In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first "people's car" — ordered on June 22, 1934 — the Porsche Museum will display two rare prototypes of the Volkswagen Beetle. The exhibit will trace Ferdinand Porsche's history in creating seven different small cars for various manufacturers in the early 1930s, followed by the first "Study for the Production of a Germany People's Car" presented to the then Reich Ministry of Transport in January 1934, leading to the order to build it. The history of Beetle prototype development and the first VW factory in prewar Germany will be celebrated — although, as is well known, World War II meant that production didn't start until 1945.
The special exhibition will feature original pictures from the Porsche archives. The cars on display will be a prewar Beetle prototype, number VW38, which was used personally by Ferdinand Porsche, and an early-1950s diesel-powered Beetle prototype. The exhibit will open on June 22 and close July 31.
Inside Line says: The subject of who ordered the prototypes is delicate, but there's no denying that the VW Beetle looms large in German and automotive history. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
Add A Comment »