Volkswagen Beetle
The
Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly known as the
Beetle,
Coccinelle,
Vocho,
Bug,
Volky or
Käfer (
German), is a
compact car, produced by
Volkswagen from
1938 until
2003. Although the names "Beetle" and "Bug" were quickly adopted by the public, it was not until August of
1967 that VW began using the name in marketing materials. It had previously been known only as either the "Type I" or as the 1200 (twelve-hundred), 1300 (thirteen-hundred) or 1500 (fifteen-hundred), which had been the names under which the vehicle was marketed in
Europe prior to 1967; the numbers denoted the vehicle's engine size in cubic centimetres. In
1998, many years after the original model had been dropped from the lineup in most of the world (it continued in
Mexico and a handful of other countries until
2003) VW introduced a "New Beetle" (built on a
Volkswagen Golf platform), bearing a strong resemblance to the original.
In the international poll for the award of the world's most influential
car of the twentieth century the Beetle came fourth after the
Ford Model T, the
Mini and the
Citroën DS.
"The People's Car"
The origins of the car date back to 1930s
Nazi Germany.
Adolf Hitler wanted private motorized transport to be widely available and commissioned engineer
Ferdinand Porsche to produce such a vehicle. Hitler decreed that this car should be capable of transporting two adults and three children at a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), and that it should cost no more than a
motorcycle and sidecar to buy (at the time, about 200 German Marks). A savings scheme was also launched that would enable the common people to buy the car. (A similar program had been launched by Ford to aid sales of the Model T. It was not a success.) However, the advent and aftermath of
World War II meant that those who paid into the scheme never received their cars. (Many who did pay had to sue to get their money back. None actually received a car; only a handful of top Nazis ever did.)
|
This KdF (D.A.F.) advertisement (ca. 1936) says "Five marks a week must you put aside - If in your own car you want to ride!" |
Ferdinand Porsche formulated the original parameters of the Beetle several years before it was commissioned. However its production only became financially viable when it was backed by the
Third Reich. The Beetle looked very similar to the
Mercedes 170H, another of Porsche's designs. It also resembled a Tatra design by Hans Ledwinka.
[
1][
2][
3]
The Type I's mechanics and chassis were shared with several German military vehicles of the period, including the
Kübelwagen ("bucket car", later adapted for civil use as the
Type 181), used by both the German military and the
SS, and the amphibious
Schwimmwagen, built in small numbers
Although it is generally accepted that the car's design originated with Ferdinand Porsche, some believe there may have been other roots as well. During the 1920s
Joseph Ganz had a similar design for a car that was smaller and more affordable than existing models. Car manufacturers were not interested, but two motorcycle manufacturers were.
Adler produced the
Maikäfer and Standard the
Superior, which it advertised as 'Der Deutsche Volkswagen' and was the cheapest four wheel car at the time. When the Nazis came to power, they tested the Superior and favorable reviews appeared in magazines. However, shortly after, the Nazis suddenly imprisoned Ganz, fired him as chief editor of the magazine
Motor-Kritik and confiscated his documents, after which he fled to
Switzerland, never to return. Speculation seems to indicate they discovered Ganz to be a
Jew, and Hitler would not tolerate anything positive about the
Jewish people making it into public forum. The Nazis then turned to Porsche, who produced a prototype of the
Käfer that looked a lot like the
Superior.
Volkswagen says Ganz was not the only one to have such a design and that the
Käfer was not based on his. See also [
4] Recall, also, that in this period in Europe, three-wheeled cyclecars, such as those made by
Morgan, were extremely popular as a way to avoid high taxes on cars, because cyclecars were registered as motorcycles.
