The many, MANY failed VW Beetle Reboots!
I recently made a video on the many, many times British Leyland tried to update the Mini. The lack of an update helped to make the original Mini an iconic shape. The same has happened to many other iconic cars, and the Volkswagen Type 1 or Beetle falls into the same camp. Why did it take 36 years until the Beetle would get a replacement, and how did a car made as a Nazi show of strength end up in a Disney film?
Second "optional extra" part of this video: • The many, MANY failed ...
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Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_K%C3...
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Golf
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/...
blog.heritagepartscentre.com/...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Hirst
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirtsch...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen
1952 EA41
www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/...
iedeiblog.com/2012/04/10/vw-e...
1955 EA47-12 & EA48
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
www.automuseum-volkswagen.de/...
www.flickr.com/photos/zappado...
newsroom.vw.com/vehicles/tbt-...
1957 EA97
www.automuseum-volkswagen.de/...
web.archive.org/web/2018051121...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
play.google.com/books/reader?... (p134-136)
1962 EA158
play.google.com/books/reader?... (p69-73)
www.clubvw.org.au/media/oldar...
1963 EA128
www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/vw...
newsroom.vw.com/vehicles/tbt-...
www.secret-classics.com/en/vo...
1967 EA235
www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/vw...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Golf
1969 EA266 / EA276
web.archive.org/web/2018051121...
newsroom.vw.com/vehicles/tbt-...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswa...
web.archive.org/web/201405122...
web.archive.org/web/201405122...
#bigcar
Erratum: The German Economic Miracle should also be credited to the daring switch to a market economy and currency switch lead by Ludwig Erhard. This freed up trade from the previous planned economy and caused an almost overnight change in economic prosperity in West Germany. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirtschaftswunder
The currency switch was also financial terrorism against The GDR , and the Wirtschaftswunder wouldn’t have taken place if the western allies hadn’t been able to convince other European nations to write off German’s war debt .
@@davidraun117 so why was it against the GDR?Please explain!
You mean destroying and robbing half of the .europe amd beeing rebuilt itself with american money from Marshal Plan? Just in Poland Germans Robbed and destroyed property worth more than 900 bilion $ making Poland the most destroyed country in ww2 with human losses of almost 6 milion Poles... and forgot to pay war reperations.
One car missing, the Volkswagen K-70. 🙂📻
Mine was a '66 - white with red interior
This is barely just a “car story” but rather a full history lesson - a magnificent one!
Yeah, it's history by stealth. Ssshhh don't tell anyone!
Its a pretty amazing thing for a victorious set of nations to offer a hand up to the vanquished nation. It would have been interesting to see the effect of a post WW1 "Marshall PLan"!
@@BigCar2 By the way, the reason that the factory effectively survived the war was poor British quality control. As three of the block buster bombs didn't detonate and one blew a crater in the parking lot...
@@davidhollenshead4892 Also the fact that it was in the countryside, away from commercial centres. But yes, those bombs would have made the factory a right mess.
Incompleet unfortunately
And whilst the Golf's numbers surpassed the Beetle, it wasn't the same car, the Beetle was basically the same car for its 65 year lifespan, whereas the Golf was on its 4th incarnation then, each model a complete redesign of the one before.
golf 1 2 and 3 share many components for example engines and suspension....the golf1 1.6d engine also was available on the golf 2 and on the 3 it was 1,9 liters but the same design...gearboxes are also similar and interchangeable to some extent...suspension arms , shocks etc and they are also compatible with the passat and seat ibiza..and many other parts...but yes the design was changed from model to model
That is not enterly true. True is, that the Golf got new models technically incompatible, while the Beetle got incremential updates. Also true is that they changed so much that you can´t use any part from a 1950´s beetle on a Mexico modell. Those two are almost as far off each other as the Golf 1 and Golf 2. They changed the suspension from simple rubber buffers up to McPerson shock absorbers, the steering from worm steering to steering gear, from electricity from 6V to 12 V, the wind screen washer pump from the spare tire´s pressure to an actual washer pump, and so, SO much more on and between the chassis and the body that normally would them two seperate models. On the other hand: those were all incremential updates which never ever justified a new model, so... it is complicated. Like a Ship of Theseus situation, almost.
@@peterullinger2814 You forgeting that the Beetle was a rip off from pre WW2 Czechoslovak Tatra, Porsche give up Czechoslovak citizenship because of his German superiority complex but like every other true German Nazi he was happy to steal from Slavik people. "The court's statement tells us that the lawsuit was brought by the daughter of late car designer Erwin Komenda, who worked for Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930s. She alleged that the Beetle design was her father's, and so Volkswagen owed her family money on sales of the Beetles after 2014. Earlier models were subject to the statute of limitations." It would be funy if she would won the lawsuit as then Tatra could do the same to her... heh
@@Bialy_1 Did I? Show me where I said ANYTHING ´bout that. That´s not the point of this thread and nobody in this thread said anything against what you said. So, just stop shadow boxing.
You are right. If Fiat would have kept the same name for it‘s „small familiy car“ over the decades instead of altering the name from 1100 via 128, Ritmo, Tipo, Brava/Bravo, Stilo, again Bravo and again Tipo - maybe everyone would say, the Fiat 1100 is the longest running car in history… Keeping the name of a car does not mean that the car stays the same. Toyota Corolla: looking at you, too…
I bought a '76 in 1996 and drove it for ten years. Ran like a top. I bought the Idiot Manual, learned all the car's quirks, and did most of the maintenance myself. It was incredibly easy to work on, not just because the engine was simple but because it was perfectly mounted so you could sit comfortably on a little stool and work on it. Stupidly, I sold it because I was going on a 6-month hike and the car would have cost more than its resale value to store. Regretted it ever since. Loved that car.
I have a 77 Beetle and it is the most reliable car I ever owned. It is also the cheapest in repairs.
I have a friend who put a small block chevy in the Frunk, and baja bugged his, scariest thing I've ever ridden in but it's so damn fun. You can Subaru boxer engine swap the bugs and busses and you'll fly especially with a turbo kit.
