The Beetle is the longest running and most manufactured single car design ever. There were 21 million of them produced between the years of 1938 and 2003 which means that most people have a first hand experience of "The Bug".
The Beetle is air cooled and rear wheel drive, something that Volkswagen no longer adhere to. The four cylinder Boxer engine was located in the rear. We all know the requirements for the Beetle for it to be deemed the "People's Car" of the German Public. Hitler deemed that it must be able to transport 2 adults, 3 children at a speed of 100Kmh. It was introduced on a savings scheme which made it available at the price of a small motorbike of the time.
The Beetle was designed to be mechanically simple to make working on it as easy as possible for the owner. However the original 25hp engine is unlikely to set hearts racing around Mondello!
The first Beetle assembled outside Germany was done so in Dublin. In 1950, Ballsbridge Motors began assembling and selling the car to the eager Irish market.This car is on show in the Volkswagen Museum in Wolfsburg.
We have seen two new versions of the Beetle in the last 15 years but neither have truly captured the essence of the original model in my opinion but at least we have some gorgeous examples doing the rounds in the Aircooled scene.
