10 facts about the Volkswagen Beetle
- The first Beetle goes way back in the 1938 and was manufactured by the German automaker Volkswagen.
- The idea for the Beetle came from Adolph Hitler.
- Hitler conceived of an idea to solve Germany's unemployment problem, the Government would build special roads (autobahns) for motor vehicles. He would also mass-produce a car ( the peoples car, the Volkswagen ) which the average man in the street would be able to buy.
- Hitler also had plans for the styling of the Volkswagen, he is reputed to have said "It should look like a Beetle, you have to look to nature to find out what streamlining is.". Hence the name Beetle.
- A Stuttgart based design company, owned and run by Ferdinand Porsche, in April 1934 was given the important task of designing this special car within 10 months.
- Volkswagen Beetle's original name is Volkswagen Type 1. Unofficially, this car is also popular as – 'Bug'.
- This world famous car is also used in 'drag racing.'
- With its sustained high speed on the Autobahn, Beetle went on to become the longest-running and most-produced automobile of a single design.
- Beetle ranked fourth in an international poll for the award of the world's most influential car of the 20th century.
- In Britain, Beetle had only been known as either the "Type I" or as the 1100, 1200, 1300, 1500, or 1600. These numbers denoted the vehicle's approximate engine size in cubic centimetres.
