The Iconic Beetle: A History of Volkswagen’s Classic Car

The Volkswagen Beetle sold more models in history than any other car. This iconic nameplate has meant many things to different people during its time.

The last version of this iconic VW was discontinued in 2019, but that wasn’t before the car had already outsold the Ford Model T. The Beetle was sold in the United States from 1950 to 1979, and then a new Beetle era emerged, allowing this car to hit the market from 1998 to 2019. Although this car was a huge hit in the US, its history began in 1934.

Hitler, Porsche, and the start of the Beetle

Although Adolf Hitler is well-known as one of the most hated and evil men in history, he was Germany’s leader when Ferdinand Porsche proposed the idea of a “people’s car” with a unique style that soon became a recognizable part of every Beetle. This proposal took place in 1934 and the first batch of Beetles hit the market in 1938.

Unfortunately, the brand new factory where the Beetle was being made became part of Germany’s war efforts and was bombed during the war. This caused a delay in the future of these VWs that wouldn’t reappear until 1947. These new models were mostly used by Allied troops that continued to occupy Germany for several years.

The Beetle is ubiquitous

There may have been breaks in exports of the Volkswagen Beetle from Germany to the United States, but this car continued to be sold worldwide for decades. After the US sales ended in 1979, this car continued to be sold in Mexico and Brazil until 2003.

The Beetle has been recognizable from the start, and very little has changed over the years. In fact, the first major redesign of this car occurred in 1998.

Nobody wanted the VW company

Although Volkswagen itself translates to “people’s car,” the name of the company wasn’t yet determined by 1947. Once the war was over, a British Major, Ivan Hirst, was put in charge of the factory to fulfill the order for 20,000 Beetle cars for the occupied forces.

Eventually, Heinz Nordhoff was hired to run the factory, and the British began to work on transferring ownership of the company. Nobody wanted the factory; in fact, Henry Ford II refused to take it as a gift. This didn’t stop Nordhoff from setting up exports to various European countries to bring the new VW to many countries.

US dealers were skeptical at first

In the early 1950s, the start of Volkswagen Beetle exports to the United States saw a strange turn. The exported cars went to Max Hoffman, an East Coast foreign car dealer who sold mostly to other dealers. Most of the VW modes were attached to orders for Porsche and Jaguar models. At first, other dealers didn’t like this situation but soon found out that these cars were cheap and easy to sell, making them a success.

One Million Beetles Sold!

The year was 1955, and the Wolfsburg factory churned out the one-millionth VW Beetle. By this time, only about 9,000 models had been sent to the United States. This was also the year that Volkswagen of America was formed with several dealerships around the country.

Style Note: VW Beetle models from 1952 and earlier featured a split-rear-window design, while 1953 and newer models featured one solid rear window.

Engine sizes rose several times over the years

The 1951 version of this car saw a horsepower increase from 24 to 30 ponies. Three years later, the power increased again with a larger engine that went from 1131 cc to 1192 cc, and power rose from 30 to 36 horsepower. When 1961 rolled around, the power went up to 40 horsepower and then rose again to 50 ponies in 1966. This 1966 version also featured the 1285 cc engine that brought the “1300” badge to the trunk of this little car. Only one year later, the engine size grew again to 1493 cc, which gave the car another three horsepower and brought the “1500” badge along with it.

Recognizable and advertising success

The advertising used for the Volkswagen Beetle in the 1950s and 1960s was self-deprecating, which connected with many people. This car was part of the Meyers Manx created by Bruce Meyers, which showed up on the April 1967 cover of Car and Driver. The Beetle became so popular that it was featured as “Herbie” in Disney’s The Love Bug, which appeared in 1968.

The Volkswagen Beetle broke the Model T’s sales record in 1972 with 15,007,034 models assembled. Of course, this iconic VW would continue onward and sell millions more models from then until it was finally discontinued in 2019.