VW Beetle: books - history, models and technology (3/4)

VW Beetle (1935-1967) - Brooklands Gold Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the VW Beetle models from the years 1935-1967. Describes the Volkswagen Beetle 1131 cc, 1200, 1300, 1500 and Cabriolet.

• The articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

Click here to know more about the Brooklands Portfolio books

The First Beetle : Resurrecting a 1938 Prototype

It is a little miracle on four wheels, discovered on a field in Eastern Europe by two of the most competent collectors of air-cooled Volkswagens: The 38 split window Beetle is one of three surviving prototypes of the VW 38, later also known as the KdF (Kraft durch Freude) car. The find is a sensation and electrifies the Beetle scene.

Today, the first "Splitty" Beetle is owned by VW restorers Traugott and Christian Grundmann. With incredible attention to detail and a brilliant support team, they breathe life back into the automotive fossil. When father and son first set eyes on it, the car was quietly rotting away on a field in the Lithuanian town of Vilnius.
Now the vehicle with the chassis number 3806 is as black and shiny as it was more than 70 years ago. It is the pride and joy of the Grundmann collection.
With his camera, photographer and VW fanatic Axel Struwe accompanied the project from day one. His photos impressively document the rebirth of a legend.

Renowned motoring journalist Clauspeter Becker also set out to trace the story of the first split window Beetle. His texts not only tell the story of this hand-built prototype designed by Ferdinand Porsche, but also describe the extraordinary challenges that came with its restoration.

VW Beetle Specification Guide 1949-1967

The VW Beetle is one of the best-loved of all classic cars, with many thousands preserved across the world, many in regular use. Over the years countless changes were introduced, together making a mid sixties Beetle, for instance, very different from one built in the mid-50s, or mid-70s, despite the obvious similarities.

With the aid of hundreds of full colour photographs this new edition in paperback documents all the Beetle's specification changes and model differences during the classic period 1949-67, making it possible to determine the original specification and fittings of any Beetle from this period.

VW Beetle - The Golden Years 1949-1968

In this highly readable and informative book, VW expert Richard Copping tells the inside story of one of the world's most popular cars.

Drawing on his unique experience as an author of many VW books, the writer reveals the secrets of the VW Beetle's success. Not only was the concept of a cheap but reliable mass-produced car a sound one, but the fact that the car was subjected to continuous improvement rather than radical change meant the Beetle soon became an icon.

Richard Copping also analyses the successful marketing techniques that spread Beetle manufacture and popularity around the world, including countries as far afield as Brazil, South Africa and Australia.
Under the leadership of the ingenious Heinz Nordhoff, Volkswagen also ensured that manufacture of the Beetle was fast, efficient and profitable. In the United States in particular, the Beetle was the beneficiary of highly successful advertising campaigns that sealed its reputation as a must-have cult icon, alongside the popular VW Transporter.

Accompanied by contemporary colour illustrations, this book is a fascinating journey through the development of an automotive phenomenon.

VW Beetle Specification Guide 1968-1980

By the late 1960s the Beetle had enjoyed over twenty years of continuous production, dominated its home market and conquered export markets all around the world. Volkswagen's policy of constant improvement and refinement to a single model appeared to be vindicated.
The 1968 model introduced many significant changes to the car, and it became inevitable that a replacement for the venerable Beetle would have to be developed.

This book charts the closing years of the Beetle's production life in Germany; from the revamped 1968 model to the 1302, 1303, the Cabriolet, and the various Specials produced later.
Topics covered include a full history 1968-1980, a comprehensive production survey, specification and detail changes by model year [August 1967 to January 1980], engine options, factory fitted optional equipment, paint and trim colours, special and export editions plus the Karmann Cabriolet.

VW Beetle (1968-1991) - Brooklands Gold Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the VW Beetle models from the years 1968-1991. Describes the Volkswagen Beetle 1300, 1500, 1600, Super and Cabriolet.

• The 47 articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

Click here to know more about the Brooklands Portfolio books

Volkswagen Beetle : A Celebration of the World's Most Popular Car

Created through the ingenuity of Ferdinand Porsche, brought to the brink of series production by Hitler's Nazis and rescued from oblivion by the British after the war, the Beetle soon developed into a phenomenon under the guardianship of Heinz Nordhoff, the VW boss for two decades.

Overwhelmingly successful in over 150 countries across the world, most notably in the USA; when the car finally fell from grace in Europe after Nordhoff's death, it was destined to enjoy a revitalised and lengthy swansong in South America. The legendary Beetle's intriguing story is unravelled in this fascinating and handsome book.

Classic Beetle - A VW Celebration

The specially commissioned photographs in this book display each Beetle variant model in their full glory. From the military vehicles of the 1930s through the post-WWII cars, up to and including the final German-built model of 1979, this book offers a loving tribute to the car in sumptuous detail.
The beautifully restored and kept cars of each decade are displayed across several double page spreads.

Parts of each model are shown in close-up, compared and explained using studio photographs of each model's steering wheels, indicators, engine bays and other aspects of design and function.
The history of the Beetle is illustrated using contemporary archive photography, and attention is given to the cultural impact of the Beetle as shown through movies (such as the Herbie franchise), advertising and graphic design.

This large format, fully illustrated book presents the Beetle as an object of art, albeit one that starts every time and will run forever on reused cooking oil, with a little modification.

The VW Beetle Story

The KdF car, a German acronym for Strength Through Joy, was conceived by Adolf Hitler's Third Reich as a true German 'people's car'. There is precious little in the legacy of 1930s Nazi Germany that is positive, but after the Second World war - and with a little help from the British - the Volks Wagen really did help put the average man on the road in a car, designed by the great Ferdinand Porsche, that was reliable and well-built.
First it set benchmarks for customer satisfaction across Europe, and sales soared. Then it arrived in North America and the slope-backed, rear-engined economy car became a cult hit.

By the time the very last original Beetle was built in 2003, over 21m had been built, making it by a long chalk the best-selling single car model of all time.
Although its concept is dated by modern standards, the Beetle magic is undimmed, which is why Volkswagen introduced an all-new, modern Beetle in 1998. It has carved out a niche as a distinctive and eye-catching car in a world of automotive clones.

Volkswagen Beetle - The Essential Buyer's Guide

Buying a classic VW Beetle is an important investment - don't buy one without this book's help. The authors, a recognised VW Beetle enthusiast and writer and a specialist photographer, cover all models from 1945 to 2003, including the Cabriolet, Standard and Deluxe and the final generation of Mexican Beetles.
With the aid of this book's step-by-step expert guidance, readers can discover all they need to know about the car they want to buy. The unique point system aims to help place the car's value in relation to condition.