+Cisium I bought a 1970 Beetle in about 2007 and it was nothing but a money-pit. Every time I drove it to the Pacific coast from 2 hours inland, it developed problems. I finally sold it in 2014 for $500 and have never regretted its departure. Volkswagen should have engineered a 5-speed for it! My next German auto will either be a BMW or a 911.
@@glenhardy4770 Get a '68 BMW 2002 or be unique and find yourself a Opel Commodore or Ascona or Monza. All good looking cars.
@@imadequate3376 Thank you for the guidance, much appreciated!
I enjoyed the hell out of this video because of all the rare photos of the prototypes that I have never seen in my life very interesting!
Also have a google for the Skoda 932 (from 1932!) and Tatra V570 (from 1933), you will find them very interesting.
To Klasse Act, EA 128, 4 door 2 litre silver saloon .Now THAT is a Klasse Act!
Some of these prototypes are at the museum in Wolfsburg.
I guess by the very nature of the video, that was to be taken for granted, but yes, it's so satisfying.
Yes, I enjoyed those photos too, which I also had never seen. Great video. Lovely to see him saying the name correctly. Most people say: "Volkswagon", when it is pronounced: "VolksVagon" - the "W" is pronounced like a "V" in German, but so many people say this car's name wrong.
The main reason all the replacements failed is that they didn't follow the design concepts that the original had.
Yep, I loved my original Beetle and wanted so badly to buy a new Beetle but VW kept putting stupid engines in it and priced it like it was an Audi. If they had put the GTI engine Transmission in it and priced it correctly I would be driving one today. The problem with VW's in America are VW dealers who are gouging until the last minute and then dropping prices that were inflated to begin with.
and the new ones arent even slightly close to an actual beetle made by fucking audio priced like an audi it is an audi not rear engined nor air cooled not a boxer 4 whats the point
I'm quite surprised VW haven't announced an electric Beetle yet, the quirkyness would be ideal for an EV.
Nah they’re too busy fixing emission controls to by pass tests
It makes a lot of sense ev skateboard floorpan with bolt on bodies
Electric cars are a scam
It would be a whole lot better than any and all those stupid SUV EV's
That's ear marked for the future. Technically the ID3 is the electric Beetle.
I have a 1966 and I love it !!! Everybody wave at me !!! They love it to !!! Thanks for the historical.
I think 1966 is the best year Beetle, but I'm biased because I have one too.
I still have my ‘75 Super Beetle, and I absolutely love that car. It cost 3100$ new and came from the Naperville, IL plant the last month they produced the super beetles. I’ve owned a lot of cars over the years but none of them brought such joy to drive as the Beetle. It’s very easy to repair and service. I wish they kept making them - I’d buy another in a heartbeat.
Couldn't remotely pass any aspect of crash testing.
@@emjayay Doesn't matter. No one of the cars will pass the offsetcrash when exceed 64km/h.....no Mercedes, no BMW, no VW....... The big 3 in germany are afraid of it.......
It was led out that the Beetle actually survived for so long thanks to Mexico, where it was kindly nicknamed "Bocho". Due to its low cost, easy maintenance and cheap replacement parts, it became the "de facto" taxi model for Mexico City from the mid 80s all the way to the early 2000s - watching those green bugs all around the city was truly a spectacle on its own. The love between Mexico and the Beetle was such, that there were special editions designed entirely (and only) for the Mexican market.
Yup, what finally killed it in Mexico was stricter air pollution laws in Mexico City, and new laws requiring taxis to have rear doors.
Sorry but: it’s called the Vocho or Volcho as it comes from Volkswagen - Volks - Volcho - Vocho as it’s nickname evolved through 4 decades in Mexico. BTW it was brought to Mexico by a German royal who happened to be a Na.i sympathizer. And so the wheels of history turn...
As the panels were bolted together any damaged mudguards could be simply unbolted and replaced.Also making a Baja bug was a simple process as was making a beach buggy
@@900108Chale Good designs happen to survive the time, no matter what the people behind believed in.
My first car was a '67 Beetle (with 6V electrics). Unfortunately, the clutch failed on the day I passed my driving test, but somehow, my Dad and I managed to drop the engine out and repair it. After that I don't think it ever broke down whilst I owned it.
Part of their magic.
Thank you for that, it was interesting. My Father, Hugh Edward Hughes, was a Quartermaster with the Royal Wesh Fusileers as WW2 ended. He met my Mother (a German) and was directly involved with procurement, etc (in line with his Army work) during the early stages of the setting-up of the Beetle factories. I have a photo of him standing by one of the very early Beetles off the line (which he 'procured' for himself... - the Army lot were good at that sort of thing, at the time, but Dad was a Master at it !). Co-incidentaly, my Mother had fled from East Germany (with her youngest Brother) as the East-West border was being 'sealed up'. Our family business on Mum's side consisted of my Great Uncle running a Daimler-Benz repair and dealership in Lübz, specialising in bodywork and spraying. Soon after, the Communist regimes made that business unworkable, as they confiscated all the good car's and forced everybody to drive Trabants. My Uncle then took over and (with great difficulty) converted the business into the only Trabant re-manufacturing Factory in East Germany. Car's would come in one end (knackered !), be stripped to every singular item and totaly reworked/refinished as new. The stories I could tell about that time are complex and very interesting. In 1989, as the wall came down, my Uncle rushed over to the West (first time for a very long time !) and met up with Audi/VW. He converted the business to what became a very successful Audi/VW Dealership, with the grass roots of Spraying/repair/refinishing, remaining. Sadly, he passed away a few years later, though his only daughter successfuly continued to keep the business going until recently. Now, sadly, after over 90 years of history and masive respect from the locals, in keeping them going through the 'cold war' days (he even fought to keep the local brewery going ! - good plan, obviously...), my cousin has had to close the business, as demand has dissapeared... A sign of the times and a very sad end to an era. To end on a happy note, I still get Free Beer, from the Lübzer Brauerei, any time I visit, (as do the remaining family members) - out of respect for what my Uncle did. You have never seen a V12 XJS so overloaded, as mine coming home to North Wales... Under the seats,.. sitting on it,... er, etc.