The military Beetle
Prototypes of the car called the
KdF-Wagen (German:
Kraft durch Freude = strength through joy; the car was so called because it was intended to be sold to members of the KdF, a Nazi leisure organization), appeared from 1935 onwards"the first prototypes were produced by
Daimler-Benz in
Stuttgart, Germany. The car already had its distinctive round shape (designed by
Erwin Komenda) and its
air-cooled,
flat-four, rear-mounted
engine. However, the factory (in the new town of
Kdf-Stadt, purpose-built for the factory workers) had only produced a handful of cars by the time war started in 1939. Consequently, the first volume-produced versions of the car's chassis (if not body) were military vehicles, the
Jeep-like
Kübelwagen Typ 82 (approx. 52,000 built) and the amphibious
Schwimmwagen Typ 166 (approx. 14,000 built).
The car was designed to be as simple as possible mechanically, so that there was less to go wrong; the aircooled 985 cc 25 hp (19 kW) motors proved especially effective in actions of the German
Afrika Korps in
North Africa's
desert heat. This was due to the built-in fan-cooling and the superior performance of the
flat-four engine configuration. The innovative suspension design used compact
torsion beams instead of
coil or
leaf springs.
A handful of
civilian-specific Beetles were produced, primarily for the
Nazi elite, in the years 1940"1945, but production figures were small. In response to
gasoline shortages, a few wartime "Holzbrenner" Beetles were fueled by wood
pyrolysis gas producers under the hood. In addition to the
Kübelwagen,
Schwimmwagen, and a handful of others, the factory managed another wartime vehicle:
|
Kommandeurwagen (Type 87) |
the
Kommandeurwagen; a Beetle body mounted on the 4WD Kübelwagen chassis. A total of 669 Kommandeurwagens were produced until 1945, when all production was halted due to heavy damage sustained in Allied air raids on the factory. Much of the essential equipment had already been moved to underground
bunkers for protection, allowing production to resume quickly once hostilities had ended.
Post-war conflicts
 |
A Tatra T97 |
Much of the Beetle's design was inspired by the advanced
Tatra cars of
Hans Ledwinka, particularly the T97. This also had a streamlined body and a rear-mounted 4 cylinder horizontally-opposed
air-cooled engine. Tatra launched a lawsuit, but this was stopped when
Germany invaded
Czechoslovakia. The matter was re-opened after
WW2 and in 1961
Volkswagen paid Tatra 3,000,000
Deutsche Marks in compensation. These damages meant that
Volkswagen had little money for the development of new models and the Beetle's production life was necessarily extended.
The
Volkswagen company owes its postwar existence largely to
British army officer
Major Ivan Hirst (1916"2000). After the war, Hirst was ordered to take control of the heavily bombed
factory, which the
Americans had captured. His first task was to remove the unexploded bomb which had fallen through the roof and lodged itself between some pieces of irreplaceable production equipment; if the bomb had exploded, the Beetle's fate would have been sealed. Hirst persuaded the British
military to order 20,000 of the cars, and by 1946 the factory was producing 1,000 cars a month. The car and its town changed their Nazi-era names to
Volkswagen (
people's car) and
Wolfsburg, respectively. The first 1,785 Beetles were made in a factory near
Wolfsburg, Germany in
1945.
Production boom
Production of the Type 1 grew dramatically over the years, with the one-millionth car coming off the
assembly line by
1954. The Beetle had superior performance in its category with a top speed of 115km/h (72mph) and 0-100km/h (0-60mph) in 27.5 seconds on 31mpg for the standard 25kW (34hp) engine. This was far superior to the Renault 4CV and Morris Minor and even competitive with more modern small cars like the Mini. The engine fired up immediately without a choke and could only be heard in the car when idling. It had excellent road-handling for a small car. It was economical to maintain and, for many, a joy to drive. However, the opinion of some in the United States was not as flattering. Henry Ford II once described the car as 'A little shit box' out of frustration that it was the top-selling foreign car in the US market. During the 1960s and early 1970s, innovative
advertising campaigns and a glowing reputation for reliability and sturdiness helped production figures to surpass the levels of the previous record holder, the
