In 1938 the German automaker Volkswagen released their version of the economy car called the Volkswagen Type 1, or more commonly referred to as the Volkswagen Beetle. The names "Bug" and "Beetle" were adopted by the public, but it was not until late 1967 that Volkswagen began using the name "Beetle" in their marketing. It was previously known as only the "Type 1" or the 1200, 1300, or 1500, which were the names it had been marketed under in Europe prior to 1967. The numbers indicated the size of the vehicle's engine in cubic centimeters.
The 1967 model of the VW Beetle underwent a few changes, the car itself didn't get bigger, but many of the mechanical systems and components did. Some changes to the Bug included a larger engine. Output of the electrical generator had been increased from 180 watts to 360, and also had been upgraded from the old 6-volt system to the 12-volt system. The clutch disk was also made larger and changes had been made to the braking system, the flywheel, and rear axles.
Although the VW Bug has been widely despised for its styling, rough ride, weak power, along with high noise levels, it was also the longest and most produced vehicle for a single design.
The "Beetle" or "Bug" whichever you wish to call it also played a roll in the military. In 1935 prototypes of the Kdf-wagen appeared.
Produced by Daimlet-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany the first prototypes were born. With its already peculiar round shape, and the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, The factory only produced a small number of the cars by the time war began in 1939. The first mass-produced version of the Beetle were used for military vehicles, like the Schwimmwagen and the Kubelwagen.
The military bug was created to be as simple as possible, so that little could go wrong. The 985cc air-cooled motor proved to be effective with German Afrika Korps in Africa's desert heat with The built in oil cooler and the superb performance of the flat four, or "pancake" engine configuration. The suspension was equipped with compact torsion beams in place of the more commonly used coil or leaf spring suspensions.
Once World War II was over, the shortage of jobs led to the reopening of the factory in Wolfsburg by Allied forces. The production of the Beetle from then on recommenced. The production increased massively over the next decade, with the one millionth car rolling off of the assembly line in 1955. The Bug's performance was far superior compared to other automobiles in its category with a top speed of 72 mph. The production was surpassing 16 million in 1972, and by the 23rd of June in 1992 the company had sold over 21 million of the cars.
The Volkswagen Beetle is the world's best selling design with the same name. The VW Beetle outlasted most all of the other vehicles who had copied the rear-mounted air-cooled engine layout like those by Subaru, and General Motors.
The Beetle began to phase-out in 2003. The annual production ad reduced to 30,000 from its peak of 1.3 million in 1971. As the last Beetle rolled off of the assembly line, it was shipped off to the Volkswagen company museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.
In 1998 Volkswagen introduced the new Beetle which was designed to look a lot like the classic Beetle. The new Beetle was designed with a water cooled engine being placed in the front of the car.
The new VW Beetle has turned out to be a very popular car and has become a pop culture icon and been featured in many movies.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Classic Volkswagen History 2
Later at the Auto exhibition of 1938 Hitler announced his decision to start with the production of the new car. It was at this juncture that he renamed the new car as 'KdF wagen' or the 'Kraft durch Freude' meaning 'strength through joy.' Legend states that the Swastika surrounded by the cogged wheel was the first official emblem of KdF wagen.
The new factory employed people with the expertise from America for the production of the new car. However, the production of the cars never realized with the factory directing its attention to the production of military vehicles during World War II. After the fall of the Germans, when the British Military Government took over the company, it started the production of the car from the blueprints discovered under the expert guidance of Major Ivan Hirst. It was during this period that the name was changed back to 'Volkswagen' and it launched the "Beetle."
But attempts made by the British Government to relieve them of control of the company faced denial from the French Government, Ford Motor Company and Fiat. It was in 1949 that the government of the Federal Republic of Germany took over the trusteeship of Volkswagenwerk. After this phase, there has been no looking back for Volkswagen, which widened its horizons through the Volkswagen-Porsche partnership to become the world's largest car manufacturer in terms of production.
