Volkswagen Beetle

The Beetle was a subcompact car introduced in the 1940s by Ferdinand Porsche. It was created for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler as a vehicle which everyone could afford. The name "Volkswagen" is German for "People's Car". It was such a success it was eventually brought to the United States, where it became popular amongst college students. A more powerful "Super Beetle" was also available. The car was nicknamed the "Beetle" due to its resemblance to the insect. A convertible was also available. The Beetle became so popular a Disney comedy movie entitled The Love Bug was made which featured a mind of its own competing successfully in motorsport. The film was such a success that sequels were made: Herbie Goes Bananas and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, the latter having him compete at the famous Monte Carlo Rally in the principality of Monaco in Europe. In the first film, some scenes were shot at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. Decades later, a new Herbie movie was filmed entitled Herbie Rides Again. It was critically panned, and received much criticism from fans as well. In the original Transformers cartoon, the Autobot Bumblebee transforms into a Beetle. The Beetle competed in the under two liter category of the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-American Sedan Championship. In the late nineties, Volkswagen introduced the New Beetle model. Main criticisms of this model included it not being as bare bones as the original model, the fact that it was larger than the original, and the fact that it was front engined instead of the original rear engined model. A later criticism was the fact that the New Beetle name was kept for several years, with some claiming the "New" in its name had become necessary. It was eventually dropped. The New Beetle is today used in spec racing. A Beetle is featured on the album cover of the Beatles album Abbey Road. A Beetle engine was used for the Italian-designed Karmann-Ghia sports coupe.