| In 1938 the German automaker Volkswagen released | | | | possible, so that little could go wrong. The 985cc |
| their version of the economy car called the | | | | air-cooled motor proved to be effective with German |
| Volkswagen Type 1, or more commonly referred to as | | | | Afrika Korps in Africa's desert heat with The built in oil |
| the Volkswagen Beetle. The names "Bug" and "Beetle" | | | | cooler and the superb performance of the flat four, or |
| were adopted by the public, but it was not until late | | | | "pancake" engine configuration. The suspension was |
| 1967 that Volkswagen began using the name "Beetle" | | | | equipped with compact torsion beams in place of the |
| in their marketing. It was previously known as only the | | | | more commonly used coil or leaf spring suspensions. |
| "Type 1" or the 1200, 1300, or 1500, which were the | | | | Once World War II was over, the shortage of jobs led |
| names it had been marketed under in Europe prior to | | | | to the reopening of the factory in Wolfsburg by Allied |
| 1967. The numbers indicated the size of the vehicle's | | | | forces. The production of the Beetle from then on |
| engine in cubic centimeters. | | | | recommenced. The production increased massively |
| The 1967 model of the VW Beetle underwent a few | | | | over the next decade, with the one millionth car rolling |
| changes, the car itself didn't get bigger, but many of | | | | off of the assembly line in 1955. The Bug's |
| the mechanical systems and components did. Some | | | | performance was far superior compared to other |
| changes to the Bug included a larger engine. Output of | | | | automobiles in its category with a top speed of 72 |
| the electrical generator had been increased from 180 | | | | mph. The production was surpassing 16 million in 1972, |
| watts to 360, and also had been upgraded from the | | | | and by the 23rd of June in 1992 the company had sold |
| old 6-volt system to the 12-volt system. The clutch disk | | | | over 21 million of the cars. |
| was also made larger and changes had been made to | | | | The Volkswagen Beetle is the world's best selling |
| the braking system, the flywheel, and rear axles. | | | | design with the same name. The VW Beetle outlasted |
| Although the VW Bug has been widely despised for | | | | most all of the other vehicles who had copied the |
| its styling, rough ride, weak power, along with high noise | | | | rear-mounted air-cooled engine layout like those by |
| levels, it was also the longest and most produced | | | | Subaru, and General Motors. |
| vehicle for a single design. | | | | The Beetle began to phase-out in 2003. The annual |
| The "Beetle" or "Bug" whichever you wish to call it also | | | | production ad reduced to 30,000 from its peak of 1.3 |
| played a roll in the military. In 1935 prototypes of the | | | | million in 1971. As the last Beetle rolled off of the |
| Kdf-Wagen appeared. | | | | assembly line, it was shipped off to the Volkswagen |
| Produced by Daimlet-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany the | | | | company museum in Wolfsburg, Germany. |
| first prototypes were born. With its already peculiar | | | | In 1998 Volkswagen introduced the new Beetle which |
| round shape, and the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, | | | | was designed to look a lot like the classic Beetle. The |
| The factory only produced a small number of the cars | | | | new Beetle was designed with a water cooled engine |
| by the time war began in 1939. The first | | | | being placed in the front of the car. |
| mass-produced version of the Beetle were used for | | | | The new VW Beetle has turned out to be a very |
| military vehicles, like the Schwimmwagen and the | | | | popular car and has become a pop culture icon and |
| Kubelwagen. | | | | been featured in many movies. |
| The military bug was created to be as simple as | | | | |