The "bug" - The People's car

[packman]

Hitler and 'his Volkswagen': Tracing the 80-year history of the Beetle

The VW Beetle has the Nazis to thank for its existence. Adolf Hitler laid the cornerstone of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg 80 years ago.


A history of the VW - Interesting to note that Adolf never had a driver's license


http://www.dw.com/en/hitler-and-his-volkswagen-tracing-the-80-year-history-of-the-beetle/a-43942998?maca=en-GK-RSS-en-teaser-Flipboard-Germany-21387-xml-media

I can remember having a VW rental from a garage back in the very early 60's. A split back window and a stick for a gas gauge. But it got a hellova gas milage - as I recall, somewhere in the high 40 MPG.

[cyclonefence]

1. My '54 VW convertible

didn't have a gas gauge, either. When you ran out of gas, you flipped a lever on the floor which opened a supplementary tank of a few gallons to get you to a gas station. With the top down, it was great for transporting our canoe.

[lapfog_1]

5. I had a '59 VW with a "sunroof"

and that little gas tank flip switch... awesome.

I believe it had a 34 HP engine. I could undo the engine mounts and literally lift the engine (I was a strong young lad in 1973) and carry the engine down to my basement to work on it.

6volt battery... great gas mileage.

Another thing... in the dead of winter you could always get the VW to start... no matter how cold (it was air cooled, no water/anti-freeze).

[cyclonefence]

9. With two jacks and a two by four

my husband and I could drop that engine and take it inside to work on it. Problem was that the only good space to work on it was the cutting table in my sewing room. One time I broke down on the highway--the choke cable came dislodged--and I fixed it right there with a--you guessed it--bobby pin.

I'd like to have seen that sunroof. My ragtop was built on a wooden frame, whose rotting eventually led to the car's demise. Too much fun to drive!

[lapfog_1]

10. mine was a light green...

[cyclonefence]

14. Look at those whitewalls!

Mine was red, needing a lot of rubbing compound to bring it to the shine your car had. Now I remember those sunroofs--and I see your car had a Wolfsberg crest? I thought 1954 was the last year for that.

[Ohiogal]

2. "A stick for a gas gauge"

Do you mean like a dipstick for checking oil?

Those were indeed pretty bare bones!

My husband had an old Beetle back in the early 70s He drove it up to the road and in the next moment found himself sitting on the ground..... the seat and floor fell right through! (this is what school teachers drove back then, LOL)

[MountCleaners]

12. A college friend of mine had an old Beetle

It was a red convertible, and it was great for cruising in the city. BUT...it had a giant hole in the floor in front of the passenger seat, and you could see the road beneath you as you were riding in it!

[True Dough]

3. I'm no historian

but I think Hitler driving without a licence might have been the least of his offenses.

Then there was the Russian leader who had a lemon for a vehicle. Apparently the car was always Stalin...

[3catwoman3]

4. I learned to drive a stick shift...

...n my dad's pale blue VW beetle, in 1969. I've been fond of them ever since. I never did like having to brake going uphill, as I felt like I needed a 3rd foot to safely manage the clutch, gas, and brake pedals. I would often put on the handbrake to accomplish this tricky maneuver.

[rsdsharp]

6. My first car was a '73 Super Beetle

but c'mon Adolf, no one in his right mind gets into the back seat of a Beetle. Oh, wait....

[eleny]

7. I had a '71, green squareback

Great gas mileage and easy driving & parking in NYC. It was awful driving up hills and the tires were crappy. But for zipping around the city it was a terrific little car. I took many trips with it up and down the east coast and into eastern Canada. Good times.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. My '61 had no gas gauge, but had a "reserve" lever in case you ran out of fuel.

And the windshield-washer fluid was powered by air pressure from the spare tire.

Barebones engineering.

[LanternWaste]

11. It may have been the best, first car a middle-class high school student could get.

It may have been the best, first car a middle-class high school student could get.

I bought mine as a junior in 1983 for $75, learned how to work on it (and by extension, other cars as well), and made repairs to it with an almost non-existent budget (I had to learn how to adjust the points and had to do so so many times I could do it in my sleep).

Lil' Bit ran like a champ until she was stolen my second year in college. Turns out the box in the back seat holding my casettes and 8-tracks was worth more than she was.

[SoCalDem]

13. My son still has the 1971 Super Beetle I gave him

loves it.

(not his, but just like it )