VW Beetle History – a truly international effort

Platform : 113 series

: 113 series Engine : 1,493cc OHV H4

: 1,493cc OHV H4 Transmission : 4-Speed manual

: 4-Speed manual Wheelbase : 94.5 inches

: 94.5 inches Length : 160.6 inches

: 160.6 inches Width : 60.6 inches

: 60.6 inches Weight : 800-840kg

: 800-840kg MPG: 27.6

Despite its iconic shape and friendly face, Volkswagen’s iconic Beetle still faces some criticisms and unfair name-calling. Even today, in some quarters the term ‘Hitlermobile’ is still bandied around. However, whether the little car finds its roots in Nazi Germany is a moot point. The little car cannot be blamed for its slightly unsavoury background; everyone and everything has a past. Instead, what should be celebrated is how the Beetle became a truly international effort after World War 2, the second best selling car of all time, and ‘the most influential car in history.’ 1945 was the turning point in the Beetle story. Production at the Wolfsburg factory had ceased in 1939 to make military vehicles for the war effort, and during the war, the plant in lower Saxony “been bombed three times” by Allied forces. When the factory was eventually over-run by British and American armies, it was discovered in an appalling state. In describing what is now the largest car factory in the world, automotive historian Dr. Simon Parkinson said the following, “large parts of the roof were missing, the windows were blown out and the cellars were flooded.” Ironically, it would be the British and a major with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Ivan Hurst, who saved the Beetle and turned it into a worldwide phenomenon. Using the car’s blue prints and spare parts that sat in barns surrounding the factory, Hurst began building cars as vehicles for the occupying British forces. By 1947 the Beetle – or VW Mark 1 as it was then known – had been refined enough for the commercial market and two years later when the British left and handed over control to ex-Opel manager Heinz Nordhoff, production had exceeded 50,000 units and the Volkswagen company which had lay in ruins but a handful of years earlier was now in sound shape. The early 1950s saw Volkswagen take on the world.The first generation Beetles (like originally planned) had a rear mounted 33bhp 1,131cc engine, a top speed of 71mph and could provide 36mpg. Due to this and its easy to maintain nature, it won many worldwide fans. The 1950s saw construction begin overseas with affiliate companies Volkswagen do Brasil (Volkswagen of Brazil,), Volkswagen of America and Volkswagen de Mexico (Volkswagen of Mexico). 1953 also saw VW make its mark in the UK with the first Beetle being sold on British shores by Jack Gilder in Sheffield. The ex-Army man turned car salesman was so reputedly fascinated with the car’s design after seeing one in Belgium whilst on military service in during the war, he applied for the VW franchise as soon as it became available in the UK. In addition to VW’s expansion abroad during the decade, the 1950s saw a steady development of the little car’s aesthetics. Beetles built between late 1952 and early 1953 kept the small small split oval rear screen, but had a chrome trim, dashboard and external features which moved away from the utilitarian nature of previous cars; subsequently these early models affectionately known as the ‘zwitter’ or hybrid. 1957 saw the unit change to a single piece glass unit, and four years later, VW increased the width of the rear window for increased visibility. Whilst the main changes were external, VW did not neglect the mechanicals of the Beetle. In 1954, the company added 2mm to the cylinder bore, and increased the engine’s displacement from 1,131 cc to 1,192. In addition to this, a redesigned crankshaft saw power increase from 33 to 40bhp as well as improved torque and rev bands. The end of the 1950s was also pivotal in the Beetle’s career, as it was the period in which VW cracked the US market and further entrenched the Beetle’s status as an international effort. The Manhattan based Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) deployed the groundbreaking ‘Think Small’ advertising campaign in order to promote the car the US buyer. Whilst the car was enjoying success in Europe, the car’s small engine – to the US market – unorthodox design and Nazi roots caused slow sales despite the Wolfsburg firm having a factory stateside.However, DDB’s ‘Think Small’ and ‘Lemon’ advertising campaigns of the early 1960s thankfully proved successful in the US. The company spun the car’s cute rounded looks by officially