Was the VW Beetle the most important object of the 20th Century?

Fri, 14 Nov 2014

Few cars are as significant as the original Volkswagen Beetle. We aren't saying that because over 21 million were built, or because it was built continuously for 65 years. It's not even because it essentially did for Germany what the Ford Model T did for the United States, the Citroen 2CV did for France, the Mini did for Great Britain and the Fiat Topolino did for Italy. It's because, as explained by Xcar, the Beetle is the reason for Volkswagen as we know it.

Dating back to its birth at the hands of Ferdinand Porsche and Adolf Hitler during the inter-war period, and as Nazi Germany was on the rise, the original Beetle didn't truly catch on until after the country's defeat in World War II, when the factory was taken over by the British military. Had things gone even a little bit differently – say, if the factory been purchased by another automaker, as the Brits had intended – this would have never happened, and Xcar wouldn't be exploring the rear-engined model's history and how it relates to the New Beetle as well as the Golf-based coupe currently starring in VW's portfolio.

By Brandon Turkus