Five things you might not know about the Volkswagen Beetle

Published on 18 September, 2018

As production of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle comes to a halt, we share some fun facts on the famous little Bug

Overview

1. It was Hitler’s idea…kind of. He wanted a compact car, suitable for mass production so he enlisted the help of Porsche engineers and personally approved the prototype of ‘his Volkswagen’ or ‘peoples car’ in 1935. The first Volkswagen factory opened two years later.

2. The Beetle wasn’t always called the Beetle. Originally just the Volkswagen, or Type 1 in the factory, the manufacturer didn’t adopt the much used nickname officially until the 1960s. It has several other nicknames around the globe too. In Indonesia, it’s the Kodok (frog), the Peta (turtle) in Bolivia and in Nigeria, the tortoise car. 

3. The original model (and first 1998 remake) featured a clip on flower vase so drivers could proudly display a bit of ‘flower power’. It was scrapped in 2011 when the brand decided they wanted to give the car a more masculine image

4. It’s a seasoned movie star. The Beetle has appeared on the big screen many times having starred in Herbie the love bug, Footloose, and Back to the Future. It can also be seen in the background of The Beatles’ famous Abbey Road album cover.

5. It was the longest running and most manufactured car of a single platform ever made. It outstripped the Model T to become the most sold car in the world in 1972, only to be overtaken itself in the 90s by the Toyota Corolla.

The Volkswagen Beetle is soon to be no more. Here are some fun facts about the iconic little bug.

1. It was Hitler’s idea…kind of. He wanted a compact car, suitable for mass production so he enlisted the help of Porsche engineers and personally approved the prototype of ‘his Volkswagen’ or ‘peoples car’ in 1935. The first Volkswagen factory opened two years later.

2. The Beetle wasn’t always called the Beetle. Originally just the Volkswagen, or Type 1 in the factory, the manufacturer didn’t adopt the much used nickname officially until the 1960s. It has several other nicknames around the globe too. In Indonesia, it’s the Kodok (frog), the Peta (turtle) in Bolivia and in Nigeria, the tortoise car. 

3. The original model (and first 1998 remake) featured a clip on flower vase so drivers could proudly display a bit of ‘flower power’. It was scrapped in 2011 when the brand decided they wanted to give the car a more masculine image

4. It’s a seasoned movie star. The Beetle has appeared on the big screen many times having starred in Herbie the love bug, Footloose, and Back to the Future. It can also be seen in the background of The Beatles’ famous Abbey Road album cover.

5. It was the longest running and most manufactured car of a single platform ever made. It outstripped the Model T to become the most sold car in the world in 1972, only to be overtaken itself in the 90s by the Toyota Corolla.

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives