9781422278208

VOLKSWAGEN

aerodynamic styling and planted fins on his cars. This began a fin frenzy during the second half of the 1950s that reached its pinnacle with the Earl’s ’59 Cadillac. These rolling behemoths were heavy, guzzled gallons of gasoline, and were one pain in the neck to park and maintain. Brakes were subpar and handling was sluggish. Yet there was not much of a hue and cry for anything different. The Harley Earls of Detroit decided what the public should drive and there wasn’t much point in debating the issue. Volkswagen’s American debut in 1949 certainly didn’t change matters. After all, General Motors toyed with the idea of building a small, economical car with its Cadet. But it rejected the plan because it was not cost effective. VW sold just two Beetles in ’49, so there weren’t a whole lot of folks beating down dealers’ doors for an alternative to Detroit’s offerings. The bug then was an anomaly in a sea of whales on the American roadway. Rather, Volkswagen began selling cars in the United States for different reasons. Yes, it was economical, with horsepower from its four-cylinder rear-mounted air-cooled engine ranging from 25 to 30. It got twenty-plus miles to the gallon; a Buick Roadmaster was lucky to get ten. And it was quick and nimble. But then that could be had in a much more stylish import like Jaguar, MG, or Triumph. What set the Volkswagen apart from the rest of the field was its homely looks. Its rounded fenders, running boards, and rear split window gave it a prewar look. It certainly could not be called pretty by postwar U.S. standards. But this was the very thing that attracted buyers. The Volkswagen soon became a symbol of the intellectual elite. College professors and graduate students started driving them around town. Beat generation bohemians saw it as a vehicle that allowed them to thumb their noses at the complacent largess of American society. By 1957 there were more than two hundred thousand VWs on the road. It was becoming less of a novelty and more of a practical means to get around. A year later a severe

The panel van, which was sometimes decorated by owners with psychedelic images, was a popular seller.

This is the 1964 model.

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