dubbing it the ‘Beetle’, and emphasized its economical and bulletproof reliability against its US built peers. By the end of the decade due to the DDB marketing campaign, Volkswagen had become the country’s top selling imported car manufacturer. By the same token, VW had grown as a company in Europe, and 1960 saw the West German government headed by Konrad Adenauer sell 60 per cent of the company’s shares effectively denationalizing it. If then the 1950s had been the decade of seed sowing for the Beetle’s success, then the 1960s was arguably the period in which the little car from Wolfsburg became a symbol of popular culture due to its now global appeal. The Beetle became the symbol for the hippy movement and peace in the 1960s, an irony given it found its roots in one of the darkest passages of history. Its cheap, sturdy and fuel sipping nature was of mass appeal to the young people of the hippy movement in the 1960s who drifted from commune to commune, and were not concerned with the most advanced states of technology. The political idealism – not of Nazism – that surrounded the car, the idea of a ‘People’s Car’ was also a swaying factor, as it represented the beliefs of the movement in machine form. Furthermore, in addition to ingraining itself in popular culture via association, the Beetle became a movie star in 1968, due to the ‘Herbie’ franchise. The Beetle had now become an icon, and the role it played in shaping societies and role on silver screen had not only made it an icon, but also given it a ‘life’ in the sense a life could be attributed the a person.The 1960s were not also an era of cementing the Beetle’s status, as they were also an era that saw the car undergo another technical overhaul. In 1967, VW fitted a larger engine which increased displacement to 1493 cc and horsepower increased to 50. However, in keeping with the car’s principle of frugality, Volkswagen still kept the 1200 and 1300cc engines, as tax and insurance depended on the size of the engine. On Western market models, the clutch plate, fly-wheel, braking system and rear axle were all updated to keep the car relatively fresh in comparison with new, smaller and more modern designs which were emerging from other manufacturers; hatchbacks. In yet another twist of fate, it was these new smaller cars – and its spiritual successor, the VW Golf - that proved to ultimately be the Beetle’s downfall. As the ‘60s became the ‘70s, the world was reeling from an oil crisis. The air- cooled engine was now proving as appropriate as beer keg at an alcoholics anonymous meeting, and the new hatchback models were proving more economical with front mounted, front wheel drive layouts which gave vastly improved handling in comparison to the VW’s rear wheel drive, rear engine lay out. Despite the introduction of the ‘Super Beetle’ as well as technical and aesthetic innovations which included saw fuel injection, a new curved windscreen on and an extended bonnet, by the end of the 70s, the Beetle – which had by this time had been in production for almost 35 years - was firmly outclassed by smaller, more efficient rivals. Although manufacturing ended in its native Germany in 1978, VW shifted production to its factories in South America, which happily meant that the world had not yet seen the end of the Beetle. Its loveable design and status as an icon had anchored themselves in people’s hearts all over the world and it was not until 2003 that the final car rolled off the production line from VW’s Mexican plant in Puebla after 21 million units and 65 years. The occasion was marked by a run of 3,000 ‘final edition’ cars, which were powered by a 1.6 litre engine and had various modern features. The final advertising campaign for these cars had the tagline “it is incredible that a car so small can leave such a large void.”To this day, that tagline is true. The Beetle isn’t seen by most as just a car that’s a collection of nuts and bolts. It has a heart, and given it was invented in Germany, saved by the British, took on the world and production ended in South America, should be celebrated as a true international effort. I’d like to end this history of the Beetle with a paraphrased quote, which perfectly fits one of the most iconic cars in history; “while the Beetle may be made of glass and metal, it's still "life" nonetheless. In exchange only a little bit of oil and petrol, their owners are sure of one thing: if they love it and they treat it well, "he" will never betray them.” By George East*Not all performance figures were available for each evolution of the car.Tags: VW