in the USA. As Volkswagen spread to the Netherlands and other countries, it acquired an impressive list of nicknames, including Beetle, which the company adopted for marketing purposes. The beetle was more memorable than the Volkswagen Type 1.

As the Beetle grew in popularity, so did the Volkswagen plant, which later became the largest automobile plant in the world, containing one of the most advanced automated systems.

By the 1960s, the Beetle had penetrated deeply into the US market, where it was considered a relatively new car, despite the fact that its design was released several decades ago. It appealed to the young, educated middle class with a net income, was relatively inexpensive to purchase and operate, and looked completely different, so it stood out on the road.Soon the cult of the Beetle developed, as it was adopted by Beatniks, hippies and other nonconformists who either did not know or did not care about its connection with the Nazis. It was painted in wild psychedelic colors, packed with students.

The beetle was even filmed in the movie "Herbie", which was followed by five sequels and a TV series. The Batmobile and the Aston Martin DB5 may have been movie stars in their own right, but they weren't given the lead role.

By the 1970s, the Beetle was experiencing its best days. He was imitated all over the world. The Japanese, the French and the British entered into agreements to sell cars in their markets. Motorists expected new models of modern style, greater performance, comfort, safety and other modern amenities.

Volkswagen invented the Golf as a successor to the Beetle and moved the production line to Brazil and Mexico. The modern "New Beetle" was produced in 1998-2010, and the design of the third generation - in 2012-2019, but it is the Beetle of the original shape that occupies an important place in history. It was not only the best-selling car in history, but it contributed to the salvation of the post-war German economy and the formation of the modern EU.