“Forgotten Hollywood”- Goodbye to the People’s Car…

Posted on July 15, 2019 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`After eight decades of production in Germany, Belgium, Venezuela, South Africa, and several other countries, the last Volkswagen Bug rolled off the factory line in Puebla, Mexico last week. The auto’s journey to the Puebla Automotive Museum marks the final pit-stop for a car that has been a symbol of fun, and counter-culture cool since it first rolled into the United States in 1949, despite its Nazi Germany roots.

“`The car’s original design — a rounded silhouette with seating for four, a vertical windshield, and the air-cooled engine in the rear — can be traced to Austrian engineer Ferdinand Porsche who was hired to fulfill Adolf Hitler’s project for a people’s car in 1933. The vehicle was cheap and reliable. During World War II, production was halted.

“`It was only after the war ended that the British military took ownership of the factory and re-started production of the Beetle to help stimulate the shattered German economy. British automakers ultimately declared it would not be a hit with post-war car owners and returned the factory to Volkswagen’s ownership in 1949. This proved to be a major economic mistake for the Brits.

“`Volkswagen began production almost immediately, and by 1951, they were producing close to 100,000 Beetles a year. By 1965, that figure grew to over a million. In 1960s California, this Bug was popular with the counter-cultural and beach communities. In all, over twenty-one million original Beetles were produced from 1938 to 2003.

“`Hollywood also played a key part. Record sales in 1968 coincided with the release of The Love Bug, featuring Herbie, the plucky race car with a mind of its own.  In the film Rat Race, the model was referenced to its notorious ties to Nazi Germany.  Actor Paul Newman added a faster Porsche engine to his own Beetle.

“`The design discovered a third life in 1998. A modern version of the Bug rolled off factory lots with an engine now in the front. The styling went on to sell 1.7 million models, worldwide. The VW plant in Puebla, Mexico, the last to build Beetles, made the decision to manufacture SUVs.

“`Goodbye to the Bug.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Monday, July 15th, 2019 at 1:16 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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