Volkswagen Beetle

The Beetle is iconic. It was created by Ferdinand Porsche after he was commissioned by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler to create a "people's car" that anyone could afford. Thus he created the Volkswagen, a barebones car sold at a low price. Ironically the Beetle (as it was nicknamed) became phenomenal worldwide after World War II. The car's popularity led to a film titled The Love Bug, in which the owner's Beetle has a mind of its own. The film was a success and spawned a couple sequels. They are known as the Herbie trilogy, after the car's name. Due to its compact size, low price, and good gas mileage the Beetle became popular with hippies and college students. The Beetle also competed in the under two liter category of the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-American Sedan Championship. After being discontinued in the eighties it continued to be marketed many years afterward in Mexico. A "New Beetle" was introduced in the late nineties, albeit very different from the old one. This received criticism because it was larger, not as economical, not barebones, and only vaguely resembled the original. This model was discontinued about twenty years later. The best it saw in motorsport was spec racing.