VW Beetle: The Car of the 20th century

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VW Beetle

The Car of the 20th century

Richard Copping

First printed in hardback format in 2001.

First published in ebook format 2014 by Veloce Publishing Limited, Veloce House, Parkway Farm Business Park, Middle Farm Way, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 3AR, England – Fax 01305 250479 – e-mail [email protected] – web www.veloce.co.uk or digital.veloce.co.uk.

Ebook edition ISBN: 978-1-845847-32-6

Paperback edition ISBN: 978-1-901295-86-3

© Richard Copping and Veloce Publishing Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of review, no part of this publication may be recorded, reproduced or transmitted by any means, including photocopying, without the written permission of Veloce Publishing Ltd. Throughout this book logos, model names and designations, etc, have been used for the purposes of identification, illustration and decoration. Such names are the property of the trademark holder as this is not an official publication.

Readers with ideas for automotive books, or books on other transport or related hobby subjects, are invited to write to the editorial director of Veloce Publishing at the above address.

All Ebook design and code produced in-house by Veloce Publishing

Contents

Key: The location of separate text/data panels within the chapters is shown by blue type. The location of featured cars is shown by italic type.

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Bibliography

Section One: History - The People and the Policy

An unlikely duo creates a masterpiece

Hooray for the British!

A golden age

The challenge from within

A long and happy exile in South America, but hardly a retirement

The official pretender to the throne

Section Two: Evolution - The Creation of ‘Der Weltmeister’

By way of an explanation, for those who haven’t yet caught ‘The Bug’!

The Split-Window Beetle, 1945 - 1953

The KdF-Wagen

1945 - 1948

The early post-war Beetles

Another cog in the VW wheel

‘Pon my word - The Beetle goes Dutch

‘Here comes Baber in his Beetle’

Feature: 1949 - Standard

1949

Feature: 1950 - Deluxe

The Beetle attempts another American landing

1950

Feature: 1951 - Deluxe

1951

1952

Paint colours 1945 - 1953

Landmarks of the ‘Split’ era

The Oval-Window Beetle, 1953 - 1957

1953

The Beetle invades Britain

If at first you don’t succeed ... try another Beetle onslaught

Feature: 1954 - Deluxe

1954

‘Eine millionen’

1955 (January 1955 - July 1955)

Feature: 1955 - Deluxe American Specification

1956 (August 1955 - July 1956)

1957 (August 1956 - July 1957)

Paint colours 1953 - 1957

Feature: 1957 – Deluxe American Specification

The Latin connection

Landmarks of the ‘Oval’ era

The Classic ‘Link-Pin’ Beetles, 1958 - 1964

1958 (August 1957 - July 1958)

Feature: 1958 - Deluxe

The marketing men belittle the Beetle: most successfully!

1959 (August 1958 - July 1959)

1960 (August 1959 - July 1960)

Feature: 1960 - Deluxe

Feature: 1961 - Deluxe

Whatever became of the ‘KdF Savers’?

Just who did own Volkswagen?

1961 (August 1960 - July 1961)

Feature: 1962 – Deluxe

1962 (August 1961 - July 1962)

1963 (August 1962 - July 1963)

1964 (August 1963 - July 1964)

Landmarks of the years 1958 - 1964

Paint colours 1958 - 1964

Setting the standard - The tale of the Base-Model Beetle, July 1949 - December 1964

Feature: Raising the Standard once more

The last years of the ‘Sloping Headlamps’, 1965 - 1967

1965 (August 1964 - July 1965)

Feature: 1965 - Sun-roof

Something of a challenge erupts in the United States

1966 (August 1965 - July 1966)

1967 (August 1966 - July 1967)

A tale of mixed fortunes in Australia

Feature: 1967 - 1500 American Specification

Feature: 1967 – 1500 European Specifications

Paint colours 1965 - 1967

From assembly to manufacture in Mexico

Landmarks of the years 1965 - 1967

The era of the ‘Vertical Headlamp’ Models, 1968 - 1978

1968 (August 1967 - July 1968)

Farewell to Heinz Nordhoff

1969 (August 1968 - July 1969)

Feature: 1969 - 1300

1970 (August 1969 - July 1970)

‘Der Weltmeister’

1971 (August 1970 - July 1971)

Feature: 1972 - 1302S

1972 (August 1971 - July 1972)

‘Hot property’ - The ‘GT’ Beetle

Supplementing sales requires something a bit special

Feature: 1974 - 1303S ‘Big Beetle’

1973 (August 1972 - July 1973)

1974 (August 1973 - July 1974)

Feature: 1974 - 1300

Something a bit special for the States

The South African satellite

1975 (August 1974 - July 1975)

‘The time has come to say adieu ...’ - The Last Edition Beetle

Four and a half million owners can’t all be wrong

So, you thought the Beetle was German?