Wonderful story! I have read about the Brits and the efforts they went to in order to acquire tools and materials to reopen the VW plant. Your father may well have appeared in a book about that factory and VW history. Title was _Small Wonder_ but I'm sure it is out of print today. I read it in the early '70s.
@@Miata822 Thank you so much for those kind words Bill and I really should try and find that book! I really miss Dad, and still use tools in my work, that he also 'precured' during his army time and at the time of his retirement! Take care, Mike
@@Mike_Hughes Good news! After i wrote that post I searched once again for a copy of the book. I found one online in "good" condition. I will reply again once it arrives if I can find a Mr. Hughes mentioned.
@@Miata822 Oh Wow, nice one Bill ! I will look forward to you reporting back ! - Hugh Edward Hughes, generally refered to in the army as 'Hughie' Thank you Bill
I owned two of them. I wish I had at least one of them back again. They were a joy to drive, a work of art, reliable and fun to drive. Because the engine was rear-mounted, the cabin was never too warm in summer
Yes, and never too warm in winter!
@@raffriff42 set them up right Beetle heaters work great.
My dentist drove the convertible version of the 1955 Mercedes gull wing sports coupe. When the Benz was in for repairs, he commented that he was having a blast driving the Beetle convertible loaner the Mercedes dealer had given him.
I bought a 72 Baja, acquiring perhaps the only Lemon off the VW Assembly Line.
The Gol almost broke brazilian VW.They decided to re-use the 1300 cc engine from the beetle(after a long internal fight between engeneering teams).The car was heavier that the beetle and the performance was horrible.After desperate changes,like using a twin-carb 1600cc engine,the car finnaly took off becoming best selling car in brazil for 27 years
Volkswagen tried with the Beetle-derived Brasilia, but that was not the best model for that market. As such, it got replaced by the Gol, which was heavily derived from the modern Polo model sold in Europe.
@@Sacto1654 it was not derived from the polo. The polo was said to have a weak platform that wouldn't resist our roads. Instead, it had a new platform developed, based on the passat b1 that was sold here.
Volkswagen Brazil even briefly restarted production of the old Beetle in the early 90s, but with little success and production only lasting until 1996. That would be an interesting story, too, seeing in detail how the Beetle was built in other countries like Mexico, Australia, Brazil, etc.
"Gentlemen, I don't think what we are being offered here is worth a damn." Henry Ford II, rejecting the offered Volkswagen plant.
There was a committee that looked at the plant, and it was disparaging. From that, all Western car companies (including Australian) decided it wasn't worth it. And at that point it was an untried design that looked out of date, using old fashioned air cooled engines. Car companies were itching to restart production of their own cars that were superior than the Type 1. In hindsight it looks like madness, but not at the time.
Henry Ford II was neither intelligent nor open-minded or creative. Lee Iacocca was fired by him -- because he was not a YES MAN. Rather he was a creative genious, the Father of the Mustang.. And Henry Ford the II was arrogant, pompous and overbearing. Ford's cars were junky boxes, like most of the cars "MADE IN DETROIT" -- exactly the opposite of the type of vehicles made decades earlier.
Volkswagen only survived because of the marshall plan and with a lot of government help. If Ford would have bought them, who knows, what would have happened.
@@BigCar2 "Roger Smith, former GM's CEO, in the late 80s was asked : What is GM's response to a Toyota Camry? Smith's answer, after a long pause: Well, a Second Hand Buick.". There is a substancial difference between a Conservative LEADER and a Close-Minded one. Recenyly, GM sold itts European Brands ( mainly, OPEL, VAUXALL) . GM OPPERATED 14 VEHICLE PRODUCTION AND ASSEMBLY PLANTS IN 9 COUNTRIES . The Entire Project was incurring severe losses , years after year. PSA purchased the full Schebang for a song, turning the opperation around. In my view, GM Europe had a major problem , a Leadership Problem. -- after all, the exact same issues afflicting the Mother-Company in Detroit.
@@albertseabra9226 VW had its dark hour. In the early 60s, VW sold more cars in North America than all other foreign car companies combined. By the late 90s, they weren't even in the top 20.
God I love this channel. Why: 1. Calm voice and eloquent speech (a rarity on YT these days) 2. Extensively researched data & history 3. Uses historical videos, pictures and materials wherever possible.
I love my 66 beetle, it’s my daily driver/work truck. 👏👏👏👏👏
The VW K70 designed at NSU was VW's first front wheel drive car. It was quite good too.
...and was the actual Beetle replacement, not the Golf. The Golf was more a development of/replacement for the K70.
@@SabotsLibres Oh no... The K 70 was a full size sedan, much bigger than Beetle and Golf; look at it´s size, price and performance. It was 3 classes above the Beetle. It was meant to fill the gap in the NSU-Range between the 1200 and the Ro 80 and was a competitor to cars like Ford 17 M and Opel Rekord (and - funny enough - VW´s own 411). And neither was the Golf a replacement for the K 70. The Passat replaced both the 412 and the K 70. And: there were no technical similarities between the K 70 and the Golf or Passat except to the FWD and the fact, that it had a watercooled inline 4cylinder. The engine of the K 70 was derived of the aircooled inline-4 of the NSU 1200 and had nothing in common with the engines of Golf and Passat. And this was the main problem of the K 70: it was sold as VW, but it was no VW. It did not fit into the old range with the Types 1 to 4 neither did it fit into the new range with Polo, Golf, Scirocco and Passat.
My dad had one it was recalled crankshaft issues I believe
@@heikosteffens1661 The K70 also the Audi 80 was derived from the NSU prototype designed as a low cost replacement (with WATER COOLED 4cyl engine) for the Ro80, but never built in serie
@@leneanderthalien I have to contradict. The NSU K 70 was not meant to replace the NSU Ro 80. It was meant to fill the gap between the NSU 1200 and the NSU Ro 80. The Audi 80 has nothing in common with any NSU, it was developped in Ingolstadt, not in Neckarsulm. Maybe you confuse it with the Audi 50/VW Polo. The Audi 50 was designed as NSU K 50 to replace the NSU 1000...
