The Beetle: A Timeless Icon

A Volkswagen Beetle is an extraordinarily fun car to own. If you own one or have ever been in one, you'll know what I mean. Being so unique, there are few cars on the road quite like a Beetle. But owning a Beetle is more than that. Owning a Beetle is owning a piece of history. It is such a worldwide car and so influential that chances are you either have owned, do own, or know someone who owns or had a Beetle. Everyone everywhere knows of the Beetle. It's a car so different and iconic that just the idea of it will long outlive other cars. It's gone through many phases and for years the design remained the same because it just worked. This easily recognizable car was designed by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930's and was marketed as a "People's Car" which is what the translation of "Volkswagen" is. As the "People's Car," the Beetle was designed to be affordable and reliable. It was originally designed as a war vehicle and had been ordered to be produced in 1933 by Adolf Hitler giving the orders to Porsche. However, in the 50's after going through a few minor design changes to make it more fit for consumers, it started being shipped out to different countries. In the 60's is when the car began to become a "cult icon" and was an influential part of the hippy movement and surf culture in the US. Later, it went on to be an influence in the hollywood movie industry being featured in the "Herbie" movies as well as making appearances in others like "Transformers." Beetles were produced until 2003, when production stopped after 21,529,464 had been made. That's quite a long production run considering how little the design has changed. I wonder if Ferdinand Porsche had any idea of the influence and impact this car would make in the world at the time he was designing it?