Paint colours 1968 - 1978

1976 (August 1975) to the end of German Production (January 1978)

Landmarks of the years 1968 to 1978

‘Hecho en Mexico’, 1978 Onwards

1978 - 1985

A veritable deluge of limited edition Beetles

Feature: 1984 - 1200L ‘Velvet Red’ Limited Edition

The quirks of the Brazilian connection

Feature: 1985 - ‘50 Jahre Käfer’

1985 to the End of the Century.

The company that produced the 20 millionth Beetle

‘Car of cars’

Feature: The Beetle of Today

The Beetle in Europe in the 21st century

Paint colours 1978 - 1985 (to the end of exports to Germany)

Landmarks of the years 1978 onwards

Section Three: A Beetle for the Elite

The Evolution of the Cabriolet

The dark days of the ‘Strength Through Joy’ car

A period of British ingenuity

The seeds of a 30-year life-span

The all-too-brief Hebmüller Experience

Promoting the ‘Convertible’

The Karmann Connection

The evolution of the Karmann Cabriolet

Cabriolet production figures

Introduction and acknowledgements

Introduction

Why write a book about the Beetle? After all, hasn’t everything about this car been said before? Perhaps, but hopefully this book is a little different. I hope to shed a different light on a few all-too-readily accepted assertions through a combination of history, detail about the car on a year-by-year basis, and by delving into some of the markets us Brits and our friends across the Atlantic don’t readily associate with the car I’ve christened as the ‘old master’. Undoubtedly, an aim has been to demonstrate that the Beetle is very much alive and kicking today, and by that I am certainly not talking of VW’s Concept car. On the contrary, this is the Beetle created by Ferdinand Porsche, rescued from oblivion after the war by the British and finally developed into the most successful car of all time by Volkswagen’s first Director General, Heinz Nordhoff. Ah yes, wasn’t he the character who, through his obstinacy and failure to develop new models, almost brought Volkswagen to its knees? Well, that theory may have been advanced in the Seventies, but does it still hold water, if you’ll pardon the pun, all these years later? Read on my friend, a controversial reappraisal never did anyone harm.

Beetles have been a passion of mine for well over 25 years. There have always been at least three in the garage at any one time, and for most of the time one has acted as my daily driver. Nowadays an option for the journey to work is to make a fell crossing, using a delightful single-track road with spectacular views of some of England’s highest mountains. Yes, I know that the car was originally designed for use on the fastest roads of the day, but it is in the conditions that I have just described that the faithful flat-four comes into its own. There’s nothing to match the sound of the engine battling with whatever road conditions its owner puts it through!

Apart from driving Beetles ever since passing my test all those years ago, there have been shows to attend, Concours events to enter, cars to judge, books to read, memorabilia to collect, and, latterly, words to write. The writing bug took hold in 1995 when I agreed to edit the bimonthly newsletter of Britain’s Historic Volkswagen Club. That soon became a magazine and, when in 1999 the club celebrated its 25th anniversary, there was the incentive to put together a 136-page book covering the years represented by the club . It was around this time that I started doing freelance work for Britain’s leading Volkswagen magazine, Total VW, writing a regular monthly column under the heading of ‘The VW Archives’. From there it was but a small step to having a go at a book that would be available for all to read, and, thanks to Veloce, that dream has become reality. To my amazement it isn’t going to stop here either, as now I have The Vintage Volkswagen, a glossy periodical from the same home as Total VW, to while away any spare time.

Major Ivan Hirst March 1st 1916 - March 10th 2000. Without Ivan Hirst, Senior Resident Officer at Wolfsburg between 1946 and 1949, it is unlikely that the Beetle would have survived. Many years later, it was his words of encouragement that were the inspiration that led to the writing of this volume. (Author’s Collection).