As usually a great video, thanks a lot for this. Just one remark on the Ghia model. It went into production as the Karman Ghia, and became a dream car of the early 60ies. It still is a very much admired car and classic.
You can't say the Golf was more successful. There have been six different models. The 1930s Beetle never changed!
Exactly what I was gonna say
Plus, Golf can't swim, while the Beetle is also a motorboat by standard.
its odd if you think about it though there were good reasons for doing so but a company that made the same model for so long went to porche whom with great respect are notorius for making a range that mostly look similar i mean modern porches are not far removed in looks from the original roadster or 911.the beetle as i remember as a boy in the late 50s in ireland in black was the car virtually everyone drove.the rival was the morris minor which was also popular but farmers bought the vw mainly as a tow bar came with it but was 25 quid on the morris.as kids the older beetle design seemed space age compared to the morris which nice was to us antique even then.late 60s the vw gave way to the opel kadett and surprisingly the minor was replaced not by the 1100 as youd think but its big brother the 1800 which got very popular.
@@SparrowNoblePoland Plus Golf was not a ripoff of Czechoslovak Tatra, Porsche did not wanted Czechoslovak citizenship but did not have any problem with stealing ideas from them...
@@Bialy_1 probably the last offensive thing the nazis did.
Ive been binge watching your channel all week... thank you & Cheers! from the US.
Glad to have you along Sean!
The Beetle will always be iconic. Present day prices for the classic Beetle have gone quite mad.
That was so much info, in such a short video, so thank you for the extra content! Keep these amazingly factual and eye-opening uploads coming, thank you again, it's always a joy when you upload new stuff
Thanks! The next video's a monster. It's taking forever!
J Falck Agreed my friend✌🏾
@@BigCar2 can we get a _hint_ 🤞😏🤞
@@averyparticularsetofskills I mentioned it in the "Optional Extra" video.
Loved this video as it brought back many memories from my early years. We're a VW family from way back. The first car I remember was my dad's 1962 beetle. He bought it used in the mid 60's and traded in for a new one in 1970. The heaters were not really adequate for Canadian winters, so he switched over to North American cars for a while. The diesel Golf lured him back in the mid eighties with its 50+ MPG. He had 2, and put close to a million kilometres on them combined. Along the way, my brothers and I have owned a 72 beetle, a 67 and a 72 bus, a 78 rabbit(what the golf was originally called in Canada), an 89 golf, 2 88 jettas, a 90 passat wagon, a '12 jetta wagon, a '15 city golf, and a couple of audi quattros which were unfortunately past their "best before" dates. Whew, sorry for the TLDR...
I remember my first test drive of the 1977 Golf (known as the Rabbit in the US). It was a revelation. I had been driving various Beetles since the late '60s and was very familiar with them. The Golf was simply incredible in its sophistication and refinement. It had real acceleration and handling. There was no going back. The Beetle had a great run, but the Golf had clearly made it obsolete.
True is, that the Golf got new models being technically incompatible and newly engeniered, while the Beetle got incremential updates. Also true is that they changed so much that you can´t use any part from a 1950´s beetle on a Mexico modell. Those two are almost as far off each other as the Golf 1 and Golf 2. They changed the suspension from simple rubber buffers up to McPerson shock absorbers, the steering from worm steering to steering gear, from electricity from 6V to 12 V, the wind screen washer pump from the spare tire´s pressure to an actual washer pump, the rear axle several times and so, SO much more on and between the chassis and the body that normally would them two separate models. On the other hand: those were all incremential updates which never ever justified a new model, so... it is complicated. Like a Ship of Theseus situation, almost.
With the first Golf they absolutely nailed it so glad they took so long deciding on the beetle replacement . I'm driving an old mk5 and it's still brilliant today .
Boring as hell.
Here in Brazil the VW Gol was the perfect substitute for the Fusca (Beetle), first they coexisted, with Gol as a higher end product, and the Gol, now in the 5,5 generation, was the most sold car around here for decades! Interestingly the first Gol was presented with a 1,7L air cooled engine and is called now Gol BX, and son after the water cooled 1,6L arrive, installed in a slightly slanted position in the engine bay. The Golf just arrived here in small batches of imported MK3, and as a high end product! Son after the MK4 was nationalized, and was fazed out when they started to import the MK6 at the end of the model in the rest of the world. A bizarre thing was the fact that when the model was nationalized they remove the multilink rear suspension and installed a torsion bar semi-independent suspension instead allegedly because it was a superior solution to our roads. So we had criminologically MK6 imported from Germany with multilink and superior finish and materials, MK6 from Mexico, with lower quality finish but still multilink and Brazilian made MK6 when torsion bar suspension and a similar quality (or maybe higher) from Mexico!
VW Brazil never brought the Mk6 Golf to Brazil. They’ve skipped Mk5 and Mk6 and went straight to the Mk7
The Beetle is such a nice looking car. I do know that the Audi 50 existed but that it is the predecessor to the VW Polo, was indeed new to me.
Initially the Polo simply was a rebadged Audi 50. When the Polo was in full production, , the Audi 50 was terminated.
The top leaders of the VAG concern decided the Audi 50 was too tiny for an Audi to be. They wanted Audi to compete against BMW and Mercedes. As the car was already production-ready developed, they simply rebadged it as a VW. As VW already had the Golf on their blueprints the natural choice of the name fell on Polo and so the VW Polo was born. It came as a 4 gear manual and also as a 4+ economy gear (5th gear) to make it even more fuel economic.
@@kalleklp7291 In the 70's there was a sedan version of the Polo, named Derby. That was so rare that they renamed it to "Polo classic" because it wasn't worth printing the name plates.
@UlliStein Yes, indeed.. It was built from 1977 to somewhere in the '80s and was an ugly-looking car. Volkswagen Mexico made another variant from 1995 to 2008. Incredible because the MK1 was already ugly and bad selling...so why? 😖😆
the EA276 at 10:36 has a rear quarter that looks like an AMC Gremlin!
