Beetle VW For Sale - A Brief History Of The Volkswagen Beetle

Beetle VW For Sale - Brief History

The VW Beetle was originally branded as the Kafer. Kafer, in German, means Beetle. The Beetle became the most famous family car in the world. This was largely due to its superior level of comfort when compared to other cars in its class and the unique design and shape.

The idea for a 'People's Car' came to Adolf Hitler in 1924 when he was imprisoned in Landsburg. He thought that the Beetle would go some way in solving Germany's unemployment problem with the creation of the factories and assembly lines needed to produce the car. He also thought that an affordable family car would lead to crowded streets and roads so he also planned to build the Autobahns, creating more work for the unemployed. When Hitler seized power, his plan was put into action.

The task of designing the 'Peoples Car' or Volkswagen was given, in 1934, to Ferdinand Porsche, who had a similar vision to Hitler of producing a car that the average working man could afford. The prototype was built two years later and the Beetle was unveiled at the 1938 Berlin Motor Show but the onset of the Second World War halted production until 1946 when 1,785 were built by hand to be used as light army transport.

In 1947, 19000 vehicles were produced and exported to Holland and in 1949 the first Beetle was sold in the U.S.A. By 1950 the car had become very popular and the 100,000 Beetle had rolled off the production line. By 1960 4,000,000 Volkswagen Beetles had been produced and the vehicle had become popular worldwide with factories all over the world.

During the 1960's and 70's the Volkswagen Beetle became the most popular small car in the U.S.A. and in 1972 broke the record held by the Ford Model T for total production of a saloon car. Production of the Beetle in Germany ceased in 1978, although production continued in other parts of the world.

The 20,000,000th 'Bug' was produced in Puebla, Mexico in 1981 and the very last, original Beetle, rolled off the production line in Puebla July 30th 2003, 65 years after the public were given their first viewing in Berlin. The car was sent straight away to the Volkswagen Museum in Wolfsburgh in Germany.