Long before the famous VW Bus was built, the German automobile brand Volkswagen designed the Beetle car. Also called the "people's car" or "strength through joy", it was the best-selling vehicle in the world. The result of a collaboration between Ferdinand Porsche and Adolf Hitler during the Third Reich, this car was initially a propaganda tool before conquering the world.
The birth of the Volkswagen Beetle: from idea to reality
It was in 1931 when Ferdinand Porsche, a 56-year-old engineer, decided to leave his position as technical director at the Daimler automobile company in Germany. Ferdinand Porsche then decided to set up his own design office with the aim of creating his own brand, wishing to offer the German people affordable cars. He hired a small team to work with him and thus began taking orders from manufacturers. He was first approached by the Zündapp company, which wanted to create a car for the masses. Porsche delivered several prototypes, but Zündapp encountered numerous financial difficulties and the project was abandoned.
A difficult beginning
Ferdinand Porsche then turned to NSU, another car and motorcycle manufacturer. This company granted him credit, allowing him to embark on large-scale work to expand and modernize the design office. He then began to build what would be the future Beetle car, although at this stage it did not yet have exactly the same design and features. However, bad luck continued to strike as NSU had to stop the construction project. Indeed, the Fiat brand, NSU's historical partner, demanded the immediate cessation of the project in order to protect itself from competition. Moreover, NSU saw its motorcycle sales skyrocket and quickly had to convert the production lines dedicated to the Beetle project into production lines for its own motorcycles.
In parallel: Hitler during the Third Reich
Two years later, in February 1933, Adolf Hitler was in power and firmly announced his intention to transform the German automobile industry. Indeed, he decided to control automobile companies by offering subsidies and thus pushed companies - notably Mercedes and Auto-Union - to create new models and to participate in races, Grand Prix, and other competitions that reflected the power and influence of the German State on the World. Hitler used his reign to also develop the country's motorway network with the aim of offering individual mobility to the people.
The resumption of the Beetle project: a partnership between Porsche and Hitler
In 1934, at the Berlin Motor Show, Hitler gave a historic speech in which he declared his desire to build "a people's car". His dream was to give the German people the German version of the Ford T8, which was then very successful in Great Britain and the United States. Still unable to realize his project due to numerous failures, Ferdinand Porsche contacted the Ministry of Transport explaining his vision of the popular car. He was subsequently called back by Hitler who arranged a secret meeting in Berlin with the engineer. Subsequently, Hitler persuaded the decision-makers of the RDA, the German automotive construction union, to sign a contract with him to produce this car with state funding. It was then that the plans for the first Volkswagen car were drawn up.
A ten-month period was given to Porsche to build a prototype. The two criteria imposed by Hitler were power and economy, both in terms of purchase and use, which made for a rather restrictive specification since the criteria were practically opposite and therefore difficult to implement together. Moreover, Hitler had already set the price of the car: it would not exceed 1,000 reichsmarks (about €400) to suit as many people as possible. In order to best meet this demand, Porsche then began to build a car that could accommodate up to 5 people, resistant to all types of weather, especially cold, and with a speed of up to 100 km/h. Porsche, at the head of Gezuvor, the company responsible for the project's development, and his small team managed to complete a first prototype by the end of 1935.
1936-1937: pivotal years in the creation of the Beetle
In 1936, Hitler began construction of the KdF-Stadt factory in Lower Saxony, which would be where future Volkswagen cars would be manufactured. Construction was finalized in 1939 and featured the best possible American equipment. Porsche, for his part, decided to travel to the United States during the summer. He visited the Ford, Packard, and General Motors factories as well as the Budd coachbuilder. He brought back with him to Germany all the secrets and techniques of large-scale manufacturing.
In 1937, about thirty prototype cars known as VW30 were tested by 200 S.S. who covered a total of 2.4 million kilometers, in order to test the endurance and longevity of the model. This testing project was placed under the responsibility of Ferry Porsche, Ferdinand's son.
The 1938 scandal: cars paid for but never delivered at the price of propaganda
While the Volkswagen Beetle was officially unveiled on May 26, 1938, it was named KdF-Stadt, literally Kraft durch Freude, meaning "strength through joy" in German, in reference to the name of a branch of the Nazi labor front. The goal of this organization was to promote the Beetle as a new leisure activity accessible to families, in order to distract the attention of the German people and thus strengthen their adherence to the regime. Indeed, to acquire the Beetle car, one had to be a member of this organization, save money, and pay in advance.
To do this, special stamps of 5 reichsmarks had to be bought to be affixed to a savings book, which then gave access to a savings account. This system, called VW Sparen, was formalized on August 1, 1938. Thus, a total of 990 reichsmarks had to be paid for the car, 50 for delivery, and then 200 for a 2-year insurance policy. 336,688 Germans subscribed to the program and thus sent a portion of their savings to this organization: however, no cars were ever delivered.
World War II: halt and resumption of production
The reason for this scandal is actually quite simple and logical: in 1939, World War II broke out, and the money collected was then kept by the state and invested in the German army, which led to a halt in the production of Beetle cars, which had barely started! War vehicles were then built, equipped with a very resistant KdF Wagen body and all-terrain tires, thus creating a German equivalent of the Jeep.
In May 1945, at the end of World War II, the Wolfsburg factory was almost entirely destroyed and American troops occupied the region. Following agreements between the Allies, the factory was placed under the control of the British Occupation Forces. Ivan Hirst, a British major visiting the factory, then discovered two KdF Wagens assembled voluntarily by some factory workers. Impressed by the car, he gave his approval to restart the production of Beetle cars.
In 1948, more than 10 years after Ferdinand Porsche's first sketches, the Beetle car was finally mass-produced and ready to conquer the world!
Growing success: United States, Brazil, South Africa, and Europe
Now that German customers were served, most of the production was exported to the United States, where the Volkswagen Beetle met with resounding success. The period was synonymous with prosperity as we were in the midst of the Trente Glorieuses (Thirty Glorious Years), and consumer society was in full swing. Women, in particular, became great consumers and increasingly wished to buy a car, with households no longer limiting themselves to a single vehicle. The Beetle perfectly met all the needs of the time and very quickly established itself as the first foreign car to gain a foothold in the American market.
Thanks to the success achieved in the United States, an Export version was sent to Brazil and South Africa. Many European countries also received the Beetle car, thus contributing to its global renown. However, in the 1970s, Italian design reached its peak and revolutionized the automotive world. The Beetle no longer seemed fashionable and became obsolete. Its production was stopped throughout Europe in 1978, while the last model rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico, on July 10, 2019. As of February 17, 1972, the Beetle became the best-selling car in the world, a record previously held by the Ford T. More than 21,529,464 units were produced worldwide.
The New Beetle and Beetle III cars
Many new models would then emerge, such as the New Beetle marketed from 1998 to 2011, replacing the Beetle produced from 1938 to 2003. Today, the Beetle III replaces the New Beetle, since late 2011.
Very recently, a new 100% electric Beetle has been announced but very little information is available for now.
What is the purchase price of a new and an old Beetle?
If you wish to purchase a brand new Beetle with a more modern design and performance, you will need to spend between €17,000 and €30,000 depending on the chosen options. For a vintage used model, expect to pay between €10,000 and €50,000 depending on the different models of the era. With a real resurgence of interest in older models and a strong trend for retro, some vehicles are worth a fortune and constitute genuine historical treasures.
