Hundreds of Volkswagens are on display today at the corner of Madras and Gloucester Streets, as part of the VW 2019 Nationals. There are Beetles of every vintage, some beautifully shiny, others a little shabby.
Bevy of Beetles
I was surprised to find the yellow one in the front of the photo belongs to someone I know, but he didn’t appear to be around. I think it’s a 1974 model. It has a new engine, and is for sale at $16,000. Many Combis were there too:
Collection of Combis
I’ve never had much to do with VWs although a close friend had one from new for forty years, until someone ran into it and it was written off (she was okay).
These cars were originally made by a Nazi company, and it was Hitler’s pet project to develop and produce an affordable yet still speedy vehicle that could sell for less than 1,000 Reich marks (about $US 140 at the time). After the war ended, the Allies made Volkswagen the focus of their attempts to resuscitate the German auto industry.
Volkswagen sales in the United States were initially slower than in other parts of the world, due to the car’s historic Nazi connections as well as its small size and unusual rounded shape. In 1959, an advertising agency launched a campaign, dubbing the car the “Beetle” and promoting its diminutive size as an advantage to consumers. In 1972 the Beetle surpassed the longstanding worldwide production record of 15 million vehicles, set by Ford Motor Company’s legendary Model T between 1908 and 1927.
The small and compact people’s car
has been adopted wide and far.
Ruth's Reflections 