In my opinion, it actually looks like the rear end of the Brazilian VW Brasília even the lights are similar.
@@fmnrbmbg9736 My two cents to🤣
The front looks like a Skoda
And the rear end looks similar to the Lada Niva.
@@RVREVO The huge front and short rear also makes it look oddly similar to the Yugo.
That prototype model shown at (3:35) reminds me of a Porsche 356. I'm a huge fan of all German brands of cars with VW and Porsche being among my favorites. My mom and dad owned a 1973 and a 1974 VW Bugs when I was a kid in the 1980s and my mom still owns one of the newer 2008 VW Beetles.
The VW/Porsche was clearly a copy from the Tatra cars invent from Hans Ledwinka
"The home of the automobile, the usa" I believe carl benz's ghost would like a word with you
Exactly. Not only did the germans invent the modern car, but also the petrol engine (Nicolaus Otto), diesel engine and rotary engine.
I immediately thought the same thing. But in fairness, one could reasonably say that Germany was was birthplace of the automobile and the USA became it's home. (Based on total volumes sold, percentage of cars vs. people, average distance travelled per year, as well as less tangible social factors.... such as drive in movies, drive though dining, hot-rod culture, road side attractions, etc.)
@@BatCaveOz yeah... its a point... although the german car industry is massive and theres the autobahn network, so for its size i think germany is a very car country
@@the_retag Volkswagen is the biggest car company in the world if i'm not mistaken. The german premium brands are unrivaled and respected world wide. The germans revived Bugatti, Rolls-Royce and Bentley. They made Lamborghini and Mini hugely popular. Oh, and they totally dominated Le Mans for the last 50 years. They are unbeatable in Formula One at the moment (Mercedes-AMG), and they revolutionized rally cars.
Yeah Europe was were a lot of innovating was done with cars, for example look at the citroen ds
It's Friday and the best channel brings us another great video!! Thanks!!
The problem: the platform the Volkswagen Beetle was based on was not amenable to a truly _modern_ update. The result: VW engineers scrapped the whole idea and decided to start from scratch with a modern FWD platform, one that became the Golf model.
That is correct. The VW Golf, without any doubt, is a marvel of engineering since the very first model came out. Truly amazing car. And classless - everyone can drive a Golf.
@@erikziak1249 The unusual design of the Beetle platform made it difficult to produce a truly modern car, especially with the Beetle's air-cooled engine. By going to a modern FWD design with a liquid-cooled engine, that only produced the Golf, but started the "hot hatch" movement with the revolutionary Golf GTI model.
@@Sacto1654 Exactly.
VW beetle is copy paste of the Tatra (Ferdinand literary stole tatra design) , Golf is mechanically Audi 60 with Italo design body, Golf was only possible after VW purchased Audi
@@altergreenhorn The audi 60 was basically a DKW F102 with a longitudinally mounted "Mexico" Merc engine - no relation to the golf. Torsion bar suspension and so on and on
Big Car THIS is why I love your channel E.g. 7:50 the clip edited in with the Beetle parked as other cars "move past" it, all while you speak of how stagnant the car had become in comparison to the competition. I not afraid to speak for many when I say your Attention to detail doesn't go unnoticed and is appreciated.✌🏾 (Edit: spelling, auto correct)🙄
😀 Thx Paul
As a now 57 yr old UK car nut, I must say how much I like Mr Big Cars presenting skill and style.
Wow! Lots of great information and pictures that many people, including myself have never seen before. Such an iconic car, I think every automotive enthusiast should watch this video, whether they're a VW fan or not.
Great video as always!The white prototype was actually produced in Brazil with few cosmetic modifications, it was called VW 1600 "Zé do Caixão". There were a Variant and TL of it too, much like the Type 3. The Brasilia's design is based on the VW 412 wagon, they have the same elements, but were re-proportioned around in the Brasilia to fit the smaller body. If you ever desire to make a video about the Brasilia, I'd be glad to give any info I can find.
The front end of the Brasilia (and even of the 2nd generation Brasilian 1600) and the 412 is the so-called "Leiding Nose" wich at first was introduced by Rudolf Leiding with the Brasilian SP2 sportscar. Leiding was the CEO of VW do Brasil; 1971 he became the CEO of VW Wolfsburg
I learned to drive in a beetle, so I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad had a 1600, which I wrote "TURBO" on in green coloured pencil. Made it go heaps faster.
Should have used red Red makes it go faster Orc pogic
It's amazing that one of the easiest "upgrades" to the Beetle was to swap out it's engine for one from a Porsche. Turned that little car into an Autobahn rocket!
your videos are well done, entertaining and informative with tons of details that even a gearhead like me learns something new that I did not know otherwise
Thank goodness Groucho came to the rescue. You are becoming one of my favorite automotive journalists. The accent helps.
Thanks Rich!
A video about the Beetle, if it wants to be complete, should mention the Tatra V570: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_V570 as well as the Tatra 97. The Beetle is heavily rooted in the Tatra models.
Didn't Ferdinand Porsche work at Tatra for a while getting the knowhow as I also read somewhere he used Tatra as a stepping stone creating his own car.
@@VinDieselS70 I am not sure if he did work at Tatra, but he certainly admitted "looking over the shoulder of Hans Ledwinka" at times.
was just waiting for that comment
Maybe a bit like BMW that also stole their most important model from a competator?
I have 3 old beetles - love them. They should restart the old beetle. I would buy a new one in a minute.
Brilliant photos - really engaging video - thank you!
@6:41 I immediately thought of the W126 S-Class
A true legend, a real icon 😍
Just imagine how successful the Beetle could have been if it had been equipped with dodgy touchscreen controls
THat nonsense on the ID.3 spoils a fine car. I have the more staid Corsa-E with normal buttons and all I use the touchscreen is to change from the radio to Bluetooth on my phone.
I hate the video game-like designs of most new cars, as I don't want to look at the heater controls when I am driving. My daily driver, a 1984 Audi 4000 Quattro has controls that I can operate without taking my eyes off the road. Call me a Luddite, but a proper car should have three pedals, minimal electronics, rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and a base model with limited options if possible...
