Description
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German the Käfer (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, intended for five occupants (later, Beetles were restricted to four people in some countries), that was manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003. The need for a people's car (Volkswagen in German), its concept and its functional objectives were formulated by the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country's new road network (Reichsautobahn). Members of the National Socialist party, with an additional dues surcharge, were promised the first production, but the war shifted production to military vehicles instead. Lead engineer Ferdinand Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalise the design. Béla Barényi is credited with first conceiving the original design for this car in 1925, notably by Mercedes-Benz, on their website, including his original technical drawing, five years before Porsche claimed to have done his initial version. The influence on Porsche's design of other contemporary cars, such as the Tatra V570, and the work of Josef Ganz remains a subject of dispute. The result was the first Volkswagen and one of the first rear-engined cars since the Brass Era. With 21, 529, 464 produced, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made.
At Peter Vardy Heritage we have a passion for motor vehicles born out of an enduring history of three generations, spanning more than 90 years, with the Vardy name being synonymous with excellence. We offer a unique experience and pride ourselves on offering something truly special to our clients in the form of the finest selection of classic and modern classic vehicles from our immaculately presented and heated indoor showroom and our state-of-the-art workshop and body shop. We can arrange transportation across the UK or internationally. Call Our specialists Adam Harding on the details below to arrange your personal viewing, test drive, personalised video presentation or to discuss our inventory and latest arrivals.
