The VW Beetle

While the beginnings of the Volkswagen Beetle started in 1939 as the “people’s car” promoted by Adolf Hitler and funded by the Nazi Party using slave (concentration camp) labor it has become an iconic beloved automobile lasting almost 80 years It is scheduled for an end to production in 2019. 

 Starting with some material on the early car which the war curtailed, most production of in favor of war vehicles, until 1949 , when importation to the U.S.began with the “model 1"   the name “Beetle” has been attributed to U.S. advertising , but actually way back in the late 40's the car was known affectionally to German’s as “Käfer “ or “beetle”.

VW did continue production of a car similar to the “Beetle” in 1997 for 1998 model year calling it “The New Beetle”   But it has to relation at all to the original featuring a front engine, front wheel drive, based on the Golf platform.  In 2012 VW revised the car as the VW A5, but it was still referred to as the “New Beetle”  

Early illustration of the "Peoples Car"

Ad for the wartime VW Beetle  in 1939 . Note the Nazi sign

Scandinavian ad for a post wat '45 VW

These two photos are an early Cabriolet model that in production was modified to a fabric sunroof

The post war import VW Model 1  in 1945

The last “concept” styling for the New Beetle was at the 2005 auto show where a vehicle called “Ragster” was shown as a possible production car.  Nothing ever came of it

The last real concept proposal called "Ragster" unveiled at teh Chicago Auto Show 2005

The NY based advertising agency  Doyle Dane Bernbach took the advertising campaign promoting the “Beetle” in the 50's and 60's and was responsible for a tremendous gain in sales with its clever ads. 

Illustrations of these ads follow:

 VW once before “ended” the Beetle in 2003 to much lament with the final car off the Mexico production line in June.

The final VW Beetle type 1 from the Mexico plant 

I had two personal experiences with the “original “ Beetle.  In 1960 a High School upperclass Tom Conner had a ‘59 VW Beetle with sliding fabric sunroof.  He would give me rids home from evening play practice in winter.  The car was woefully underpowered, the heater almost nonexistent, and it had no traction whatsoever.  But it was cozy and “cute”.   
Freshman year College, housemate Pete Tissone (a senior) took me along to a “woodsie” at Argyle State Park near the University.  A woodsie was a event where kegs of beer were brought and word of mouth parties occurred for $5 a person entry.  Illegal as Hell, they got away with it as the park was not regularly patrolled at night making it a great party and romantic date location.  Pete got drunk and on the way home took a curcv too fast and we skidded into a off-road tree.  The whole front of the Beetle was crumpled in .  I was just shaken up but Pete bashed his forehead into the windscreen and had a nasty gash.  So off to the hospital we went.  They had no breathalizers so he was only charged with reckless driving.  I went home scared and shaken.  I found out the car belonged to a friend and had no insurance, so Pete had to be responsible for replacing the car.I don’t know the ending, but Pete left school spring semester and I never saw him again.that is my total experience riding in a Beetle

So many people turned the original “Bug” into their own with personal expressionmodifications, so it seems fitting to show a few examples of the creativity as we bid Auf Wiedersehen to the beloved “Beetle”