@@davidhollenshead4892 I really wanted to go electric and there is little or nothing with a decent range without loads of bells and whistles, that said I as never a car nut, and my EV with all it's crap is easy to drive.
My corsa has a knob with a display you turn to set the temperature, if you want to adjust the flow yes it's on the screen but you press the fan speed knob then there are three sliders which is simple
@@davidhollenshead4892 totally agree with you!
Thoroughly enjoy all your video productions - As a classic car petrol head I love these dives into motoring history, politics and economics of it all. Please, keep em coming if you can.
12:09 As you might know, the Golf was originally called the Rabbit here in the US...maybe to style it as quick on acceleration. I got a diesel Rabbit in 1980 & loved it.
Yes, I remember the VW Rabbit, I also remember people were telling me that it was called the Golf over in Europe.
The 'Type 2' or transporter was not a VW idea but came into being thanks to Ben Pon, the Dutch car dealer.
Actually there was one really successful Beetle reboot. The orange car in your background, the Porsche 911
Touche!
In America it was called the VW Rabbit
There was actually one "almost" successful reboot: The VW 1302s, it was almost modern car with modern dasboard, mcpherson suspension etc.
@@aris95 NSU taught them something then - MS suspension.. but not at the rear.
Well again....another perfect documentary. Thank you!
Doesn't matter which stuff You are wotking on, You do always great! There were even new informations for me, though knowing the Volkswagen history well.
During High School and College, I owned 5 VW Beetles. I wrecked 2, 1 with a 5 flip roll over, The other 3 I sold outright. Then, in 1974 I bought a 1970 Porsche 914-6. What a CAR !! A whole New World opened up to me. I've been driving a Porsche for the past 50+ years. I still have one today..
Great video as always, I hope you will go through fiat panda's history one day.
One day...
I must commend you on your excellent narration, along with the excellent graphics. What a winning combination of the info you present, and your unique "delivery, or presentation" of the historical information, have to subscribe!! Thank you, your passion comes through in your own unique way!!
Glad you like it Carl!
A very concise and informative video ,thanks for getting right into the subject instead of adding a lot of unnecessary fluff great job.
Audi actually was a brand within Auto Union from the very beginning, Auto Union being a consortium of four car makers (hence the four rings) from the town of Zwickau in the 1920ies: Horch, Wanderer, DKW and Audi. And Audi itself was founded by the same August Horch, who founded the car company with his name, but got booted out by the board of directors. So he translated his name Horch (German for Listen!) into Latin, becoming Audi.
@SiqueScarface. I heard a different story regarding the name "Audi". Apparently it was "Auto Union Deutschland Ingoldstadt". The Auto Union part for the group of car companies, Deutschland for Germany and Ingoldstadt for the town where the group was founded/based. Stay safe and well.
@@markmiwurdz202 This does not contradict my story, because Zwickau lies in former East Germany. Thus, after World War II, the company moved their headquarters to Ingolstadt, as Auto Union in Zwickau was socialized and renamed into IFA (Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau). This lead to the curious situation that the DKW F9, which was developed in 1940 to replace the DKW F8, appeared twice in 1950: as DKW F89 in West Germany and IFA F9 in East Germany. Interesting historical side note: Production of the IFA F9 was moved to Eisenach, where it was reshaped into the Wartburg 311 and later Wartburg 353 with different bodies, but the underpinnings were still based on the DKW F9. The DKW F89 was developed into the DKW F11/F12 and F102. Then the two stroke engine was replaced by a four-stroke, and the Audi F103 appeared.
Audi was absorbed by Auto Union after Audi was bankrupt in 1932, and the make name disapear totaly (did not built cars after), the name was only resurected by VW who choice this name to built luxury VW...
@@leneanderthalien It's a little bit more complicated. Until 1964, Auto Union was owned by Daimler-Benz, where the lineage of two stroke powered cars culminated in the DKW F102. Daimler-Benz constructed a four cylinder four stroke engine with very high compression rates (11.2:1), and at Auto Union, this engine was refined. In 1964, Volkswagen started to buy Auto Union from Daimler-Benz, a process going on until 1966. At the same time, the two stroke engine in the DKW F102 was replaced with the new high compression four stroke, turning the F102 into the F103. But as DKW since its foundation in the 1920 only released two stroke powered cars, VW sought a new name for the F103, and as Auto Union already owned the Audi brand, it released the F103 as Audi instead of a DKW.
@@SiqueScarface In a shape of the VW beetle, the DKW Meisterklasse 3=6 was rather succesfully, in fac't a nicer shape
a great outline of an icon's history!
My Dad had a '69 Fastback n i got a '66 Fastback to remind me of him. Best car i ever had ! It kept its power of acceleration in all 4gears n the sound of that engine always brought tears of joy to my eyes n memories of my Dad to my Heart! It was a time machine , which took me back to when my Dad would take me on our evening rides!🤠
8:00 reminds me of my childhood when my father was so unhappy with the '65 beetle because very often it wouldn't start. So he got a '72 Kadett which was so much better in every way. That was a good move!
Compared to modern cars, Type 1's were not safe at all. People have romantic notions of driving one daily, but that is really a very BAD idea. As to the replacements, the EA166 was the closest that came to production. This was the mid-engine car that Porsche designed for them. It had it's inline-4 laying on its side under the right rear seat, with the final drive and transmission close behind down the center. This would have been an expensive car to produce, and servicing would be a complete nightmare! They built around 20 prototypes, and all but one was crushed when the decision was made to axe the program. I read that engineers literally hid this car from management for over 20 years in order to preserve it for the museum! The eventual replacement, the Type 17 "Golf" or "Rabbit" was styled by Giugiaro, and it's underpinnings were used for the Scirocco and Jetta as well. These were good cars, very lightweight for their interior volume, but Volkswagen bought cheap steel from Russia for their construction and since they were not galvanized, they rusted like all hell! Interesting trivia side-note: The car eventually sold as the Scirocco was not the original design. The original was a rear wheel drive car designed by Porsche under contract to VW. Management pulled the plug on this program too, but Porsche knew it was going to be a winner so they paid VW for the production rights and this car became.....The Porsche 924. And eventually the 944 and 968. The 924 had 914 rear suspension, Type 17 Golf front suspension, and a FWD Audi transmission mounted at the rear.
