The Beetle a brief history.
In April 1934, a design company owned by Ferdinand Porsche was given the task (by Hitler) of designing the "Peoples Car". The designs were finalized in 1938, and the Volkswagen was ready for production in the following year. But unfortunately, the 2nd World War stopped this production.
Below is the spec from Hitler's original brief:
It must have a top speed of 62 mph, achieve 40+ mpg, have 5 seats, be air cooled and must cost no more than $200.
At the design stage, for economy reasons the rear-engine design was chosen as this was less expensive to produce than a conventional front-engine design.
Initially the car, known as the Type 60 had several experimental engine types but F.Porsche chose the famous flat four cylinder engine.
The rest is history. A legend was born, and the same design engine powered the Volkswagen Beetle for over 60 years!
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