Celebratin' 90 and 100 years of the Volkswagen Bug, the world's original hot rod!

Last year marked a whole 20 years since the original VW Bug rolled off the assembly line down in Mexico back in July 2003, after a whopping 65 years in production. But did y'all know the roots of the Beetle trace back to Bea Barenyi and his concepts at Maschinenbauanstalt in Wien as early as 1925? That's nearly a hundred years ago, or it'll be a century next year, for cryin' out loud. And last year also marked 90 years since that magical moment in 1933 when ol' Ferdinand Porsche kicked off that partnership with the infamous Adolf Hitler, kickstarting the REAL German Beetle.

Some folks might reckon the VW Bug didn't hit production until after the war, but them Germans actually started some production as early as 1938. It was on a small scale, mostly for them high and mighty in Hitler's dictatorship and Nazi regime, but still, we're talkin' a few thousand of 'em. They churned out a whole bunch of military Beetles, them Kubelwagens too. Nowadays, it's only them Chinese folks still crankin' out Beetles after VW even stopped makin' the New Beetle in 2019. Them Chinese, they got these ORA Punk Cat and ORA Ballet Cat, lookin' a whole lot like them original Beetles but with a way more modern design.

Gotta mention, Ferdinand Porsche also whipped up that Porsche Type 12 in cahoots with Zundapp back in 1931. Same year, Mercedes rolled out their Mercedes Benz 120H. But it was Tatra who got the ball rollin' with their Tatra V570, which Hitler actually snatched the patent for. Truth be told, it was Tatra who birthed the Beetle, NOT Hitler.

Now, Tatra's been said to have churned out some streamlined cars back in the '20s, maybe even before. Them rides looked mighty similar to them Renaults, sportin' them rounded fronts and hoods since 'bout 1902. But regardless, you can still tear up the streets in a VW Bug, feelin' like a real hotshot, even if it ain't no Volvo Amazon or Volvo PV444/544. Slap on them gangsta caps over the windshield, caps over the headlights, and whatnot, and you're the king of the street racer scene.

The newer models from the '70s to 2003, you can style 'em up with rear window louvers and a classic radio antenna with a fox tail. And remember, according to Wikipedia, independent importers kept bringin' in them Bugs to Germany, France, Britain, and the USA right up until production ended in 2003.

Now, the last Beetles that rolled off the line mostly ended up on the market in 2004. So, hop on a plane down to Germany, snag yourself a Mexican Bug from '04, and cruise it back home, either on the Kiel Ferry or down the ol' Route 66. Now, in the USA, it weren't exactly legal to drive or import Bugs from the '80s and '90s 'cause of them strict American safety standards. But heck, there were plenty of fans over yonder importin' and drivin' 'em illegally anyhow. Americans ain't quite like us, Swedes, ain't that right? 😂 But hey, there's been plenty of cars over there across the pond that you couldn't legally drive or import, even though they're perfectly fine safety-wise. Just remember, Americans got a whole different attitude toward safety. For instance, they're still runnin' them massive snout cars from the '90s with exhaust pipes on the sides, same tech as that ol' Renault I got in a picture in this post, only worse


In them two pictures up there, you see them streamlined sketches from Bea Barenyi back in 1925, the very first Volkswagen projects. Next year, that'll be a hundred years ago.

(The first Beetle from when it went into production in 1938)

Around 1930s to early 1940s, here's a Volkswagen Bug for ya

The last line of Bugs rollin' outta the factory in Mexico 'round 2003-2004.


The factory down in Nigeria, 'round about 1975.

Straight from a ad about them VW Bugs made down in Nigeria between 1975 and 1987.

The final Volkswagen Fusca (Bug) from the factory in Brazil in 1986 before production fired back up again between 1993 and 1996.

Above, one of the last German Bugs from the late 1970s. In Norway, sales ceased early in the 1970s

Volkswagen Fusca from Brazil.

A Renault with a streamlined front, Renault had the same design as Tatra just before. Tatra built what was ACTUALLY the Beetle.

The Mercedes 120H, this was also a sort of predecessor to the Bug.

Porsche Type 12, Ferdinand Porsche's own project alongside Zundapp.

With a rear window louvre like that, you can pimp out your modern Bug from the '70s to 2004.

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