I drove one (a 1976 standard Beetle) daily from 1996 until 2005. Never had so much as a fender-bender in it. Sold it to go on a 6-month thru-hike and I've regretted it every day since. I'd buy another one tomorrow if I could but they've got too expensive.
@@cisium1184 You were careful. If you had been in an accident, you would have been hurt way worse than if you were in a modern car. Old Beetles are nice to look at, but they really are a Sunday-morning breakfast getter and not a valid method of daily transportation.
@@Flies2FLL LOL, well I ride motorcycles exclusively now, so a Beetle is an armored car by comparison.
@@cisium1184 Hahah! B safe-
@@Flies2FLL Oh yes, always. Thanks!
I worked for a VW Dealership in 1969 and had the undignified task of driving our 'Herbie' lookalike around the streets of the UK (in dark glasses and a large hat) - as an aside I also drove the 'Type 4', which was truly one of the worst vehicles ever produced; no wonder their finances were going down the pan around that time.
I owned several Type 4 (411, 411 L, 411 LE, 412, 412 LS...) and I strongly contradict. The Type 4 is a marvellous car. For a short time I had an Opel Rekord and was glad to get my VW 411 back again.
That was cool. Comprehensive Very nice. Thanks for doing that..the experimental cars are always a bonus
Knowledgeable through great research, and beautifully presented, this is a pleasure to watch.....
Pretty much like the past few videos, very very interesting in topic approached, but failing to disclaim very important details. For instance, the EA48 (@4:53) was a very different kind of project (front engine, front wheel drive, which means the exact opposite of the Beetle, very spartan, no boot opening...). Second wrong detail: the 1960 prototype (@5:30) didn't give birth to Brasilia. First it was the source for the so-called "VW Zé do Caixão" in Brazil (which is very closely related to the Type 3), which had a Wagon version called Variant, which was then shortened and heavily restyled and then, yes, becoming the Brasilia. Third: there's nothing in common between the EA266 and the brazilian Gol. The EA266 is mid-engine rear-wheel drive, while the Gol is a chopped up Audi 80, which means front engine / front wheel drive but with longitudinal displacement (unlike most "modern" VW's like the Golf and Polo). It's two completely different packagings. Not even aesthetically they're similar.
If I remember correctly, the EA266 had a new water cooled i4 engine driving a transaxle, with the engine laid sideways under the rear seat. Crankshaft fore-and-aft. It makes sense for the next prototype to have the same fore-and-aft layout with an upright engine, at the front like the Gol prototype (and VW Passat, Audi 80, etc). Then the move to transverse engine with end-on gearbox in the now-classic fwd layout.
Please make a video about the outrageous situation between Tatra and Volkswagen (Ledwinka-Porsche).
I'm sure I'll touch on it if I make a full Beetle video.
@@BigCar2 Excellent, thanks.
Hmmm haven't they done yet "Hitler hears about Tatra..."?
when the ghia came with front disc brake,s we used to swap the front end and stick it in a beetle back in the day.
You, sir, have really outdone yourself with this video. Great job on all fronts.
you mentioned earlier opel . fun fact Opel founder Adam Opel never saw an Opel car , the company built sewing machines and bicycles and Adam thought the automobile were toys for the rich . it was the sons that eventually went into the car business and the rest is history
And 100 years later a car that is a toy for wealthy people is named after Adam - oh, the irony. 🤣🤣
However we love our Käfer , it rolls, rolls , rolls and rolls. Greetings from Germany
Käfer vs. Trabi: FIGHT! :)))
Fantastic video. I have an 1986 Beatle. It is still in pretty nice condition. It was made here in Brazil and has disc break on the front wheels.
Great job! You presented much information that was probably unknown to many beetle fans. Meanwhile, there is very little on the Type 4 story available anywhere..at least in video format. As a VW fan, I would love to learn more what transpired with that vehicle too !
That would be a fun one to do.
@@BigCar2 And the Type 3 too! My parents bought a 'Variant' estate in W Germany in 1974 when they lived there for 3 years. It came back to live in the UK later that year. I always remember after bringing the car to the UK the complicated bits of cut electrical tape my father had to stick onto the headlights, to change the direction of the high beam.
A car so "good" nothing could replace it
You mean absolute rubbish to even be bothered?
For the price you could buy it at, it was. It was also a little bigger than a nuova 500. Even then, most of Europe and Japan got around on scooters, so having any type of car was a big deal
@@charlesc.9012 No argue with price, but a Yugo was cheap as chips. Still utter shite. Cheap isn't good. Better than walking isnt good
@@nikolaikola8925 So was the 2CV and FIAT 500 Nuova by today's standards. Unlike the Yugo, it became dependable, and unlike the lada and polski 126, it was not 10 years behind the closest competition upon launch. It just makes you sound detached from reality and history as well as pretentious that you look down upon these essential mounts people rode from rural areas for a living, and many still could never afford one. You cannot even state clearly why they were bad. It is not like their dynamics and equipment levels were far behind, nor was the layout worse. Reliability was not good in the day, so it was average upon launch. Better than walking was wonderful. It meant you actually got to places in days instead of months. The Yugo was not, it spent more time on the side of the road or in pieces in a garage to make a difference
@@ryancho4871 they were very reliable even on hot climates like brasil...they were also very easy to service...for me those two matter more than anything else when choosing a car...but to each his own
What do you think of the latest beetles? I like the most recent one, I think it looks much better than the mid 2000's version. Shame that they've discontinued it in my opinion
Same here, I’d buy one with that look (Turbo:) but in 2021 it’s gotta be electric. VW, U readin this? Probably not🤪
Indeed, but it's probably far too niche when everyone wants a shite crossover these days.
