Description
The Volkswagen Beetle – officially the Volkswagen Type 1 – is a two-door, four passenger, rear-engined economy car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003, and is among the earlier rear-engined cars.
The need for this kind of car, and its functional objectives, were formulated by the Third Reich of Germany, wishing for a cheap, simple car that could be mass-produced for the new road network of the country. Volkwagen contracted Porsche in 1934 to design and build it, although the design was not finalised by Ferdinand Porsche until 1938. The car was designed to be as simple as possible mechanically, so that there was not much to go wrong.
With over 21 million manufactured, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform – worldwide. During the 1950s, the car was modified progressively, with the obvious visual changes including the rear windows: in March 1953, the small oval two-piece rear window was replaced by a slightly larger single-piece window.
This rare and desirable split-window model has been restored to a very high standard and is ready to be enjoyed by its next keeper. Finished in black with a beige cloth interior, this rare split window example is a beautifully presented inside and out.
