Why was the Beetle loved so much?

The Beetle was probably one of the most iconic cars in automotive history, no car before or since has been loved by so many but why is that?

Love it or loathe it, the original Volkswagen Beetle is probably the most remembered car of all time. It holds the record as the most produced car of any single platform with more than 21 million cars sold worldwide. Though the Beetle may sport cute and friendly styling, it was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler, ruler of Nazi Germany.

Hitler wanted a “People’s car”, a car that was relatively affordable and easy to maintain in order to mobilise the German people. In 1934, Hitler commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to build the car. The criteria was simple, the car had to be affordable, reliable, easy to fix and fit two adults and three children.

After several prototypes and with production being hampered by the war, VW only began mass production of the little Beetle from 1945 onwards. The final car looked very different from the early prototypes and featured rounder and far more curvaceous rear fenders. What was relatively similar however was the flat four-cylinder air-cooled engine. Producing just 25bhp from its 1.0-litre engine, the Beetle was neither fast nor nimble.

But the appeal of the car wasn’t in the performance, though later iterations came with 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5-litre engines, rather it was the uniqueness of its looks and ease of maintenance. To keep the car relatively compact, torsion beams were used in the suspension instead of coil or leaf springs. This made it relatively robust and sturdy regardless of how much abuse was hurled at it.

Later models didn’t come with the two-piece rear glass but with a single piece one. They were also wider and more rounded and featured a single block metal bumper, thus purists found them less appealing. There were even special edition versions such as the 1303S, which was built in limited numbers and went on to be a collector’s item.

The Beetle name was popular in America while in other markets such as the UK; it was marketed as the Type 1. Believe it or not despite its age and relatively out-dated technology, the car continued to be manufactured in places like Mexico till the 2003, the longest running production of any make and model.

The reason for this was that it was cheap to run, mechanically simple and unlike most other cars, the Beetle wasn’t physically threatening meaning it appealed to both men and women. Just like the Mini, it became an extension of one’s own personality. It is said that no two bugs are a like; this is because owners customised them to their individual tastes.

There are the relatively stock versions, the chic ones, over the top customised ones and even drag racers that could cover the length of a drag strip in less than 10 seconds. It was so popular at one point that the car even starred in movies such as The Love Bug and Herbie goes to Monte Carlo.

With the exception of cars like the Ford Mustang, there was no other car before or since that caused such a stir, cherished by many and built a cult status the way the Beetle has. Though VW tried to replicate the success with the New Beetle, it was nothing more than a restyled mk4 Volkswagen Golf. It didn’t have the originality and quirkiness of the original. So why was the original loved so much? It mobilised a generation, was a cheap mode of transportation and just looked unique.