Ford Model T, when Beetle No. 15,007,034 was produced on
February 17,
1972. By 1973 total production was over 16 million, and by 2002 there had been over 21 million produced.
The Many Names of the Type 1
The VW Beetle is known under many names in many countries, usually local renderings of the word "beetle". Among these are:
Käfer in
Germany |
Dashboard of a Mexican 1969 VW Bug |
Sedan, then
Fusca in
BrazilCoccinelle in
FranceΣκαθάρι (Scathari meaning beetle) or
Σκαραβαίος (Scaraveos meaning
Scarab) in
GreeceMaggiolino in
ItalySedán or
Vocho in
MexicoKever in the
NetherlandsKuplavolkkari (kupla meaning bubble) in
Finlandkotseng kuba (literally, 'hunchback car') /"pagong" (turtle) in the
PhilippinesKodok (frog) in
IndonesiaGarbus (literally, 'Hunchback') in
PolandBrouk in
Czech RepublicCarocha in
PortugalБуба or
Buba in
SerbiaEscarabajo in
Spain and
Latin AmericaPeta in
BoliviaVolky in
Puerto RicoHrošč in
Sloveniaחיפושית ("Hipushit") in
IsraelКосτенурка (Kostenurka) in Bulgaria (meaning turtle)
عقروقة (Ag-ru-ga) in Iraq
Bagge (short for
skalbagge, beetle) or
bubbla (bubble) in
SwedenBoble (bubble) in
NorwayBuba in
CroatiaBug in the
United StatesPõrnikas in
EstoniaKaplumbağa or
tosbağa (meaning turtle) in
Turkey.
|
1967 VW Beetle with missing bumpers, left-side horn grill. |
Beetle derivatives
While production of the standard Beetle continued, a Type 1 variant called the
Super Beetle, produced from model year
1971 to
1979, offered
MacPherson strut front suspension, better turning radius, and more space in the front luggage compartment. The
Super Beetle was improved in
1973 to include a padded dashboard and a curved windshield.
The Super Beetle (VW 1302 and 1303 series, also called Type 113) is not the only Type 1 variant; other VWs under the Type 1 nomenclature include the
Karmann Ghia and the
VW 181 utility vehicle, not to mention the
Brasilia and the Australian
Country Buggy (locally produced in Australia using VW parts).
Sales decrease
Faced with stiff competition from more modern designs " in particular
Japanese
economy cars in the
North American market and
superminis in
Europe " sales began dropping off in the mid
1970s. There had been several unsuccessful attempts to replace the Beetle throughout the 1960s; the
Type 3,
Type 4, and the NSU-based
K70 were all failures. Finally, production lines at Wolfsburg switched to the new watercooled, front-engined,
front wheel drive Golf in 1974 (sold in
North America as the Rabbit), a car unlike its predecessor in most significant ways.
 |
Like the insect, this Beetle can shed its skin |
Beetle production continued in smaller numbers at other German factories until 1978, but mainstream production shifted to
Brazil and
Mexico. The last Beetle was produced in
Puebla, Mexico, in mid-2003. The final batch of 3,000 Beetles were sold as 2004 models and badged as the
Última Edición, with
whitewall tires, a host of previously-discontinued chrome trim, and the choice of two special paint colors taken from the
New Beetle. Production in
Brazil ended in 1986, then restarted in 1993 and continued until 1996.
Volkswagen sold Beetles in the
United States until 1978 (the Beetle convertible a.k.a. Cabriolet was sold until January 1980) and in
Europe until 1985.
The Beetle in developing countries
Other countries produced Beetles from CKD (complete knockdown kits): Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, and Nigeria have assembled Beetles under license from VW (source: Volkswagens of the World).
