Sixty years of Volkswagen's Beetle
The Volkswagen Company turned sixty years old last week. In July 1946, German dealerships Gottfried Schultz in Essen and Raffay & Co. in Hamburg, Germany received their first Beetle sedans (saloons).
The Beetle's history reaches as far back as the 1930s. However, the first one built under the Volkswagen name came shortly after the end of World War II. British army officer Major Ivan Hirst, who controlled what would be the first Volkswagen factory, obtained an order of 20,000 sedans for the British military. The now-named Volkswagen factory shipped eight Beetles to Gottfried Schultz while sending one to Raffay & Co. Both continue to be large Volkswagen dealerships today.
The military approved the establishment of 10 major distributors and 28 dealerships later that year. Volkswagen would go on to sell millions of its Beetles world wide. In the U.S., Volkswagen sold the turtle-shaped car until 1978. The car would not return to the world's largest automotive market until 1998 as the New Beetle.
Related:
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Volkswagen hoping buyers stick around for New Beetle styling gimmick
VIDEO: Jet-powered VW New Beetle
[Source: DueMotori and Wikipedia]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Alles Clare 2:51PM (7/26/2006)
When I was in Germany years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the VW museum in Wolfburg. When I was talking to Germans about the VW, most don't view it with the same reverance many Americans do. To the Germans, it has an almost negative image because it was the car they *had* to use after the war. They bought it in droves because it was the only car they could afford. It was a symbol of the austerity their defeat brought. Kinda like we view the Chevette, only with more shame.
Still, it's one of the most amazing cars ever built from an engineering point of view, and the musuem was very, very cool. I only wish they'd brought the 4x4 Micro Buses to the US...
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Gardiner Westbound 3:06PM (7/26/2006)
In the early 60s there were four beetles parked in our driveway behind the parents' Buick, one for each teenager. They were revered for their longevity and gas mileage. Looking back they weren't that great. No heaters, had to change the oil every 1,000 miles because there was no filter, the kingpins seized up even if you greased the front end every oil change, but they did get great gas mileage. At 29¢ a gallon it was an important consideration!
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Noah 3:11PM (7/26/2006)
The beetle was on sale into 2003 not 1978... Just not in the states.
--Noah
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Tits MeGee 3:23PM (7/26/2006)
Actually, the Beetle Convt was sold in MY 1979 and into the calendar year 1980, not 1978 as is stated in this post
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Chris Johnson 3:40PM (7/26/2006)
1979 was in fact the last model year for the Beetle Convertible in the US. 1977 was the last year for the Sedan in the US.
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AnnDee 3:50PM (7/26/2006)
In the US, 1980 was the last model year. The sedan ended in 1978, but the convertible was built for 2 more years.
#1 There are 4x4 Buses here
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Jaymez 4:01PM (7/26/2006)
Wait a minute. The article calls these things sedans. Sedans have four doors. I've never seen a Beetle with more than two.
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Alles Clare 4:09PM (7/26/2006)
From AnnDee: "#1 There are 4x4 Buses here"
I think they brought the later wasserboxer AWD Vanagons here, but I don't think they ever brought the air-pumper Microbuses with the outboard reduction-gear units. Talk about ground clearance!
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Bill 4:10PM (7/26/2006)
#1. For related reasons, this is why the New Beetle has largely not sold well in Europe. (but not the only reason)
The US and Mexico have always had far more nostalgia for the car than in Germany.
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Axel 4:26PM (7/26/2006)
#1 As a german I can assure you that many here see the original beetle convertible still as one of the most admirable cars ever been built. Convertibles in good shape cost a fortune here... Especially better educated people try to grab one as a second/third car and enjoy their trips on sundays (actually I live in Osnabrueck where nearly 400000 beetle convertibles have been built).
Regarding the regular beetle (sedan) you're right. It's the people's car, nothing special. And it's always been.
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Richard Warren 4:34PM (7/26/2006)
The original Beetle was a great car for the times and fun to drive and had a reputation for durability. Memories are great, looking back you have to ask were they all that durable?
#3 Exhaust valve burning
oil cooler leaks
push rod tube leaks
steering stabilizer problems
leaking wheel cylinders
sagging rear bumpers
no heat to speak of
steam heat with vapor cloud after driving through a puddle
loved to roll over if not eqipped with a rear suspension link
weak electrics, headlight on, horn won't blow
corrosion under rear seat from battery
leaking fuel tanks on early models at the foot operated reserve lever
And more-----
Would I buy another one after owning 5?
In a heartbeat!!
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Bill 5:13PM (7/26/2006)
#10, Contrary to popular belief, the car did have heat.
You just wave the cigarette lighter around... :-)
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John B 6:50PM (7/26/2006)
The old bug brings back fond memories. My father picked up a used one from an acquaintance, 1955 or thereabouts. Small rear window, no fuel guage (reserve lever on the floor), manifold heater - and completely reliable. I remember driving in Montreal winters with one hand, the other scrapping frost off the inside of the windscreen.
I rented one in Mexico in 1983.
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Dr. Sphincter 9:36PM (7/26/2006)
Richard Warren, if you didn't leave a spot of oil everywhere you parked, better check the oil quick because you've run out! ;-)
The easy way to keep the valve from burning was to ignore the manual and set the valve lash at .009 (I think) instead of .006, as revealed in the book that no self-respecting Volksie lover would be with: John Muir's "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot". It'll clatter like a diesel and you'll lose a few horses, but the valves will last forever.
I had a home-made sand rail with a 1600 dual-relief for a few years, and learned to love the elegantly simple design of the chassis, engine, and suspension.
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Mike from Scarborough 10:06PM (7/26/2006)
This car defined the 20th centuty as the "Automobile"..In the 50's model 1300cc,,it got nearly 30 mpg when the best NA car got 8mpg....Not to mention they sold over 26 million...Does anyone know the total cars to date manufactured by VW??
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chuck goolsbee 11:25PM (7/26/2006)
I had the privilege of being the second owner of a 1973 1303 (aka "Super Beetle") back in the late 80's and early 90's. What a great car. I miss it to this day. Wonderfully engineered. I used to call my scheduled maintenance "analog therapy" ( I work in Information Technology) as I viewed the ritual of oil change, valve-adjustment, etc as a welcome certainty in my otherwise computer-driven life.
I sold it (350k miles!) when I was transferred overseas in 1997, and had the unfortunate accident of finding it parked on the street in Seattle 3 years after my European sojourn ended... the bozo who bought it had allowed it to entropy beyond belief. My trusty little Sumatra Grun Beetle was trashed, dented, faded, torn, splattered in bondo and primer...
I literally cried.
While I'm sure it still ran (it was after all, a VW Beetle!) it was a crying shame to see it abused like that, after all my (and the previous owner's) care from '73 to '97.
--chuck
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Richard Warren 5:56AM (7/27/2006)
#14 The pudle wasn't that bad if you sealed the case, (yes, you were not supposed to do that) the valve burning could also be cured by using sodium filled vales. You could also gobeyond remove the oil cooler from it's position inside the fan shroud, block the oil passage, add an external oil cooler (larger) that allowed more direct flow of air towards #3.
No one else di, but I'll mention one other engineering marvel "Automatic Stick Shift"
I had the joy of working as a mechanic (before the days of politically correct technician) for several years in a VW agency and worked on them and Porches for years in my own shop. For their time, compared tom other products they were great litle cars.
Yep, I'd own one again if the came back.
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Galley 9:31AM (7/27/2006)
The only decent thing Adolph Hitler ever did.
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