The Cult
Like its competitors, the Mini and the Citroën 2CV, the original-shape Beetle long outlasted predictions of its lifespan. This so called beetle has many different names.
Volkswagen Beetle, Fusca, Volky, Coccinelle, Volkswagen Bug, Käfer, Vocho, Pulga, Garbus.
It maintains a very strong following worldwide, being regarded as something of a “cult” car owing to its 1960s association with the hippie movement. Currently, there is a wide array of clubs that are concerned with the Beetle. The fans are quite diverse. Looks include the resto-look, Cal Look, German-look, resto-Cal Look, buggies, Baja bugs, old school, ratlook, etc. Part of their cult status is attributed to being one of a few cars with an air-cooled, horizontally-opposed engine design and the consequent ease of repair and modification as opposed to the more conventional and technically complex watercooled engine design. The original design flat-four boxer design had less than 200 moving parts.
In the late 1990s, a group of Volkswagen enthusiasts formed Volkswagenism, a satirical religion based off of owners devoted loyalty to the Beetle, and the company. Under the leadership of founder Jason Gaudet, this “religion” has gained notariety through radio, television and print coverage from around the world…turning ordinary fans of the car into Volkswagenists.
By 2002, over 21 million Type 1’s had been produced.
On July 30, 2003, the last Type 1 rolled off the production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. It was car number 21,529,464, and was immediately shipped off to the company’s museum in Wolfsburg, Germany. In true Mexican fashion, a mariachi band serenaded the last car in the 68-year-old history. The last car was nicknamed El Rey, which is Spanish for “The King”. The last 3000 type 1’s were called the “Ultima Edicion” or the last edition.
( The Last Type 1 Beetle ever produce)
In the winter, a group of drivers of the “split window” bus model (1951-1967 Microbuses, trucks, campers, and panel vans) drive from Guerneville, CA, to Mt. Shasta CA, entirely on unpaved jeep roads. This event is called the “Mt. Shasta Snow Trip Challenge” and is a good example of VW enthusiasts’ trust in the durability of their 40-plus-year-old cars.
Beetle Shed skin too..
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 19th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Info, Journey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