Beetles produced in
Mexico and
Brazil had several differences:
*The Brazilian version retained the 1958-1964 body style (
Europe and U.S. version) with the thick door pillars and small quarter glass; this body style was also produced in
Mexico until 1970. Brazilian CKD kits (complete knockdown) were shipped to
Nigeria between 1975-1987 where Beetles were locally produced. The Brazilian-produced version have been sold in neighboring South American nations bordering Brazil, including Argentina and Peru.
*The Brazilian VW Bug have four different sized engines: 1200cc, 1300cc, 1500cc and, finally, 1600cc. In the 70's Volkswagen made the SP-2 (derived from the VW Bug chassis and powertrain) that used an air-cooled VW engine with 1700cc. In Brazil the VW Bug never received electronic fuel injection, but retained single or double carburetion throughout its life.
*The production of the air-cooled engine finally ended in 2006, after more than 60 years. It was last used in the Brazilian version of the VW Bus, called the "Kombi", and was replaced by a 1.4-litre water-cooled engine with a front-mounted cooling system.
*Beetles produced in
Mexico (since 1964) have the larger door and quarter glass between 1971 " 2003 with the 1958 vintage back glass until the mid-1970s. This version, after the mid-1970s, saw little change with the incorporation of electronic
fuel injection, electronic ignition, hydraulic valve lifters and an oil filter after
1993, along with a driver-side
air bag.
|
1990s-era VW Beetle (seen in the Houston, TX area) |
|
1980s-era VW Beetle with Mexican plates |
Independent importers continued to supply several major countries, including
Germany,
France, and the
UK until the end of production in 2003. Devoted fans of the car even discovered a way to circumvent
United States safety regulations by placing more recently manufactured Mexican Beetles on the floorpans of earlier, US-registered cars between 1998 " 2003. The Mexican Beetle (along with its Brazilian counterpart) was on the US DOT's (Department of Transportation) hot list of gray market imports after
1978 since the vehicle did not meet safety regulations. A
U.S. citizen who drives a Mexican Beetle across the US-Mexico border into the US is likely to end up with the vehicle seized by the
US government.
In the Southwest
United States (
Arizona,
California,
New Mexico,
Texas) " Mexican Beetles (and some
Brazilian T2c Transporters) are a common sight in
San Antonio and
Houston since Mexican nationals can legally operate the vehicle in the
United States, provided the cars remain registered in Mexico.
The end of production in
Mexico can be attributed primarily to to
Mexican political measures: the Beetles no longer met
emissions standards for
Mexico City, in which the ubiquitous Beetles were used as affordable taxicabs; and the government outlawed their use as taxicabs because of rising crime rates, requiring only four-door vehicles be used. [
5]. In addition,
Volkswagen (now Germany's largest automaker) has been attempting to cultivate a more upscale, premium brand image, and the humble Beetle, with its US$7000 base price, clashed with this identity, as seen in the
Touareg and
Phaeton luxury vehicles. Finally, consumers had begun showing a preference for more modern cars such as the
Volkswagen Pointer and
Volkswagen Lupo.
Like its competitors the
Mini and the
Citroën 2CV, the Beetle has been regarded as something of a "cult" car since its 1960s association with the
hippie movement; and the obvious attributes of its unique and quirky design. Much like their
Type 2 counterparts, Beetles were psychedelically painted and considered an
art car ancestor. One of the logos used by the Houston Art Car Klub incorporated a Beetle with a cowboy hat.
From
1968 to
2005, a pearl white 1963 fabric sunroof Beetle with racing number "53" and
red,
white, and
blue stripes named "
Herbie" played a starring role in
The Love Bug series of
Disney comedy films. A yellow
Wunderkäfer, called DuDu, appeared in a series of German films for children. Also made famous is the
Autobot Bumblebee, a canary yellow Beetle in the toy, comic and cartoon line
The Transformers. The
Throttlebot, Legends and
Generation 2 toy line versions of Bumblebee also transformed from robot to VW Beetle, though the Throttlebot-type was called
Goldbug as it was a golden 1975 Super Beetle. (Note, too, that the G2 toy was painted anodized gold in colour.) In other countries, 'Bumblebee the Beetle' has been released in various colours.
