We all know the Volkswagen Beetle. When I see one, I want to punch someone and yell “Punch buggy, no punch backs!” I don’t of course, that would be weird.

But I want to.

The Icon

This pint-sized vehicle has left an impressive dent in the body of the automotive industry. Cast as Herby the Love Bug; transformed into an iconic art car by cartists in the 60s and 70s; the first rear-engine car; and longest standing economy car of the 30s (so basically in the history of the automotive industry). We’ll be telling our grandchildren about how, before the smart car, we had the Beetle.

The History

This is going to be hard to take if you don’t already know… Hitler was instrumental in starting Volkswagen. He wanted a vehicle that would be cheap, simple and easy to drive on German roads. This would be a people’s car – hence the name. Volks means people and wagen is car.

Working with Porsche, Hitler described the Beetle. And Porsche made it come alive. Now, it’s in its third re-launch of the brand.

The Beetle’s look hasn’t changed much since it was first designed in the 30s, though it has been “upgraded” over 78,000 times. Tiny upgrades that make it more comfortable and modern – like a sun roof and Park Pilot (that thing that beeps when you’re in reverse and close to an object). Not that you’ll -need it, really. But it still looks the same. Which is detrimental to the shoulder of anyone near me when I see one.