The obvious emphasis placed on Beetles built prior to August ’67 lets me drift for a moment towards another pet subject and yet another reason for writing this book. What about the often-neglected Standard model? I acquired my own Standard back in 1987 and since then have been frustrated to find that the breed is more or less ignored in print, and even some enthusiasts think, when they see one in the metal, that its owner has made an effort to de-chrome it! In an attempt to rectify the situation, I’ve devoted a whole section to these austere beasts that just have to be the closest to Porsche’s original creation.

Somehow, the more involved I have become the more I have wanted to know and the more I’ve wanted to share that knowledge with whoever happens to be interested. That’s really what ‘Volkswagen Beetle – Car of the 20th Century’ is all about. Whether you are an avid Beetle fan, or just someone with a passing interest in cars in general, hopefully there’s more than a little something for you here …

Richard A Copping

August 2001

Acknowledgements

It would have been impossible to produce this book without the help of the many friends, Beetle owners, and enthusiasts whose names appear below.

Joe Roth kindly contributed photographs from his home in Namibia, while Bill Bowman and Jon Lane were eager to be involved from the other side of the Atlantic. Joe Blum, also from the USA, not only contributed photographs, but also checked all the material relating to American specification Beetles. Donald Muir loaned some of his extensive collection of photographs taken on holidays in Mexico and Brazil. Neil Birkitt, Editor of VW Driver, astounded me by saying that it was an honour and a pleasure to act as my proof reader. His amendments have been adopted throughout, and make the finished product far easier to read. Paul Cave, of Total VW, volunteered the services of his vast archive of photographs from the magazine, many of which were taken by Jon Smith.

Three people deserve a special mention. It was the late Major Ivan Hirst who inspired me to attempt this volume in the first place, through his kind words of encouragement regarding my other literary attempts.

Vic Kaye, an ardent Beetle fan, contributed a great deal towards the comprehensive nature of the book. Also, unknowingly, he kept the pressure on me to write, even when the sun was shining, and other temptations presented themselves. As a response to his weekly letter, I had to send him what had been compiled over the last few days.

Ken Cservenka is a talented photographer, as well as being yet another Beetle enthusiast. He has taken more of the photographs in the book than anyone else. ‘Could you take the odd snap?’, I had asked originally. Armed with an assortment of cameras, tripods, and the paraphernalia of a professional, Ken set to work with relish, producing exactly what I wanted.

I would also like to thank the following who have either submitted shots of their Beetles, or who have granted permission for myself, or a friend, to photograph their respective cars. Robin Allen, Chris and Tina Baker, Michael Barber, Beetles UK, Howard Cheese, Paul Dickinson, Laurence and Louise Gibbs, Michael Greenwood, Keith Lessiter, Marty Ley, Alf Lilley, Robert Loughrey, Brian Lowe, Conal McGinley, Steve Powderhill, Martin Roberts, Steve Short, Graham Smith, William Somnerville, Wolfgang Stehn, Keith Vipond, and Ellen Wyatt.

Bibliography:

The Beetle - The Chronicles of the People’s Car by Hans-Rüdiger Etzold.

Volume 1, Production and Evolution, facts and figures.

Volume 2, Design and Evolution, the story.

Volume 3, Beetlemania.

Beyond Expectations - The Volkswagen Story by K B Hopfinger.

The Volkswagen Story by K B Hopfinger.

Small Wonder - The Amazing Story of the Volkswagen by Walter Henry Nelson.

The Beetle - A Most Unlikely Story by Arthur Railton.

Original VW Beetle by Laurence Meredith.

Volkswagen Beetle - Model by Model by Laurence Meredith.

VW Beetle by Laurence Meredith.

The VW Story by Jerry Sloniger.

Volkswagen Beetle - The Rise from the Ashes of War by Simon Parkinson.*

The 1949 - 1959 VW Beetle by Bob Wilson.

Volkswagens 1938 - 1946 People’s Car by Karl Ludvigsen.

The VW Beetle by Robin Fry.

The VW Beetle - including Karmann Ghia by Jonathan Wood.

VW Beetle - The Complete Story by Robert Davies.

Volkswagen Beetle - Type 1, the traditional Beetle by William Boddy.

Volkswagen - A Brief Illustrated History by Volkswagenwerk AG.

