by Miguel Polanco-Plata

Created on: April 26, 2009

It is strange how a car created several decades ago could create such a dent in our society's history and culture. The beetle was intended originally to be an inexpensive car for the German people. A car for the people hence came its name Volkswagen, which roughly translates into the people's wagon. The order was given to Ferdinand Porsche in1933 to create a car that was small and could lug around two adults and three children. I am fairly certain that when Ferdinand Porsche first received the order to create a small, fuel efficient and most likely disposable car he never in his wildest dreams could have imagined that his creation would out live him. The production of the beetle was delayed due to the war, so instead of the cars being produced for use by the people its first task was in the efforts of the war. Since then the beetle has become a tremendous part of our culture; in just about every movie you watch that reflects the 60's or 70's there is a beetle. The first introduction of the beetle into the U.S was in 1949, and in 1968 we went from seeing a small beetle on the streets to seeing it on the big screen. Walt Disney's inspired Love Bug series made many people bug lovers no wonder the film was the highest grossing film of 1969. Herbie was a rag top beetle that inspired people to not give up on themselves just because they might not look as well equipped as the other guy. The beetle since its introduction has become a favorite car of many enthusiasts, the engine is very simple with an oil cooler in place of a radiator to cool the car hence the engines name; type 1 air cooled. It is also a very small and not complex engine for anyone not to engine savvy. Today you may not see as many as you would have in the 60's or 70's but the little bug certainly has kept its self alive through the last 60 years. The beetles of today reflect their owners, many people will do complete restorations leaving the engines stock with not even enough power to reach speeds of 75mph and some have taken the small beetle into new extremes with such modifications that the small buggy will lift its front end completely off the ground. Many cars today we see as a part of our history like the Classic Mustangs or Cameros, but the car does not need to be American made to be a classic or part of our history, it only needs to have people who still admire it and consider it a reminder of a time they might have had. I know that my 65 beelte it as much as part of my history as it will be when it is passed down to my son. History is written by those who care enough about something to keep its memory alive long after thier own time has passed.

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