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The new factory employed people with the expertise from America for the production of the new car. However, the production of the cars never realized with the factory directing its attention to the production of military vehicles during World War II. After the fall of the Germans, when the British Military Government took over the company, it started the production of the car from the blueprints discovered under the expert guidance of Major Ivan Hirst. It was during this period that the name was changed back to 'Volkswagen' and it launched the "Beetle."
But attempts made by the British Government to relieve them of control of the company faced denial from the French Government, Ford Motor Company and Fiat. It was in 1949 that the government of the Federal Republic of Germany took over the trusteeship of Volkswagenwerk. After this phase, there has been no looking back for Volkswagen, which widened its horizons through the Volkswagen-Porsche partnership to become the world's largest car manufacturer in terms of production.
Find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. If you're looking for discount auto insurance, visit us today for money-saving tips. Compare quotes from respected insurance companies to find the cheapest rates.
Classic Volkswagen History
t the 1933 Berlin Auto Show, Adolf Hitler announced his plans of coming up with a small car, affordable by the average people in Germany. This statement was made with the intention of gaining the support of the people of Germany to his regime. Legend states that just before making the announcement to the world, Adolf Hitler approached Ferdinand Porsche (who was working as an auto consultant after offering his expertise to the leaders like Daimler-Benz and Auto Union) with his intention of a small car.
The car, according to the demands set by Adolf Hitler, had to be a four-seater that was capable of cruising at 62 mph for a 33 mpg besides being air-cooled. He called it as the "Volkswagen', meaning the "people's car." The biggest challenge that Hitler placed before Porsche was his demand for the car to be priced below 1,000 Marks.
The speech at the Berlin Auto Show was followed by Hitler's order for three prototypes of the new car within the next ten months. As Porsche, who had, in between designed a small car that more or less coincided with the demands set forth by Hitler, he concentrated his efforts in modifying these designs to meet the requirement.
In the year 1935, in the midst of his new blueprint, Porsche visited America to evaluate and learn on the assembly line production adopted by GM, Packard and Ford in manufacturing.
Later in 1936, Porsche submitted the three prototypes of the new car after putting it forward to a number of road tests to check for its stability and reliability. Erwin Komenda, the chief engineer of Porsche, was the one behind the design of the car, which is known as the "Beetle" today.
The car, according to the demands set by Adolf Hitler, had to be a four-seater that was capable of cruising at 62 mph for a 33 mpg besides being air-cooled. He called it as the "Volkswagen', meaning the "people's car." The biggest challenge that Hitler placed before Porsche was his demand for the car to be priced below 1,000 Marks.
The speech at the Berlin Auto Show was followed by Hitler's order for three prototypes of the new car within the next ten months. As Porsche, who had, in between designed a small car that more or less coincided with the demands set forth by Hitler, he concentrated his efforts in modifying these designs to meet the requirement.
In the year 1935, in the midst of his new blueprint, Porsche visited America to evaluate and learn on the assembly line production adopted by GM, Packard and Ford in manufacturing.
Later in 1936, Porsche submitted the three prototypes of the new car after putting it forward to a number of road tests to check for its stability and reliability. Erwin Komenda, the chief engineer of Porsche, was the one behind the design of the car, which is known as the "Beetle" today.
Volkswagen History 2
In 1933 Porsche together with Hitler made possible for the citizen car project to continue. The Type 60 was soon created and its name soon changed to V1 (experiment 1). After a proposition made by Hitler V2 was designed to met the new convertible version criteria that was introduced.
In 1936 these models together with VW3 were put to major testing. After enough data was collected the next version - the VW30 was made. For the VW30 testing a new government company was responsible - the DAF. This was because of the Hitler's regime.
Members of SS were told to drive the new VW30 model and to confirm that all the problems are fixed. Soon after that in 1938 in the KdF wagen factory the manufacturing process began. In 1939 some VW38 and a few demonstrational cars of the model VW39 came to the world.
