Adolf Hitler gave several orders and championed many radical ideologies during his dictatorial reign in Germany, and some of them resulted in the infamous Second World War. However, his reign also fostered a quick economic recovery out of the Great Depression for Germany, while a particular order he gave to Ferdinand Porsche resulted in the production of “the people’s car,” the iconic Volkswagen Type 1, informally known as the Beetle!
This is the vintage Volkswagen Beetle, designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the two-door, rear-engine economy car was produced from 1938 to 2003. It also had a huge sales success, with over 21 million units of the car sold, making it the longest-running and most-produced car from a single platform ever built. Nonetheless, the old Volkswagen Beetle isn’t without faults. Hence, in tribute, here are some things we love and some which we find unpleasant about the iconic people’s car.
10 Why We Love It – Fuel Economy
All car owners would love their cars to cover the farthest distances while consuming the least amount of fuel, all within a relatively good time as well. Bar the speed aspect, the Volkswagen Beetle was built for such.
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Specifically, Hitler had among other requests asked for “the people’s car” to be powered by an air-cooled engine with fuel consumption of around 32 mpg. To this effect, the old Beetle adopted highly economical naturally aspirated air-cooled engines built in varying displacements and power capacities.
9 Why We Love It – Affordability
Conceived as a people’s car, the old Volkswagen Beetle was intended to be a cheap and simple car, to be mass-produced for use on Germany’s newly built network of roads. And it was.
The old Beetle was among the most affordable vehicles of its era, and the affordability, as well as a host of other desirable attributes, greatly influenced its sales. Although the value of good examples keeps appreciating, they can still be bought for as low as $10,000.
8 Why We Love It – Accessible & Inexpensive Replacement Parts
Doling out huge sums for replacement parts can be quite depressing, but that has become the norm in most modern cars. Over time, due to use, car parts wear out, and for smooth operations, they must be replaced.
But this is another reason to love the legendary German vintage automobile, the Volkswagen Beetle.
The car’s replacement parts are found abundantly in parts stores, or they can even be sourced through the internet. Also, the parts are affordable, even cheap, sometimes.
7 Why We Love It – Dependability
The old Volkswagen Beetle is extremely dependable. German machine at its finest, the Beetle rarely disappoints. Since the basic point of having a car for most people is to be able to get from one point to the other with as few hassles as possible, then it makes perfect sense to adopt a Beetle for such a purpose.
An ideal daily driver, the old Volkswagen Beetle only needs routine servicing which mainly involves an oil change, tire pressure checks, and the likes.
6 Why We Love It – Easy To Repair
Most times, when prices of goods and services go up, they seldom come down. Hence, motorists are getting smarter with their car-related expenses by learning to routinely service and even fix their damaged cars by themselves. However, this can be extremely difficult with modern, highly technical, and sophisticated cars.
But not the old Beetle, anyway. Armed with a couple of appropriate tools, the old Beetle, for its simplicity, can be serviced or repaired by almost anyone with basic technical knowledge.
5 Why We Love It – Highly Customizable
Advisably, the most ideal cars for customization are old cheap examples, simple, plain, and uncomplicated accessories. As a cheap vintage car with a simple build, the old Volkswagen Beetle is a prime example of such. The car thrives in this aspect because it’s easily upgradeable and can be extensively modernized.
Notably, the old Volkswagen Beetle’s upgrade parts can be sourced online or physically from aftermarket shops, while the replacement job can even be self-done due to how easy it is to work on the car.
4 Why We Love It – Fun Car
Although it’s officially known as the Type 1, this incredible German car is informally called Beetle mainly because it’s shaped like a beetle. This shape mainly highlights the Beetle’s compactness. It has a wheelbase of 94.5 inches, length of 160 inches, and width of 60 inches.
The car’s curb weight also ranges from 1,760 to 1,850 pounds depending on the model year. Driving the Beetle is so much fun because of its compactness, and the fun is even further heightened in the cabriolet version.
3 Why It Was Horrible – Safety
The astronomical technological advancement and the resultant upgrade of the safety apparatus available in modern cars make driving in the old Beetle feel so unsafe. No airbags, no modern driver-assist features, or a dependable crumple zone.
In the event of a serious accident, the fatality could be as certain as being at the war front with no safety gear. Later models were fitted with roll-cages. While that is great, it however doesn’t give complete safety confidence.
2 Why It Was Horrible – Power
We must admit that the old Volkswagen Beetle’s speed stats was fair for its era, however, it’s extremely inadequate for the daily driving demand of the present time. The car was launched with a 25 horsepower engine that had a top speed of about 62 mph.
While power output was subsequently increased to about 60 horses in newer models, it still feels so inadequate today. Notably, a prototype diesel engine was also showcased in 1951, but it took it 60 seconds to get to 62 mph.
1 Why It Was Horrible – Versatility
Pick-Up and SUVs are currently reigning supreme in the automotive market, with SUVs being the current world’s largest automotive segment, forming a large percentage of the world’s passenger car market. Generally, motorists love these car classes because of their versatility. They offer great comfort typical of road-going passenger cars in tandem with amazing off-road capabilities.
Unfortunately, the old Volkswagen Beetle is extremely lacking in those aspects. Due to its age, the vintage Beetle doesn’t offer premium comfort, neither is it built to handle the rigors of off-roading.