The People's Car Came Rollin' On the River

Imagine a time when only one out of 50 people in a country owned an automobile. That was the case in Germany in the 1930s. To help "fix" this problem the government, through its German Labour Front, created a company called Volkswagen which translates to "the people's car." The idea was to create a reliable, yet affordable car that everyone could own. While a number of people worked on various designs, it was one from Ferdinand Porsche (yes, of that Porsche family) that was ultimately chosen and put into production. The Type 1 is the iconic version with which we are most familiar but other types were also created, such as the Type 2, seen above. But it was the Type 1, affectionately known as the Beetle, that accomplished the government's goal. Production began in 1938 but, obviously, was halted due to World War II. Following the war the VW plant was placed under the control of the British army where Major Ivan Hirst managed to get production rolling once again. And the rest, as they say, is history. So many Volkswagens were produced over the years that it's little wonder many still are around and cherished by their owners. A good selection turned up at the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show. Here are some of them.