Pretentious in a way the original never was.
@@mtumasz what do you think of the Ora punk cat & ballet cat ev beetle homages?
I never liked the new Beetles. Where the original was a true masterpiece of engineering that opened new markets and made the automobile accessible to those who couldn't previously dreaming of owning a car (like the Ford T did), the new ones were basically just fashionable gimmicks.
Enjoyed it!!! Love those factory shots!!! Oh man just heaven!!!
I have to say that is most interesting video I have watched in a while So many developments and you can see the golf slowly appearing 👍👍
Even the new beetle and recent beetle weren’t that successful. I just can’t rap my head why they would put engine in the front thus eliminating the only trunk they had. Simply taking a useful car and making it a eco 2door that is not at all useful. If they went back to the original layout it would be a hit!
You're right. VW screw up big time.
building a safe to drive car with a rear engine takes a massive engineering effort sometimes even lots of electronic dirving assists and dymanic suspension are required...ask porsche fans...the most logical and viable way to build a car is with the engine on the front, the same axle that has the steering, for obvious reasons... i am not saying rear engined cars are bad, no...but they cost a lot more to manufacture and it would not make sense for the new beetle...makes sense for prosche because its basically in their pedigree...
@@MrHBSoftware VW should have built the new Beetle with the engine in rear. Build it right or don't bother. They screw up period, and the sales of the pos shows.
@@MrHBSoftware Please look at the Twingo before you talk again. That's a cheap, small rear engined car, came out less than 10 years ago.
Porsche created the "nicked-it-from-tatra-and-banned-tatras-model-wagen". It's a complete knockoff of the T97. VW were almost bankrupted when Tatra sued them into the ground and won.
There were more people that claimed to have invented the car than cars that tried to replace it: Erwin Komenda, Josef Ganz, Béla Barényi, Hans Ledwinka to name a few. Some made money from it some didn't. The million that tatra got in 1961 "almost bankrupted" VW, OK that's new to me.
Mr A. Hitler removed Tatra from the Berlin autoshow
Very interesting video. Nice made, full of things I didn't know and a good narrator. Thumbs up! :) Greetings Mega
Great show as always -keep 'em coming please.
The golf never sold more than the Bug. The golf went thru several complete redesigns. The name lived, but the car changed to much to be considered a singular design.
And, by the same token, the Toyota Corolla would not have outsold the VW beetle.
The main difference between the Mini and the Beetle was that the Beetle was a design dead end. Air-cooled, rear engined, rear wheel drive v. transverse-mounted front engine and front wheel drive - the design template for small cars ever since.
Not such a dead end as you think. There's really nothing wrong with the rear engine concept, it's just unconventional. It works well in the twingo.
Or, was it a design ahead of its time? Modern ev car makers usually put the batteries in the floor pan and sometimes the motor in the back.
Well it was the template for the 911 so I would hardly say it was a design dead end.
@@wiegraf9009 Exactly. A dead end.
@@Tourist1967 Still winning races the world over and tremendously popular
I once test drove a Mexican Beetle in Michigan. I loved it. This was a good history lesson. I would still love to own an original air cooled one some day. Thanks.
2:22 Great shot. Lighting, color and angle of view are perfect.
In México, the Beetle was a success... Also, mexican gobernment prohibited new car manufacturers to come to the country, that's why between the 60's and the 90's México only had Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge
You videoes are always a treat.
Such a talented guy to produce and to edit an outstandingly remarkable First Class lesson like this. You are almost academic , you are bringing culture 👏👏👏biggest compliments from a viewer in Argentina
04:15 The home of the Automobile is not the USA but rather Germany
well yes USA is the home of "driving a car",like the netherlands is the home of cycling..even though the first bicycles were made in france and the first "normal" bicycles were made in england.
We were the home of cheap cars for everybody.
An extra thumbs up for the unexpected "Marxism" :-)
7:25 the car on the upper left was known as a VW "Squareback" and my grandmother drove one for many years. The one on the right was called a "Fastback" and my brother drove one in the 80s until it was lost in a wreck. My dad had two Beetles, a 67 and a 73 Super Beetle, which he later regretted selling as it was a fine commuter car and he always took good care of it. After he traded it in he would see it on the road in the hands of a new owner for years. I love those old air-cooled VWs, I can still remember the sound of the engine and the smell of the upholstery. I wouldn't mind owning a Squareback these days, I like the mini station wagon design.
Some words about the Beetle replacement: Golf. It was in the years when Volkswagen had purchased the NSU company. I had the chance to sit either in one of the last NSU cars, the TT model. Later I sat in one of the first VW Golf. Surprisingly the sound of the motor was very similar in both of these cars! That tells me that NSU engineers were busy to design the VW Golf.
It's just so quaint, how you britons keep saying things like "Porcher"... :)
So true. Even I as a German love hearing how he pronounces "Por-schaij" and "Wolksvägen". Brits even sound polite when they mispronounce things. 🤣
The level of good to great to now excellent from this channel is impressive. Seems to really have found the groove.
Great informative video as always Loved the pic of Ivan Hurst
He had an early career in wacky 1920s Hollywood movies. Who would have known? 😉
Great video thanks for sharing. The Beetle, the Kombi van along with the Karman Ghia and the 181 Thing are all on my dream car garage list which is funny considering my love of muscle and classic cars.
A great video. Love this channel.
You have such a talent to tell the truth stories , your vid is so envolving and i feel so nice following your pronunciation . Get my warmest compliments from Argentina, Southern America
I had 3 VWs total. 2 - Type 2 buses and a '71 standard Beetle. Almost essential engine upgrades were performed on the buses.. a relatively stock 1600 dual-port for the 1964, and a Type I 1835 cc. heavily modded stroker for the 1972 bus, which originally came with the not too popular 1.7 Porsche engine. It actually had enough horsepower to run down the interstate, and still got 24+ mpg.! The 1971 Beetle was my 'sleeper'. It got a heavily modded 2132 cc. stroker that would take down most small-block V8s of the day and was an absolute blast to drive!!😄
Great video. Very interesting. Well done research.