The Beetle - A comprehensive illustrated history ... by Keith Seume.

Volkswagen - Beetle and Derivatives by Hans O Neubauer.

VW Karmann Ghia by Malcolm Bobbitt.*

Volkswagens of the World by Simon Glen.*

‘Remember those great Volkswagen ads?’ by David Abbott/Alfredo Marcantonio.

The Journal of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Apr ‘62 by Ivan Hirst.

Volkswagen Audi Car 1982 - 1984.

*Also from Veloce Publishing.

Section One: History - The People and the Policy

-

An unlikely duo creates a masterpiece

The Volkswagen Beetle, the most popular car of the 20th century, the production record of which within the period can now never be equalled, would not have existed without the consistent, nagging desire of an innovative, talented engineer and designer. Ferdinand Porsche wanted to build a small, economical, low-cost car aimed at the masses, and it came about due to an alliance with a dictator. Adolf Hitler, primarily for economic reasons and the propaganda value to be gained for his party of National Socialists, would not be denied the same goal for the transport-starved German masses

Ferdinand Porsche was born in September 1875, just a few years too late to be accredited with a pioneering role in the birth of the motor industry. His genius was quickly recognised, despite his lack of formal qualifications, and at the age of 23 he was employed as Chief Designer by Ludwig Lohner, where he went on to produce a sensational hub-mounted electric motor.

In 1906, having outgrown the restricted activities of his position at Lohner, Porsche moved to the firm which would eventually become Austro-Daimler. Here he was responsible initially for the design and production of the ‘Maja’, a car popular with royalty. Rising to the position of Managing Director in 1916, his attention turned to the development of heavy commercial vehicles and aircraft. With the Great War over, Porsche was of the opinion that a small economic car, exhibiting good performance levels, would best meet the requirements of the now impoverished nation. However, the board disregarded the working man as a potential customer, considered that the average small car would be unreliable, and were anxious to resume production of large, showy, cars. Lively meetings followed, particularly when André Citroën launched his light-weight 10CV, and Lord Austin’s plans to produce a baby car, powered by a 750cc four-cylinder engine, became known, culminating in Porsche’s decision to pursue his ambitions elsewhere.

In April 1923 Porsche joined the company which would soon become known as Daimler Benz, not because his desire to build a small car had finally been recognised, but as a result of his reputation as a designer of sports or racing cars, and because of press references to him as the leading automobile engineer and designer of the day.

Porsche’s initial triumphs included a supercharger for an eight-cylinder 2.0 litre engine, followed by a 4.0 litre, six-cylinder supercharged engine with a power output of 100bhp. Later, he managed to start work on a car with a 1.0 litre, four-cylinder engine and, in early 1927, the first prototypes were completed, proving sufficiently satisfactory to warrant a further batch of 30 pre-production cars. The designer’s ambition was once again thwarted, however, as board changes resulted in hostility from some of the new members. Ever fiery, Porsche lost his temper and resigned in October 1928.

January 1929 saw Porsche join Steyr of Austria, with a brief, once more, to produce large cars. The 2.0 litre, six-cylinder Steyr 30 arrived within 10 weeks, to be followed by the Austria, a 5.3 litre eight-cylinder monster. Unfortunately, economic forces within Austria and an attendant crisis for the bank backing Steyr led to the company being taken over by Austro-Daimler and the reappearance of the directors who had previously opposed Porsche.

His decision to resign immediately and to establish his own consultancy, ‘Dr-Ing. h.c. Ferdinand Porsche, G.m.b.H.’, was a crucial step forward in the history of the development of the Beetle. Finally free from restrictions, Porsche could pursue both technical projects and his ideas for a small car unhindered, providing the prospects for the latter’s adoption by a manufacturer somewhere looked optimistic.

The passing of the years had seen the introduction of a number of small cars, including Fiat’s diminutive Topolino and models by Standard, Morris and Jowett. To Porsche, however, many of the cars seemed not only impractical, but also intrinsically flawed. His notebooks and accompanying sketches, dating from 1930, indicate that he favoured a car of unitary construction. The body should fulfil the task of stiffening the chassis, whose weight might in turn be reduced.

As it seemed highly unlikely that road surfaces would be improved in the foreseeable future, an important criteria was the use of independent suspension for a more comfortable ride, and the notion of torsion bars, used in conjunction with trailing links, was conceived.

