Owning and Running a classic Volkswagen VW Beetle or Bug

Aug. 8, 2009 - PRLog -- VW Beetle – The History

Volkswagen Beetle was first introduced in the market in 1938. The German company branded this car as the economy car and it was also referred as Type 1 and Bug. It was only after 1967; Volkswagen started using the name Beetle to market the car. Before that period, the car was marketed as Type 1, 1200, 1300, or 1500. The different numbers were the indications of the power of the engines in cubic centimeters.

The model of Volkswagen Beetle that came out in 1967 has certain changes from the earlier versions. Though the size of the vehicle was not increased but several components definitely got bigger. For instance, the size of the engine got enhanced, old 6-volt system was upgraded to 12-volt system, electrical generator output increased from 180 watts to 360 watts, clutch disk became bigger, etc. Apart from that, there were other significant changes in the braking system, rear axles and the flywheel.

Though the Volkswagen Bug or Beetle has been extensively reviled for its rough ride experience, feeble power, high noise levels, and styling. In spite of that, Beetle was the longest and most manufactured car for a single design.

The "Beetle" or "Bug" whichever you wish to call it also played a roll in the military. In 1935 prototypes of the Kdf-Wagen appeared. The first prototypes were produced by Daimlet-Benz, based in Stuttgart, Germany. Few numbers of cars were manufactured with air-cooled engine, odd round shape and rear-mounted appearance. Among the first few versions of Beetles such as the Kubelwagen and the Schwimmwagen were used for the military purposes at the time of war in 1939.

In 1998, a new version of the car came out in the market and it looked quite similar to that the classic model. In this new model, the engine was placed in the car’s frontal portion and it was a water cooled engine. This version was very famous and it was featured in numerous pop videos and movies.

This vehicle by Volkswagen existed for many years and finally began to phase out in 2003. At that time, the annual production was just 30,000, which was a massive drop from the peak figures of 1.3 million that the company registered in 1971. The last Beetle that was produced by the company has now found a place in the company museum of VW in Wolfsburg, Germany.

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