9781422278208

C H A P T E R O N E

THE BEETLE

I t stands to reason that the Volkswagen Beetle’s roots should be found in humble begin­ nings. Yet its history is steeped in luxury and high-performance engineering. The bug is perhaps best described as the offspring of some of the greatest feats performed by Mercedes-Benz and another rear-engine trailblazer, the Porsche. To understand the success of the Volkswagen Beetle as well as its infamous link to Nazi Germany, one must understand the vision its makers saw as early as 1930. Simply put, it was a car that was to serve the masses. Porsche Ferdinand Porsche, whose name would become synonymous with wealth and full-throttle power, cut his engineering teeth working in his family’s metalsmith shop as a teenager. Early in his life he displayed an aptitude for building things. He developed a full electrical system for his family home, then an electric motor—both before the turn of the century. In 1900, he developed an electric automobile. The lure of aviation in its early days was strong. Porsche abandoned the development of electric cars in 1907 and switched to aviation engines. Perhaps his most successful project was the Austro-Daimler aviation engine. In 1912 he designed an air-cooled 90-horsepower aviation engine that served as the blueprint for the Volkswagen rear-mounted engine which would service VWs well into the 1980s. Porsche’s success with the aviation engine earned him directorship of Austro-Daimler in Stuttgart. He then turned his attention again to automobiles, developing six-cylinder models. Early in his tenure as director Porsche developed the K Series Mercedes-Benz, which attracted wide attention from the motoring public. It was a brutish 6-liter model that developed 110-horsepower at normal speeds. It could kick up to 160-horsepower when the kompressor was punched to engage the supercharger. The K Series was the first supercharged Mercedes-Benz and would set the stage for some of the most innovative machines to compete in auto racing. At the dawn of the 1930s, Porsche founded his own design firm, Porsche Buro, selecting the best men from Austro-Daimler and other companies to form his team. He brought in Austro-Daimler alumnus engineer Karl Rabe and engineer Joseph Kales and designer Erwin Komenda. Also joining Porsche was his son, Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche, Jr. Porsche’s new company was named Dr.-Ing. h.c. Ferdinand Porsche GmbH. The Prototypes By 1931, the seeds of the Volkswagen Beetle were planted. The team designed a saloon with a streamlined body, pontoon-type fenders, fully independent suspension, and an engine mounted in the rear. It was the antithesis of the Mercedes-Benz. It was small,

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