That was made just to point out that the factory is working and to show what the future cars would look like. These models came with a difference - the front hinged doors. When V38s models were finally introduced Hitler abruptly changed the name to KdF wagen. KdF stayed for "Kraft durch Freude" or "Strength through Joy". That made Porsche pretty upset because he was not a member of the Nazi party and the use of propaganda of this kind was not his understanding of advertisement.
Special stamps were made by the government. They were sold to people and on theory if someone got 200 stamps they could immediately be changed with a KdF wagen. That however was not meant to be and the model didn't proceed further. In fact it stayed only as a prototype.
Many people made it to court seeking some compensation because of the stamps they had which was not going to be redeemed with a car. During that time the Type 82 was on the way. It was a simple military vehicle. It practically used the parts from KdF wagen and its flat-sided body and increased ground clearance were some of the few differences.
During WWII Type 128 and Type 166 were created. The last was powered by a 25 hp engine. There were over 50 000 cars produced of the Type 82 and only less than 16 000 of the Schwimmwagen (Type 166).
After the war the KdF wagen factory was taken over by the British army. Under the leadership of Major Ivan Hirsts over 2000 cars were made. Most of these cars were made by spare parts left by the old manufacturing process.
After 1945 the company was named Volkswagen and the whole town took the name "Wolfsburg" which was the name of a castle nearby. The British were looking to whom to give the control over the factory. It was very difficult because Ford though it to be a waste of money and the French government refused. Soon after that Heinrich Nordhoff took the opportunity which came to be a good step in the Volkswagen development.
In 1949 the production rapidly increased. Soon after that in 1950 the VW transporter was born. Many vehicles were transported to Denmark, Sweden, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Switzerland. In South Africa the Beetles were produced during the same year.
In 1952 dealership opened doors in England which was the first there. In 1951 deluxe version of the Beetle was exported. In 1952 the American deluxe Beetles got hydraulic brakes.
Beetles made before and some during the 1953 looked a lot like the old KdF wagen. In 1955 the Karmann Ghia was introduced. It was made by many of the Beetle parts to keep the production line cheaper. In 1977 the production of the Beetle sedan ended. Two years after that cabriolet production stopped too.
However it is pretty interesting that Beetles are used and produced in Mexico even today.
In 1936 these models together with VW3 were put to major testing. After enough data was collected the next version - the VW30 was made. For the VW30 testing a new government company was responsible - the DAF. This was because of the Hitler's regime.
Members of SS were told to drive the new VW30 model and to confirm that all the problems are fixed. Soon after that in 1938 in the KdF wagen factory the manufacturing process began. In 1939 some VW38 and a few demonstrational cars of the model VW39 came to the world.
That was made just to point out that the factory is working and to show what the future cars would look like. These models came with a difference - the front hinged doors. When V38s models were finally introduced Hitler abruptly changed the name to KdF wagen. KdF stayed for "Kraft durch Freude" or "Strength through Joy". That made Porsche pretty upset because he was not a member of the Nazi party and the use of propaganda of this kind was not his understanding of advertisement.
Special stamps were made by the government. They were sold to people and on theory if someone got 200 stamps they could immediately be changed with a KdF wagen. That however was not meant to be and the model didn't proceed further. In fact it stayed only as a prototype.
Many people made it to court seeking some compensation because of the stamps they had which was not going to be redeemed with a car. During that time the Type 82 was on the way. It was a simple military vehicle. It practically used the parts from KdF wagen and its flat-sided body and increased ground clearance were some of the few differences.
During WWII Type 128 and Type 166 were created. The last was powered by a 25 hp engine. There were over 50 000 cars produced of the Type 82 and only less than 16 000 of the Schwimmwagen (Type 166).
After the war the KdF wagen factory was taken over by the British army. Under the leadership of Major Ivan Hirsts over 2000 cars were made. Most of these cars were made by spare parts left by the old manufacturing process.
