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VW Beetle

Myth of the Volkswagen Beetle

Since 2023 we have only been offering trips in the VW Beetle Cabriolet for groups (from 14 people) and no longer individually. For individual guests there are our exciting Alfa Romeo Spider Tours and the trips in the elegant Mercedes-Benz SL Feel free to contact us, we can arrange and design the entire VW Beetle trip according to your wishes for 14 or more people. You're welcome to do that Form use for your request.

There are automobiles that have what it takes to become classics right from the start. Whether it is because of their design, their racing successes, because their technology was way ahead of its time, or because famous drivers took them to the Car Olympus in real life, or even in films. The majority of those oldtimers that also fit into this intersection of the “classics” are part of that pantheon.

Only very rarely does a story play a trick and swim against the current. Yet it happens, an automobile matures, becomes more beautiful, and attracts people during its construction period, until it is indispensable. Now it has become part of automotive history, or better still, it molded it because it laid the foundation for the success of a company that now combines many different strong brands and was able to determine the mobility of the future .

The Volkswagen Type 1, better known as the VW Beetle, belongs to this rare genus of classics

How much has already been written about this car, this classic, and bestseller?How presumptuous it is to stretch out here with raised index finger in order to teach. To be honest, the Type 1 was born in a different story than the one it was written.

The political midwives of the 1930s had something else in mind than the post-war economic miracle. Unlike many others of its time, the Volkswagen Type 1, the VW Beetle, was not an icon for high earners, but a reward for those who had achieved something.It was more of a symbol for a new Germany after the dictatorship. A symbol for a country looking into the future, which nevertheless invoked early virtues such as German craftsmanship and engineering.

The VW Beetle becomes an automotive best seller

Although many other nations build cars, the most popular automobile in the world comes from Germany. An ironic twist of fate - It was only knocked off of this pedestal by its own successor. The automotive bestseller was an automobile whose basic lines remained unchanged for more than four decades, although it did benefit from improvements over the course of the long construction period. At a time when "Made in Germany" was not yet on everyone's lips, the VW Beetle stood for this term like hardly any other product.

An Austrian leave a mark in history

Success, it is commonly said, is no coincidence and has many fathers. This is not quite the case with the VW Beetle. It is only the name of one of the most outstanding automotive engineers that is associated with him: Ferdinand Porsche.

Born in Austria, he started his career in Vienna at Austro Daimler, then he helped Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart as head of development to achieve considerable success in racing.

Only, it was Porsche's dream of a car for the people to hasten mass motorization based on the American model, but it did not fit the image of the now-unified automaker Mercedes-Benz. The young engineer consequently vacated his job and founded a development office for the automotive industry, today one would probably call it a “think tank”.

A Car for the People

Far from elitist conceit, the Austrian, despite his undisputed extraordinary skills as an engineer, was a controversial guest on the boardrooms of the automaker at the time. For the regime of that time, however, the idea of a "people's car",developed by an ambitious engineer far from the glass palaces of the corporations, came in handy.

The hour of birth of the KdF car (Kraft durch Freude) was a fortunate circumstance for the young design office, which was able to devote itself to the development of a car, largely left alone by political leadership, which was actually, as previously mentions, successful not only in Germany, but world wide

The basic concept of the VW Beetle was already clear back then: a central tubular frame, independent wheel suspension, and a boxer engine at the rear. Even the occupying powers recognized this potential and had production resumed in the former KdF factories, which have now been renamed Wolfsburg in honor of his contributions.

The economic upswing in post-war Germany laid the foundation for the extraordinary success of the VW Beetle. During its long construction period, this car has been driven and loved by at least three generations..

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Our VW Beetle Models

The following VW Beetle models are waiting for you in our classic car fleet:
Volkswagen Beetle 1303 Cabriolet
History
Technical Data
VW Beetle 1303 Cabrio: Who the history of the VW Beetle with their eyes will understand why plenty of people rave about the 1303 models, rave that it is the only old-timer that you could ever buy as a new car. The 1303 was, as the contemporary car connoisseur Clauspeter Becker writes in “Motor Klassik”, “the natural inhabitant of posh residential areas and the hip second car in the exclusive residential area”. 

The color palette is fully in line with the trend of the late seventies with the focus on metallic colors: next to the popular brazil brown belong to this diamond silver, hummingbird green, river blue, indian red, platinum and pearl metalic. If the madam or higher daughter prefer pastel, stand lemon yellow and mars red, Florida blue and Alpine white to select. Despite a base price of around DM 13,000, the open version of the Beetle sells best in the autumn of its life. According to “auto motor und sport” 16/1977 “even in fine circles it is not a faux pas to drive to the theater in this car”. The open one VW Beetle is one of the very few convertibles with four full-size seats at the end of the 1970s. Whether the trunk volume of almost 400 l, divided between the space behind the rear seats and the trunk at the front, is actually enough for a multi-week vacation in Tuscany with family, as Clauspeter Becker writes, depends on how sparse the luggage is. 

After all, the chassis is so good that Porsche later used the same wheel suspension for the 924 and 944 models and the rack and pinion steering corresponds to that of the VW Golf I and is state-of-the-art in 1974. All in all, did 30 years of development and 300,000 convertibles built From the 1303 model, the most sophisticated convertible in the world at the time: striking differences to its predecessors are the curved windscreen, the 1.6-liter engine, the new dashboard, standard front disc brakes, high-quality plastic hood, large three-chamber taillights and many small details. 

On the 10. January 1980 at Karmann in Osnabrück that is last copy of the VW 1303 Cabriolet mit der Fahrgestellnummer 159 204 4140 gebaut und ins Museum gestellt. Mit dem kultigen VW Käfer 1303 Cabriolet können Sie jetzt das Münchner Umland erkunden und die vielen prunkvollen Schlösser, einflussreichen Klöster, kristallklaren Seen und einmalige Kulturlandschaft erleben: auf den Spuren King Ludwig tour, and around the Zugspitze,, in the Berchtesgadener Land or also in Salzburger Land.
Engineering Information
Model variants / construction time:1970 – 1972
Motor:Four-cylinder boxer, air-cooled
Motor installation position:Rear
 DriveRear
 Wheelbase2.420
 Length / Width / Height (mm):4.080 / 1.585 / 1.500
Engine versions
Type:1303 LS
Displacement (cm3):1.584
 Power (kW / PS - at min-1):37 / 50 / 4.000
Max. Torque (Nm - at min-1):106 / 2.800

Our VW Beetle Tours

Seit 2023 bieten wir Ausfahrten im VW Käfer Cabriolet nur mehr für Gruppen (ab 14 Personen) an und nicht mehr individuell. Für Individualgäste gibt es unsere spannenden Alfa Romeo Spider Tours und die Reisen im eleganten Mercedes-Benz SL . Sprechen Sie uns gerne an, wir können ab 14 Personen die gesamte VW Käfer Reise nach Ihren Wünschen ausrichten und designen. Gerne können Sie das Formular für Ihre Anfrage verwenden.

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Nostalgic GmbH & Co.KG

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Office: +49 (0)89 5454060
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Nostalgic is the premium provider for unforgettable adventure trips & incentive travel with vintage cars as well as an exclusive partner of Mercedes-Benz.
Founder by name Walter Laimer Gert Pichler - Nostalgic Oldtimerreisen

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