VW Vintage Cars

 VW vintage cars produced during the 1950s played an enormous part in Germany’s post-war economic reconstruction.

The image people have typically of the VW – an abbreviation for Volkswagen - is the famous “Beetle.”

This car, officially designated by its makers as Volkswagen Type 1, was first constructed in 1938 during the Nazi era.

However, VW and the Beetle survived the hostilities and by the early 1950s were looking to make inroads on the North American market.

By the early 50s VW expanded their range to Beetle convertibles, which included the Hebmuller Cabriolet. Production was hit by a fire at the Hebmuller factory and the numbers built numbered only hundreds – VW put the number at just under 700. A few have survived to this day and this vintage VW car is much sought after by enthusiasts.

Technical improvements in the VWs of the early 1950s included a hydraulic brake system exclusively for the export market, and a heat-riser. 1950 also saw a sedan with sunroof added to the range.

The Beetle design had basically remained unchanged since 1938, but in 1953 the split oval rear window was replaced by a single pane of glass. 1953 also saw synchromesh on all gears except first.

Image by Stahlkocher and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The dashboard of the VW Beetle DeLuxe model was also given a new look with an ashtray, glove door box and central radio grille. The speedometer was placed in front of the driver. Externally, there were two rear brake lights added.

Despite post-war criticism from Henry Ford, and the United Kingdom’s reluctance to seize the company as war reparations because no British company wanted Volkswagen cars, the VW vintage cars were faring well by the mid-50s.

By 1956 the millionth VW had rolled off the assembly lines and vehicles were being exported to 80 countries. VW exports had been going so well that in 1955 Volkswagen United States was opened in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
 
The Beetle has become something of an icon representing vintage VW cars. But the Beetle was not the only design produced by the German car manufacturer during the 1950s. The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was launched in 1954, and continued to be produced for the next twenty years.

Photo by Infrogmation licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.

Originally developed as a coupe, the Karmann Ghia was developed to appeal to an increasingly affluent motoring public. The car was manufactured by Karmann – a German coach builder, and the styling was performed by Ghia – hence the name of the model. The Karmann Ghia was presented to the world at the Paris Motor show in 1953. By 1957 a convertible was added to the range.

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