After 1945 the company was named Volkswagen and the whole town took the name "Wolfsburg" which was the name of a castle nearby. The British were looking to whom to give the control over the factory. It was very difficult because Ford though it to be a waste of money and the French government refused. Soon after that Heinrich Nordhoff took the opportunity which came to be a good step in the Volkswagen development.
In 1949 the production rapidly increased. Soon after that in 1950 the VW transporter was born. Many vehicles were transported to Denmark, Sweden, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Switzerland. In South Africa the Beetles were produced during the same year.
In 1952 dealership opened doors in England which was the first there. In 1951 deluxe version of the Beetle was exported. In 1952 the American deluxe Beetles got hydraulic brakes.
Beetles made before and some during the 1953 looked a lot like the old KdF wagen. In 1955 the Karmann Ghia was introduced. It was made by many of the Beetle parts to keep the production line cheaper. In 1977 the production of the Beetle sedan ended. Two years after that cabriolet production stopped too.
However it is pretty interesting that Beetles are used and produced in Mexico even today.
Volkswagen History
Today VW is one of the biggest car manufacturers in Europe. However this was not like that from the beginning.
The word "volkswagen" literally means "people's car" and this was the whole idea behind it. From the beginning VW tried to make a car that is simple enough so that the average people could afford it.
It was not exactly a new idea. Before 1930's there have been many attempts to create a simple car model. The problem however was that no matter how simple the car was made it still ended up costing more than the yearly wage of a normal worker.
History tells that while many affords was made from VW to create the perfect worker class car a new company was created. In 1930 Ferdinand Porsche made his company. Right after the creation Porsche patented a pretty complex suspension system. In this system the transversely mounted torsion bars are connected to two trailing arms on each side. That made the whole model very light. In fact it was lighter than every common suspension type.
In 1931 another company asked Porsche if they could make a model close to the last one for them. The 2 door sedan was made as a result of this project. It was very similar to Beetle and it had the suitability that was required.
The company who bought the model is called Zundapp and right after they bought the sedan model they wanted to put 1.2 liter radial engine from one of their own motorcycles. That didn't happen and this was the end of the line.
In 1933 NSU purchased a design from Porsche. It was known by the name Type 32. This new model was even closer to the upcoming KdF wagen than its predecessor Type 12. It was pretty close to Tatra V570 too especially with some mechanically similarities.
After the World War II was over Tatra got some compensations from Volkswagen because they think that their model was pirated from KdF wagen because of the similar technology. The KdF wagen was made during that time and the similarities pointed that during the development major mechanical components were copied from it and used in the Tatra design model. Soon after that NSU dropped the Type 32 project.
The word "volkswagen" literally means "people's car" and this was the whole idea behind it. From the beginning VW tried to make a car that is simple enough so that the average people could afford it.
It was not exactly a new idea. Before 1930's there have been many attempts to create a simple car model. The problem however was that no matter how simple the car was made it still ended up costing more than the yearly wage of a normal worker.
History tells that while many affords was made from VW to create the perfect worker class car a new company was created. In 1930 Ferdinand Porsche made his company. Right after the creation Porsche patented a pretty complex suspension system. In this system the transversely mounted torsion bars are connected to two trailing arms on each side. That made the whole model very light. In fact it was lighter than every common suspension type.
In 1931 another company asked Porsche if they could make a model close to the last one for them. The 2 door sedan was made as a result of this project. It was very similar to Beetle and it had the suitability that was required.
The company who bought the model is called Zundapp and right after they bought the sedan model they wanted to put 1.2 liter radial engine from one of their own motorcycles. That didn't happen and this was the end of the line.
In 1933 NSU purchased a design from Porsche. It was known by the name Type 32. This new model was even closer to the upcoming KdF wagen than its predecessor Type 12. It was pretty close to Tatra V570 too especially with some mechanically similarities.
After the World War II was over Tatra got some compensations from Volkswagen because they think that their model was pirated from KdF wagen because of the similar technology. The KdF wagen was made during that time and the similarities pointed that during the development major mechanical components were copied from it and used in the Tatra design model. Soon after that NSU dropped the Type 32 project.
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