The Beetle has appeared in Hollywood in many other instances, albeit brief. For instance, the opening shot of
Stanley Kubrick's
The Shining (
1980) featured a yellow Volkswagen Beetle. The sci-fi thriller
The Arrival (
1996) featured a few Mexican Beetles in the film " one scene in the film features
Charlie Sheen hiding in the notorioulsy tight trunk.
During the early 1970s, the Beetle was used for advertisements where graphic art ads were decaled on newly-sold Volkswagens. A marketing consultant (Charlie E. Bird) in the
Los Angeles area came up with the "Beetleboard" concept. Both standard and Super Beetles were used, until the original Beetle ceased production in Europe in 1978. This trend was resurrected after the
New Beetle entered production (source " The Beetle Book).The Volkswagen Beetle has built a large fan base among off-road types in the form of the
Baja Bug. Today, there are many online clubs and communities that keep Beetle aficionadoes on touch. Even the sighting of a Volkswagen Beetle is cause for violent fun in the car-sighting game known as "Slug-Bug" or
Punch Buggy.The Beetle is popular with customisers throughout the world not only because it's cheap and easy to work on, but because its iconic looks can be personalised and the flat four motor is so tunable. Its very ubiquity make even subtle changes noticeable; everybody knows what a Beetle is
supposed to look like.
ExteriorThere are many popular Beetle styles, from a
'Cal looker' to a
'Rat rod'. They vary between themselves but are very similar in many ways. The most typical way to
customise the exterior is to change the wheels. The favorites are period-style
EMPI 8-spokes (or reproductions), or
Porsche factory rims. Another way is to replace or remove the bumpers, either to give a cleaner look or to reduce the
kerb weight; if removed, pushbars are common. The stock bumpers are usually chromed or polished, sometimes painted or powdercoated. For a very 'retro' look, a roof rack can be added. There are many other
aftermarket parts that can be added to the Beetle, including wing mirrors, chrome wipers, stone guards, mud flaps and badges. Rear light and front indicator lenses can also be changed. This is as far as a
'Cal look' car will go.
For a more custom look, smoothing and shaving the body (removing trim and other parts) is done, including doorhandles, badges and driprails, and replacing taillights and front indicators with smaller, simpler units. Frenching (tunnelling) headlights, frequent in non-VW customs and rods, is not usual, but dramatic lowering (in
low rider fashion) is, and unusual hood and trunk hinging is commonplace.
InteriorMany Beetle owners try to keep their Beetle interior
stock.Others will fit a
sound system, which usually consists of a
head unit and possibly some speakers and a
subwoofer (usually mounted in the front of the car). Aftermarket steering wheels can be added along with auxiliary gauges. For a true race look, the interior can be stripped and a full
roll cage installed, along with
bucket seats and race harnesses.
PowerThe Type 1 is astonishingly flexible in this area. Because most parts of the flat-four engine other than the crankcase are bolted on, they are easily exchanged with larger or more high-performance items. The standard VW engine has been modified from 1600 cc (the largest factory-produced Type 1 engine) to configurations well over 2300cc using larger piston/cylinder kits and other performance-enhancing parts. A variety of other powerplants, including the VW Type 4 ( also used in the
914) 2-liter flat four and Chevy Corvair flat six have been used. Turbocharged Type 1 flat fours have appeared. These variants tend to be mated to the stronger Type 2 (Bus, Combi) transmission.