By December 1931, the small-car idea had progressed sufficiently to either consider a prototype, or to find a manufacturer who would be interested in the design. However, what was on the drawing board was far from conventional. The design was beetle-shaped in appearance, had two doors, four-wheel independent suspension, and a three-cylinder air-cooled radial engine at the rear. Overall, the length was 8ft 1in, and it had a nett weight of 1340lb, with an engine which produced 26.6bhp at 3500rpm.

Dr Fritz Neumeyer, owner of the Zundapp motorcycle works was the first to show interest. Pursuing his aim to produce a ‘Volksauto’; a cheap car the bike owner of today might aspire to tomorrow, his only objection to Porsche’s design was the air-cooled engine, which he believed would be too noisy and, with only three cylinders, unable to guarantee smooth performance. So, on Neumeyer’s suggestion, the prototype built in 1932 came complete with a water-cooled five-cylinder radial engine. Unfortunately, this unit proved unreliable and, when coupled with suspension problems and economic conditions far from conducive to the financing of a production run, the two men parted, albeit still the best of friends.

Porsche took his ‘Volksauto’ to Zundapp’s main competitors of the day, namely NSU, rekindled his air-cooled engine option and was given a contract to produce three prototypes. The result was a push rod operated, overhead valve, horizontally-opposed-four-cylinder engine, and a redesigned, but still unconventional and recognisably beetle-shaped body. The air-cooled engine proved rough and noisy but was capable of a maximum speed of just over 72mph, which could be maintained for long periods without overheating.

In all probability, despite Ferdinand Porsche’s acknowledged genius, the Beetle, or the KdF-Wagen as it was renamed at the factory foundation stone laying ceremony in 1938, wouldn’t have become a reality if it hadn’t been for the determination of Adolf Hitler. (Courtesy VW).

Mystery still surrounds the project’s demise. Officially, the cause was an agreement signed in 1930 with Fiat, whereby NSU’s sale of its car department would lead to Italian production under the name of NSU-Fiat, while in turn the original company would concentrate entirely on motorcycles. However, it seems hard to envisage circumstances whereby such an important document could have been entirely overlooked. Whatever the real reason, the result was the same; Porsche’s dream was back in the doldrums

Universally recognised as one of the most evil men of the 20th century, it’s difficult to envisage Adolf Hitler conceiving ideas and policies wholly beneficial to the ordinary German, but the dictator was to prove instrumental in the development of the People’s car.

In 1923, while serving a short custodial sentence relating to a political disturbance, Hitler occupied his time by writing ‘Mein Kampf’ and reading a biography of mass production genius, Henry Ford. It was probably at this point that he realised the political and economic advantages to be gained through the production of a cheap car for the German people. In the same year, his fascination and enthusiasm for the automobile led to the acquisition of his first car, a Mercedes 60hp limousine, making use of the somewhat meagre party funds which were at his disposal in the process.

Hitler’s determination to transform the traditional perception of transport began to gather pace almost as soon as, in January 1933, he acquired the power he so desperately sought. He recognised that one result of the ‘crash’ of 1929, and the subsequent depression, had been an even greater inability of the vast majority to aspire to car ownership. Additionally, Germany’s roads were inadequate, its fuel costs high, and repair facilities meagre. The economic advantages of a major road building programme were all-too apparent (indeed some work had already started before Hitler came to power). He enlarged the project, initiated work on the new autobahns, and eliminated an unpopular automobile tax; all major incentives to promote car ownership.

Appearing at the Berlin Motor Show in 1933, before his grasp on power was finally assured, Hitler confirmed his intention to invest in a car suitable for the people. Porsche heard this speech and set to work on a paper entitled ‘Ideas on the Design and Construction of a German People’s Car’, which was presented to the Transport Ministry on January 17th, 1934, just before the next Berlin Show.

The ‘climate’ in Germany had changed a great deal during those brief months. Hitler’s vice-like grip on the nation was now absolute. The phrase ‘Der Führer wünscht’, or the leader wishes, had become a command. His intentions were clear in the speech he made at the 1934 Show: ‘So long as the motor-car remains only a means of transportation for especially privileged circles ... we see millions of honest, hard-working and capable fellow men whose opportunities