History of the Beetle

The Beetle has the strongest following of any car in the world. There are over 1000 enthusiast clubs worldwide and hundreds of VW only car meetings are held each year. No model of car has been more written about, customized, raced, or restored. The VW Beetle is with out a doubt the most recognized car ever produced.

In the 1930's Fredinand Porsche was asked to design a car for the people of Germany.It was to be a small car that everyone could afford. Porsche worked hard to design this special car and on May 26,1938 the first prototype was unveiled. But all was put on hold from 1940-1945 as World War II raged. At the end of the war in 1947 a British officer Major Hirst took control of the VW Wolfsburg factory.Under his control for the first time the German people could actually buy this car, British service men were also buying them and shipping them back to Britain. Britain wanted major Hirst to find a German to take control of the factory and in time he did.The man he found was Heinz Nordhoff and as the future would prove Nordhoff would secure a great future for VW.

By May 1948 25,000 VW cars had been produced and shipped to 4 different countries. In 1949 the first VW Beetle was displayed in America but it was not received with much enthusiasm. But in the mid 1950's the situation changed, some Americans were looking for a car that was not a Detroit monster and so the Beetle became the "Less is More Car" in America and the rest is History.

In 1991 with VW sales falling in the US, VW wanted to build a new car that would remind people that VW was still out there as a car company. VW wanted the shape of the new car to resemble something the American People would remember and would be fond of, but it was also to be designed with modern style. So with this in mind JC Mays and Freeman Thomas designed the Concept One in Simi Valley California. In January 1994 at the Detroit Auto Show the world got its first look at the Concept One, a bright yellow rounded sedan with what looked like a happy face.The car would go through many changes before it was sold in 1998, the most important change was the name.In 1996 VW announced the Concept One would be called "The New Beetle".

So for the second time the Beetle helped turn around the image of VW .What a car and what a history for such a happy-go-lucky car.