Volkswagen Beetle Last Edition 2003
The Volkswagen type 1, also known as the beetle of Mariquita, beetle, Bug, women or Volky Käfer (in German) is a car produced by Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. Although the names “beetle” and “bug” it was quickly adopted by the public, it was not until August 1967, which began using the VW name in marketing materials. We already knew that the “type I” (100-12), 1200 (13-cents) 1300 or 1500 (15-100), which had been the names with which the vehicle was marketed in Europe until 1967; the size of the numbers of the vehicle in cubic centimetres. In 1998, several years after the original model was abandoned in the range of the world (continued in Mexico and other countries until 2003) VW introduced a “New Beetle” (built on a platform of the Volkswagen Golf), it has a strong resemblance to the original.
The international search for the price of the car in the most influential in the world of the 20th century the beetle came fourth after the Ford Model T, the Mini, the Citroën DS.
“Car of the people”.
The origins of the car back to 1925, when Béla Barényi introduced its concepts Maschinenbauanstant Wien. Other influences came from 1931 Tatra T97 and the Porsche Typ 12 1931.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler met Ferdinand Porsche to develop a “Volks-Wagen” (“town car”), a basic vehicle must be capable of transporting two adults and three children at a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and they should cost more than 990 money (32RM a week on average).
Advertising c. 1936, said “mark five per week, should not be a side-” If you want to mount the drive
Ferdinand Porsche did the original beetle several years parameters until he was ordained. However, its production be financially viable when it was supported by the Third Reich.
Type 1 mechanical and chassis were shared with the Germans several military vehicles of the era, including the Volkswagen Kübelwagen (“bucket car”, adapted for civilian use as the type 181 or “thing”), used by the German army and SS and the Volkswagen Volkswagen Schwimmwagen amphibious, built in small quantities
Fernando’s career continued to develop a 21st century iconic supercar-Porsche.
The military beetle
Kdf-Wagen prototype appears to be go 1935 – the first prototypes were produced by Daimler-Benz Stuttgart, Germany. The car had the distinctive round shape and the cooled air, fixed and four mounted rear engine. However, the plant produced only a handful of cars at the beginning of the war in 1939. Consequently, early versions of the products in the volume of the car chassis were military vehicles, the Jeep, as Volkswagen Kübelwagen Typ 82 (approximately 52,000 built) and the amphibious Volkswagen Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Typ 166 (approx. 14,000 built).
The car was designed to be easier as possible mechanically, so there is less to go wrong. 140A 985 cc, 25 hp (19 kW) engines proved to be particularly effective contingent of the German Afrika Korps heat of the desert of North Africa. He was due to higher performance and integrated fan fixed configuration and four engines. Innovative suspension design used compact torsion springs or coil beams.
A handful of specific civil beetles were produced, for the most part of the Nazi elite in the years 1940-1945, but the production numbers were small. In response to shortages of gasoline, in wartime “holzbrenner” beetles were supplied by producers of gas from pyrolysis of wood under the hood. In addition to the Volkswagen Kübelwagen, Volkswagen Volkswagen Schwimmwagen and one handful of others, the factory managed another wartime vehicle:
the Kommandeurwagen; body of the insect mounted on a chassis of Volkswagen Kübelwagen 4 x 4. A total of 669 Kommandeurwagens were produced until 1945, when all production was halted due to heavy damage from allied in the factory bombing. The most essential equipment has already moved to the underground shelters for protection, production resume quickly after the end of hostilities.
Post-war conflicts
Much of the design of the insect was inspired by the advanced Tatra cars of Hans Ledwinka, particularly the T97. This also had a slim body and a rear engine mounted, the 4-cylinder horizontally opposed, air-cooled. Tatra began a suit, but this was stopped when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. The case was reopened after World War II and in 1961 Volkswagen paid DM 3000000 Tatra in compensation. These damages meant that Volkswagen had little money for the development of new models and the production of insect life was necessarily extended.
Volkswagen owes its existence after the war in large part to the officer of the British Army major Ivan Hirst (1916-2000). After the war, Hirst ordered to take control of the shelled factory, that the Americans had captured. His first task was to the remove the bomb ordnance, which had fallen through the roof and delivered between some pieces of equipment for the production of irreplaceable; If the bomb exploded, sealed the fate of the beetles. HIRST persuaded the British to 20,000 cars and in 1946, the factory produced 1000 cars a month. The car and its town changed their name of the Nazi era to the Volkswagen (people’s car) and VfL Wolfsburg, respectively. The first 1,785 beetles were made in a factory near Wolfsburg, Germany in 1945.
