9781422278208

VOLKSWAGEN

economical, and spartan in appointments and comfort; still, it was equally reliable to the Mercedes. Porsche wanted a rear-engine vehicle because he sought to eliminate the long driveshaft but also to maintain a safe weight distribution. To keep the car light, he had Kales develop an air-cooled engine constructed of aluminum and magnesium castings. The early efforts resulted in a water-cooled 1.2-liter five-cylinder radial engine. The car was dubbed Volksauto (people’s car). The duty of actual construction was left to a motorcycle manufacturing company called Zundapp. The car was test driven in 1932. Zundapp had agreed to begin production but motorcycle demand in Germany was so high that it abandoned plans to concentrate solely on the two-wheelers. Porsche now found himself looking for another builder. He went to NSU, which would help him create the flat-four boxer engine. Adolf Hitler assumed power in Germany in 1933, and on January 14, 1934, Porsche submitted a proposal for a “people’s car” to the new German Reich government. An agreement was signed between Porsche and the Reichsverband der Automobilindustrie (RDA), with an budget of 20,000 Reichsmark per month. The RDA, however, didn’t exactly embrace Porsche’s vision of a car for the work­ ing stiff. RDA’s interests were in luxury cars. As a consequence, it didn’t provide much support for Porsche’s new car. Hitler himself was eager to get the car pro­ duced so the RDA was put in a position to help Porsche whether RDA liked it or not. Porsche was under RDA orders to produce a car with a wheelbase of less than 100 inches and a 26-horsepower engine that could hit a top speed of 60 mph and get a minimum of 50 miles per gallon of gasoline. All this for a retail price tag of 1,500 Reichsmark for the buyer. Hitler demanded a car that required minimal maintenance or repair, could seat four or five people, and that the engine be air-cooled. Porsche had refused to construct his

Daimler-Benz was brought in to help build the VW3 and later the VW30 prototypes. This VW30 prototype had its headlamps moved to the fenders. The distinct fastback also emerged with this model. Doors were still hinged at the rear, but the VW30’s rear quarter panel windows were enlarged considerably from the VW3 prototype.

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