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25 Oct
Oktoberfest
VWCV Oktoberfest in true Bavarian style. Dinner at the Cuckoo restaurant in picturesque Olinda.
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Early Development
Ferdinand Porsche established his new automotive engineering company (called Porsche Konstruktionsburo fr
Motorenfahrzeug und Wasserfahrzeugbau) on 25th April 1931. It was here that the idea of the Volkswagen began
to take shape. At this time, The Great Depression was already well underway, and Germany was also suffering under the 
1919 Treaty of Versailles - set up to make the German nation accountable for the First World War.
Although a highly industrialised nation, Germany in 1930 had only one million cars on the road. To look at this in perspective, the USA built 119 million cars in 1930, whilst Germany built 189,000.
With designs already on the drawing board, Porsche was approached by German motor company, NSU (the name is derived from letters in the names of the rivers surrounding the plant: Neckar and Sulm), who focused mainly on motorbikes. A low-priced, high-volume small car was requested. Porsche began work on this commission and by 1934 had delivered a prototype that was unmistakably a precursor to the beetle. While the prototype never made it into production, it did have many admirers.
At the same time, Adolf Hitler was talking about the possibility of a mass-produced, low-priced German car, which would be a people's car. Presently only the wealthy could afford a car. Hitler spoke to Porsche about such a car.
Design Notes
The specifications that Porche worked on were:
- Designed to be space efficient
- Capable of cruising at 100 kph
- Average 7 litres per 100 km
- Air-cooled engine for reliability in all climates
- Inexpensive to repair
- Able to accommodate a family of two adults, three children and luggage
- Adolf Hitler added that it must sell for no more than 1000 reichs marks and made an assurance that the German Automobile Manufacturers' Association would support Porche's efforts.
By 1935 Porche had completed two prototypes. The Versuch 1 (V1) sedan and Versuch 2 (V2) convertible. Three more prototypes were built and these became known as the V3 cars.
Kdf-Wagen
As yet, the Type 60
was unnamed. The name 'Volkswagen' was not unique as it had been used before, almost as a
generic term. The vehicle was named the Kdf-Wagen after the motto of the German Labor Front; "Kraft durch Freude", which translates as "Stength through Joy".
The car's official name was the Kdf-Wagen, however, most civilians still called it a Volkswagen (People's Car) or simply a VW.
The Stamp Book purchase...
By 1938 Germany was a totalitarian state. Ordinary people could no 
longer afford even a people's car. The German hierarchy came up with the stamp-book solution. For 5 reichs
marks, one could obtain a stamp to be put into a savings book. When enough stamps were purchased, the savings
book could be exchanged for a new car.
A marvellous idea, but due to the war, no savings books were ever exchanged for a new car. Nevertheless, the scheme netted the government a small fortune, as 336,000 Germans owned a savings book prior to the outbreak of World War II.
Kdf Town
With all the money generated by the project, and in particular the savings book plan, thoughts soon turned to production. Hard to believe that there were 336,000 Germans all saving for a car that had not yet been produced!
A site was chosen that met the requirements of being within central Germany and with good road, rail and canal links. The land was soon forcibly bought by the state (at the state's nominated price) from the Count of Schulenburg, whose family once occupied the Wolfsburg castle. The site was chosen not just for a factory but for a town to be developed as well. Hitler named this new town, Kdf-Stadt (Kdf-Town).
Production was also being planned. Two-door sedans and two-door convertibles. All blue-gray in colour!
The Ruins of War...
By the beginning of 1945, the factory at Kdf-Town was in virtual ruins. It had been bombed several times during the war, as it had been making military vehicles. In May 1945 the provisional town council changed the name Kdf-Town to Wolfsburg.
During the occupation of Germany, Wolfsburg and the Volkswagen factory was in the hands of the British. By the end of 1945 a basic assembly line had been put into place and between 1785-2490 Beetles rolled off. In fact, the factory had an order for 10,000 from the British and French occupational forces.
From the ashes...
In 1949, after winning the war, the Allies set up the Federal Republic of Germany. The British control of Volkswagen was then returned to the state. Although Volkswagen produced military vehicles during the war, it was to concentrate on a single model henceforth - the Beetle - to be marketed in Germany and overseas.
The Volkswagen Beetle was marketed exceptionally
well, with production reaching 50,000 from the end of the war until May 1949. The Beetle was sold throughout
Europe and, in July 1950, they surfaced in America. By 1955 there were almost 36,000 Beetles in America and
by 1959 this had increased to 90,000.
Now boasting the Transporter, Karmann Ghia, Karmann Convertible, Type 3 Fastback and Notchback, Type 181 (The Thing), Type 4 (411) and, of course, the Beetle, Volkswagen bounded ahead during the 1960's.
The five-millionth Beetle rolled off the assembly line in 1961. One car was produced worldwide every 14 seconds. Everyone loved the Beetle!