Growth of the product
Production of type 1 has increased considerably over the years, with the millonésimo car leaving from the Assembly line in 1954. The beetle had superior performance in its class with a speed of 115 km/h (72 km/h) and 0 – 100 km/h (0-60 mph) in 27.5 seconds in 31 mpg for the standard engine cooling (34hp). It is much larger than the Renault CV and also competitive Morris with the most modern cars like the Mini and smaller. The engine immediately fired without a loss of weight and it was not found in the car due to inactivity. It was the excellent road handling of a car. It is economical to maintain and, for many, a joy of driving. However, the opinion of some of the United States, was not so flattering. Henry Ford II described the car as “a fucking little box” of frustration was the best-selling car in the market of United States. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, innovative advertising campaigns and a reputation for reliability and sturdiness helped production figures exceed the previous record, Ford T, bright when the beetle # 15,007,034 on February 17, 1972. In 1973, total production was over 16 million and in 2002, there were more than 21 million.
Derivatives of beetle
While following the rules for production of insect, a variant of type 1, called Super beetle, produced from 1971 to 1979, the offered model year strength leg MacPherson front suspension strut, Ray better processing and more space in the trunk. The Super Hornet has been improved to include a quilted Panel and a curved windscreen in 1973.
The beetle Super (VW 1302 and 1303 series, also known as type 113) is not the only variant of the type 1; other Volkswagen under the classification of type 1 includes the Karmann Ghia and utilitarian VW 181, in addition to the Brasilia and the Australian country Buggy (locally produced parts VW Australia).Small fractions of people today call gorgulho.
Decline and sale
In a fierce competition of the Japanese economy, the more modern design, especially the American market and sales of mini Europe began to fall at the end of 1970. There have been several attempts to replace the beetle during the 1960s; Type 3, type 4 and the NSU K70 database were all errors. Finally, the production in the wheel of Wolfsburg cooling lines changed again, front driving, golf in 1974 (sold in North America as the rabbit), a car unlike its predecessor in more significant.
The production of the Beetle continued in small quantities to other German plants for the production of 1978, but the hearing was moved to Brazil and Mexico. The last VW Beetle was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in mid-2003. The last batch of 3,000 beetles were sold as a 2004 model and access identified as the last edition, with radial tires, a myriad of chrome already abandoned and the choice of two special colours of painting the new beetle. Brazil production ended in 1986, and then restart in 1993 and continued until 1996. Volkswagen beetles sold until 1978 (alias convertible beetle Cabriolet was sold until January, 1980) in the United States and in Europe until 1985.
Pop culture
Like its competitors, the Mini and the Citroën 2CV, the beetle was considered as a “cult” by association with the Hippie movement in the 1960s. and obvious attributes of his unusual and unique design. As type 2 counterparts, beetles were painted and considered the predecessor of the car. One of the logos used by the built-in Houston Klub Art car a ladybug with a cowboy hat.
From 1968 to 2005, a number of bands of 1963 white fabric sunroof beetle “53″ Pearl and red, white and blue, called “herbie” played a role in the failure of the love of Disney. Yellow DuDu, called Wunderkäfer, appeared in a series of German films for children. There is also a famous Autobot Bumblebee, a canary yellow beetle in the line of toys transformers, comic books and animation. The Throttlebot, toy line the Ladybug robot Bumblebee transformer generation 2 versions, but it was called the Throttlebot Goldbug and legends is an error of gold 1975 Super. Also, keep in mind that the G2 toy was painted in gold anodized. In other countries, “the beetle Bourdon” was released in different colors.
The beetle appeared in Hollywood in many other cases, even if there is a short circuit. For example, opening of the Stanley Kubrick (1980) shining time presented a Volkswagen beetle yellow. The arrival (1996) presents some beetles Mexicans in the movie has a scene in the skin of the film Charlie Sheen in the trunk strongly notorioulsy.
During the 1970s, the beetle was used for ads where they were sold to Volkswagen of graphic art decaled messages. Consultant in marketing (e. Charlie Bird) in the Los Angeles area came with the concept of “beetleboard”. Standard and Super beetles were used, up to the original insect production in Europe in 1978. This trend has been revived once the New Beetle went into production (source, the book of beetles).The beetle has built one large fan base among the types of vehicles all land in the form of Baja bugs. Today, there are many clubs and online communities that keep the distant aficionadoes beetles. The observation of a fusca is a source of pleasure in the observation car violent game called “slug bug” or “punch Buggy.”
