This is the story of Adolf's baby.The original Beetle, the real one and not the rebodied Golf, finally went out of production a few years ago. For quite a while before that, the Beetle had been built only in Mexico, though at one time it was churned out by factories all over the world.

The Beetle was Adolf Hitler's idea, as was the Autobahn system. He wanted to create a people's car, or Volkswagen, to permit mobility to all income groups. Our man Adolf specified the design parameters and price, then named it the KDF Wagen, which stands for Kraft Durch Freude Wagen, or strength through joy car. The nickname Beetle came from Mr. H. as well. He said the car should be shaped like a beetle, for good aerodynamics, have a top speed of 100 kph, seat two adults and three children, be powered by an air-cooled engine, and cost no more than the equivalent of ninety pounds sterling. Ferdinand Porsche, who was assigned to construct the car, didn't like the name but probably knew better than to argue with a murderous dictator.

The VW factory, which is now the largest automobile manufacturing plant in the world, was located near the castle of Wolfsburg. It's owner, the Earl of Schulenburg, had been thrown off his land. The first prototype was shown in 1939 and caused a sensation because of it's innovative design. Actually, the basic shape came from a Porsche design from a few years back called the Wanderer, and the independent suspension had also previously been patented by this talented designer.

Some of the best features of the Bug were that suspension, air-cooling, a sealed underbody with nothing to snag on rock and stumps, and a rear mounted engine for traction as well as passenger space. Rear engine placement works efficiently if the motor is light and has relatively low power. Oh yes, the Beetle was so well built and sealed that it could float. Slap an Evinrude on the back bumper and go fishing.

The Beetle was our family's first car. It was a green 1956, bought third hand from my uncle, who had driven it from Vancouver to Halifax for his honeymoon. Dad learned to drive in that car. Once he accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, and bumped into the back of a bus. The obvious advantage of something with only about thirty horsepower is that it takes a while to generate speed, so the impact was minor.

That Beetle carried us to all kinds of adventures, churning it's way to remote lakes and campsites, bouncing over corduroy roads and logging

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