Kit CarsThe VW Type 1 chassis, being easily separated from its original body without removal of engine, transmission, or suspension, has provided the basis for countless custom re-bodyings, usually of fiberglass and usually replicating other, less humble vehicles. Mercedes, MG and Porsche replicas are among the popular choices. These "kit cars", although derided by many for their lack of authenticity, provide to their owners a much cheaper, often more-reliable means of enjoying a dream vehicle.
 |
2000 VW New Beetle |
At the 1994
North American International Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the
J Mays-penned "Concept 1", a concept car with futuristic styling deliberately reminiscent of the original Beetle's rounded shape. Strong public reaction convinced the company to move the car into production, and in
1998, 20 years after the last original Beetle was sold in the
United States,
Volkswagen launched the
New Beetle, designed by Mays and
Freeman Thomas at the company's
California design studio.
New Beetles are manufactured at VW's Puebla, Mexico assembly plant.
The New Beetle, with its engine at the front of the car driving the front wheels, is related to the original only in name, general shape and some styling cues. Under the sheet metal, it is a modern car in every way, based on the
Volkswagen A platform. In direct contrast to the original, the New Beetle was never intended to be economical, simple, dependable transportation as its predecessor was; rather, it relies on styling (never a concern with the original) and on continued goodwill towards the original for its sales.
| The last Beetle, 'Última Edición' |
: | The last Type 1 produced coming out of the production line in Puebla. Notice the mariachis singing in the back. |
|
By 2003 Beetle annual production had fallen to 30,000 from a peak of 1.3 million in 1971. On
July 30,
2003, the final original VW Beetle (No. 21,529,464) a Harvest Moon Beige car, was produced at
Puebla,
Mexico, some 65 years after its public launch in
Nazi Germany, and an unprecedented 58-year production run since 1945. VW announced this step in June, citing decreasing demand. The last car was immediately shipped off to the company's museum in
Wolfsburg, Germany. In true Mexican fashion, a
mariachi band serenaded the last car. There was also in Mexico an advertising campaign as a goodbye for the Beetle. For example, in one of the ads was a very small parking space on the street, and many big cars tried to park in it, but couldn't. After a while, a beetle parks in the spot without a problem. Then a sign appears that says: "Es increíble que un auto tan pequeño deje un vacío tan grande" (It's incredible that a car this small leaves such an empty space). There were other ads with the same nostalgic tone.
By 2002 total production of the
VW Golf (aka Rabbit), at 22 million units, had surpassed that of the original Beetle; however, the Golf had been completely re-designed four times since its inception in 1974.
The final edition had the following specifications:
*Length: 4 m (13.32 ft)
*Width: 1.6 m (5.08 ft)
*Height: 1.5 m (4.92 ft)
*Length between axles: 2.4 m (7.87 ft)
*Weight: 810 kg (1,786 lb)
*Engine: 4 cylinders, 1.6 L
*Transmission: Manual
*Brakes: front disc, back drum
*Passengers: Five
*Tank: 40 L (10.57 gallons)
*Colors: Aquarius blue, Harvestmoon beige.
The aircooled 4-cylinder oposed cylinder Beetle engines have been used for other purposes as well. Especially interesting is its use as an experimental aircraft engine. This type of Beetle engine deployment started in the sixties. A number of companies still produce aero engines that are VW Beetle engine derivatives: Limbach, Hapi, Revmaster and others.Kitplanes or plans built experimental aircraft were specifically designed to utilise these engines, the newest of this breed being the French designed
RJ.03 IBIS experimental airplane. Beetle engines are also used to run the ski lifts at the Thredbo ski resort in NSW, Australia and are maintained to a high standard by expert VW mechanics.
*
List of bestselling vehicle nameplates*
Design classic*
Beetle Club of Northern Greece with info on Beetle events in Greece *
American New Beetle Community*
Beetle Art*
Beetle directory*
Beetle Pictures*
Fan Club Classic Beetle- CAVEPERU(Fan Club VW beetle Perú)*
German New Beetle Community*
German Beetle Fanclub*
Only Aircooled (How to guides)*
Used Volkswagen Beetle information*
Volkswagen UK - New Beetle model page on the Volkswagen UK website*
VW Bug Bug and VW based vehicles Community* The
Beetle as part of the permanent collection at
MoMA, New York
