Volkswagen’s Beetle Has Almost 90 Years of History and Timeless Appeal

Anyone who grew up in the latter half of the 20th century understands the social and cultural impact made by Volkswagen’s Type 1, built from 1938 to 2003, and first marketed as the Beetle in 1968. It was the subject of arguably the most famous automotive print ad campaign in history: “Lemon” and “Think small,” created by Julian Koenig and art director Helmut Krone at DDB. It starred and triumphed as Herbie in the original Disney film Love Bug, and importantly, enjoyed a 65-year lifespan.

During that time, 21,529,464 examples were produced, more than any other automotive nameplate except the Toyota Corolla, which was built on many unrelated platforms as a Corolla in name only. The VW Type 1, on the other hand, barely changed its appearance over time.

The Type 1 was born around 1935, when Ferdinand Porsche was hired by his then boss, infamous dictator Adolf Hitler, to build a “People’s Car.” Although Herr Porsche gets the credit today, the fundamental design concept goes back to 1925, and can be attributed to Hungarian engineer Béla Barényi. After the war, the Allies commandeered Volkswagen production and got the show back on the road in 1945. Soon, the Wolfsburg plant in northern Germany was humming.

The 1950s saw the Type 1 spread globally, especially swarming roads in the United States during the 1960s. By 1972, Beetle production surpassed that of the Ford Model T, with more than 15,000,000 units made. In 1978, production in Germany ceased, as Volkswagen moved on to the Golf and other modern FWD models. But the indefatigable Type 1 continued to multiply in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Nigeria until the last Beetle was hatched in 2003.

By the early 1990s, all but the earliest Beetles were regarded as throw-away utensils—the plastic spork of cars—long before recycling was a concept. And suddenly, like the passenger pigeon, they vanished. But unlike those taxidermy specimens, collectors can still enjoy a living, breathing VW Beetle today. In a Beetle, there is a lot to love, and little to worry about.  

The earliest cars had a 1,131 cc flat-four engine that made 25 hp, barely sufficient to let the 1,700-pound pipsqueak keep up in the right lane of the Autobahn. These featured the original “pretzel” rear window, an oval porthole with a horizontal split division between two panes, which gave way to a single oval backlight in 1954. By that time, the car eked out 30 hp from its 1,200 cc engine. In 1958, a much larger rear window gave view to impatient motorists arears, and carried through to the end of production. A curved windshield replaced the flat front pane in 1973. While most Type 1 examples are coupes, a convertible was available from the beginning, and these generally command a premium across the board.

Values, like the cars themselves, are all over the map, and today an early oval-window car can ascend well above $150,000 in concours condition, with a car in good condition worth $35,000 or more. Yet such has only recently been the case. The fact that the many used Beetles were so inexpensive for so long made them not just bargain-basement transportation, but a subject ripe for customization. Everything from Porsche-engine swaps to dune buggy and Meyer’s Manx transformations resulted in a couple of decades of audacious experimentation.

The Super Beetle, called the 1301, alighted in 1971 with a 60 hp, 1,585 cc engine. It was marginally larger, more powerful, and better equipped than its predecessors. With its easily distinguished MacPherson front suspension—replacing the original torsion bar setup—and a curved windshield (the latter introduced in 1973), a Super Beetle is a good choice for collectors who want to use their bug regularly. Values range from about $10,000 for a coupe in good condition to $50,000 for a concours-quality Super Beetle convertible, last made in 1979.

More serious collectors may prefer waddling to the local Cars & Coffee with an earlier VW, recalling a kinder, gentler, and far slower-paced time than our present age. Through the decades, the Volkswagen Type 1 has soldiered on, proving itself to be an authentic, capable, and quality design so right from the beginning that it has earned its place—along with the Ford Model T—as one of the two most important automobiles in history.

Click here for more photos of this 1968 Volkswagen Beetle.