"The Beetle may have found favour with the California hippie movement, but it was designed to mobilize Nazi Germany. And its engine was in the wrong place, so it handled like soap."
- Jeremy Clarkson on the Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle (also known as Volkswagen Type 1) is an economical car built by Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003.
The car's origins started in Nazi Germany, when Adolf Hitler claimed the German people needed transport conceived as both simple and cheap which could also be mass-produced. The car's intentions were halted due to World War II, but production of the car skyrocketed in West Germany after the war. Over the decade it became best-selling car until it was surpassed by the Toyota Corolla in 1998. However, the Beetle still holds the record for the best selling car on the same platform.
Drivetrain uses a rear-mounted engine and RWD, this later applies to the Porsche 911 (now with AWD). Most trims are designated based on the engine displacement.
In 1978, production of the Beetle was phased out in European markets, then the rest of the world, with the last Beetle being produced in Mexico in 2003 to give way the New Beetle and the Volkswagen Golf.
In the 1999 Car of the Century competition, to determine the world's most influential car in the 20th century, the Type 1 came fourth, after the Ford Model T, the Mini, and the Citroën DS.
The Top Gear trio are collectively known to dislike the Beetle, with it being listed as their least favourite car of all time.
Appearances[]
- In Clarkson's Top 100 Cars, the Volkswagen Beetle was ranked in 100th place. Jeremy derided the car for its handling and its Nazi origins. He then stated that the only reason he put the Beetle on the list is because his mother used to own several Beetles.
- In the Botswana Special of Top Gear, the Beetle was used as a Back-Up Car. This Beetle ended up winning the challenge as it completed all the challenges with no modifications.
- In Series 16, Episode 1, in an attempt to prove 911s are more than glorified Beetles, Richard uses a 997 Turbo S Cabriolet despite criticizing it for being too cold. Despite beating the Beetle in a regular drag race, the 911 ends up losing when the 911 is placed on dust and the Beetle is dropped from a helicopter using gravity as it's propulsion system.
- In Series 20, Episode 2, a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle with a Mexican taxi livery was used by Paul O'Neill in the World's Best Taxi Race, where it finished the race in second place behind the Hindustan Ambassador driven by Gordon Shedden.
- In Series 1, Episode 1 of James May's Cars of the People, James considered the Beetle as the true first people's car. He discussed the Beetle's origin as a people's car built by the Nazis, and its influence in North America, where it kickstarted the hippie movement of the 1960s.
- In Series 1, Episode 4 (TGT), the VW Beetle was appeared but it was cut short then directly review to Porsche 911 GT3 RS instead.
Trivia[]
- Bela Barenyi successfully sued the VW regarding the car's finalised design by Ferdinand Porsche in 1955.