Germany is a country with a great love of the automobile. When many people think of the Volkswagen Beetle, they think of the flower power generation, of bright groovy colors, and the 1960’s, but the basic design dates back to the 1930’s. If you consider Doctor Ferdinand Porsche was inspired by other manufacturers of rear engine rear wheel drive cars of that time, then we begin to fathom the deep history behind people’s car.
In 1933, a persistent leader recognized the need for a working class car, and hence with the help of Doctor Porsche the Beetle Type 1 sedan was born. The basic design has barely changed from about 1960. Yes some redesigns occurred but the basic shape of the car with the rear engine placement and engine air-cooling barely changed at all.
Today we found a very early example of a Volkswagen Beetle model commonly known as a “split window” due to its rear window being divided into two halves. This Beetle was actually less about the flower power generation, and more about the German politics of the period.
This early example of the Beetle shows the humble beginnings Volkswagen truly had at the end of WWII. For some people this would be THE Beetle to own due to its age and wonderful condition.
While we cannot pretend to know what percentage of the parts of this 1952 Volkswagen Beetle are original, or even close to original, what we do know is that this Beetle has a very authentic period-correct look going for it. It is not overly restored, but very correctly restored, to the casual observer. While later Beetles might have brighter colors schemes, more chrome, or different body panels, it is very cool to see where they got their start in this early example of the model.
