The Nazi Idea that became a style icon

What have the iconic symbol of the free lovin’ flower power hippies and Adolf Hitler have in common? The answer lies on four wheels – the Volkswagen Beetle. The car developed from an idea by Hitler whose brief had been to create a car which would be affordable. From that idea, the Beetle became as loved by Californian surf dudes, college kids and hippies as it was desired by fervent Nazis. Herbie – the anthropomorphic star of six Hollywood movies beginning with The Love Bug in 1968 – was the same car German families had saved up for before Hitler’s invasion of Poland dashed their hopes. Ironically, in 1945, a rare and curious Volkswagen car was shipped from its bomb-damaged German factory to England. Here, a commission of leading British motor manufacturers, gave it a very damning report calling it ugly, noisy and uneconomical to produce. They were so wrong. Styled by the Austrian designer Erwin Komenda, and innovative engineering by Ferdinand Porsche, the Beetle became the best-selling car of all time. The very last Beetles were made in Mexico in 2003 by when more than 21.5 million had been built worldwide. As its name made clear, the Volkswagen was truly a ‘People’s Car’, and, although many modifications were made between 1945 and 2003, the first and last Beetles were clearly peas in the the same mechanical pod.