Das Beste Deutsche Auto! (Final Voting For Best Korean Car)

Okay folks, you wanted the best, you got the best!

...But first things first. Please vote for the best Korean car, either the Hyundai Tiburon/Coupe or the Proto Motors Spirra.

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Onto the German cars!

There have been so many great German cars over the last century and more, everything from the first car all the way to the great models like the M5 and SLR. But when you look at the entire picture, one car comes to mind:



The Käfer, Volky, Vocho, Coccinelle, Fusca, Bug, or Beetle deserves it's spot not only as one of the greatest cars ever produced, but unquestionably the best ever to come from Germany.

Designed by Ferdinand Porsche during the early part of the 1930s, it was another economy car that didn't have an economy to play in. Once Adolf Hitler took power and wealth once again became a part of Germany, Hitler not only saw the need for a "Peoples Car" (aka Volkswagen), he also created the Autobhan in which these new automobiles could easily travel uppon. The goal: A car that can safely transport a small family at 100 KPH (62 MPH) down the road. Thus, the Kraft durch Freude Wagen (KdF-Wagen) was born.

The car was origionally built in 1935 by Daimler-Benz in a newly created city called "KdF-stadt," later to become known as Wolfsburg, the worldwide headquarters of Volkswagen today.

Of course, war changes everything, and by 1939 the need for the vehicle grew as the German war machine did. Of course, it was re-skinned as the Kübelwagen (bucket car) and the Schwimmwagen (swim car) during the war, and they saw combat in all major theaters in the war. Also, Kommadeurwagens, baisically Beetle-bodied versions of the Kübelwagen were sold during the war, but use of the vehicles were low given the gas shortages of the war, and the eventual bombings of the Volkswagen factories in 1944 and 1945.

Soon after the end of the war in Europe and a quick reconstruction of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, production restarted, and moved quickly to meet the demands of new customers. Operated under American and then British occupation, and by 1946, they were producting 1000 cars per month. Of course, that was only the start of the success. By 1954, they had built one million Beetles... And sales maintained strong not only in Germany, but across the world. By 2002, there have been 21 million different Beetles produced and sold worldwide, and production of the car finially ended in June 2003 in Mexico.

So why is it so good? Numbers wise, it's a winner. They are easy to repair, easy to modify, and easy to replace. Parts are a dime-a-dozen just about anywhere, and there are still plenty of models that are in pristine condition as they were when purchased. Plus, this is a car that is famous worldwide, and still continues to be to this day. Go down to Mexico, you will see what I mean...

The Beetle deserves to not only be the greatest German car, but quite possibly could win-out on "Best Car Eva." The car has done so many great things through the 58 years it was produced, you can't even begin to describe them all. It is the car that argueably changed Germany, sparked interests in America, and helped build economies around the world. There are toys, candy, T-shirts, hats, movies, music, etc all centered around the Beetle to this day... Its an icon of the 1960s and 1970s in America, and it of course spun off the Disney classics "Herbie the Love Bug."



...And who doesn't love Herbie?

As soon as YSSMAN announced his National Car Thread idea, I was thinking about and looking forward to the German week. I wanted to see just how many sheep there were that'd be voting for the Porsche 911.

These people will no doubt also try to convince you to vote for the 911. They'll start off by saying that the 911 has been around for over 40 years and that it's arguably the most successful and versatile car in the history of racing. They'll try to use it as the ultimate example of racing improving the breed; lessons learnt at the track being applied to the road. They'll say that since its introduction it's been continually evolving, getting much easier to drive, much quicker, more reliable and easier to live with. They'll say no car provides the same sense of driving dynamics, nothing feels like a 911. They'll tell you it continually comes top in sports car polls and surveys and that it's one of the most recognisable shapes in the world. Its rear-engined layout isn't common in the sports car market, making it something a little bit different. They'll say the current generation models are accomplished at motorway cruising, back road blasts and track thrashing. They'll say no other car provides such outstanding performance in each of these applications. They'll say the special editions (RS, GT3, GT2, GT3 RS etc) show that Porsche cares enough about racing to provide their customers with road cars that get somewhere close to that racing experience. They'll say the 911 Turbo is a bargain in comparison to its Ferrari and Lamborghini rivals. They'll try to convince you of its safety ratings and braking performance. They'll talk about the heritage, the history of Porsche, how they're the most successful manufacturer at Le Mans. Lastly they'll say that no one car has been continually as good as the Porsche 911.

So, what am I voting for...? Somewhat predictably, it's the Porsche 911.

Voting for the Hyundai Coupe again in Korean poll.

...Lest one forget the roots of the 911, and Porsche for that matter, laid by the Volkswagen Beetle...

Ha ha! Gotcha!

(J/K)

I'm pretty much expecting this one to come down to the Beetle, 911, M5, M3, and SLR... But thats just me....

Indeed. I'd put money on the final voting containing the 911, Beetle, Golf, M3, S Class Mercedes and Audi Quattro.

Hmmm... I'd rather not the M3 (current). My nomination would go to the BMW 2002ti. That car helped put BMW on the map, and helped start the trend of "premium compacts", those ridiculously expensive (but oddly appealing) entry level cars that have kept the big three (BMW, MB, Audi) rolling in money.

The Porsche 911 is a fantastic car and it's hard to say anything against it, but my own nom will go to the:

BMW M3

It's been an icon in every generation, and it's one of the most sought-after cars in existence. Of course all that is true for the Porsche 911. But consider the M3 a 911 for the masses...

The VW Beetle, I don't there is a more iconic or important car in Germany.

Because of the Beetle we got the Porsche 911, Volkswagon and Herbie. It was such an a iconic car, one of the most iconic cars every. It far overshadows Ferrari Testarossa's BMW M3's and Porsche 911's in that regard. It's a lso been produced in stupidly high numbers, and sold.

amp88

Indeed. I'd put money on the final voting containing the 911, Beetle, Golf, M3, S Class Mercedes and Audi Quattro.

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Lets just put those 6 straight to the vote. The winner is in there.

Easily the Quattro Sport for me.

MB? What about the Cosworth 190E?

And, if we're going to put in the 3-series as a whole, cancel the 2002ti nomination.

The Beetle is certainly in the running, so is the Golf, the Quattro was a land mark car for sure, the SLR is half English and the M3 is a tricky one, its really more of a spec level than a complete car. A vote for an M3 is a vote for a 316i, not a bad car but not a nations best ever but you can't seperate the two.

The winner has to be the 911, every single model has been a winner in the best part of 40 years since it first came out. It made Porsche the force it is today.

It's pretty hard to decide here. The BMW M5 is a worth mention, because it started off the massively powerful saloon car which many manufacturers have today. Then there's the Porsche 911 which has been going for many, many years and keeps on getting better. The Audi Quattro was the first proper 4 wheel drive car that almost eveyone has followed ever since. Then the Beetle, which is one of the best selling cars of all time...

I nominated the M3. I'll be voting for the 911. Nothing compares - It's that simple.

TheCracker

The winner has to be the 911, every single model has been a winner in the best part of 40 years since it first came out. It made Porsche the force it is today.

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I agree with that. I'm not a fan of the 911, but there is no denying its a great car with a great history. They've taken a flawed design, (Stick the engine where? Out the back? Are you mad?) and stuck with it and made it work. It's the benchmark performance car that other manufacturers have to beat.

If we're all voting for the butt-engined beast, does that mean we still have to have a poll?

Audi Quattro has my vote. Revolutionized Rallying...

Note from a german-speaker: It's "Das beste Deutsche Auto!", not "Der"...

I belive "auto" is a masculine word, thus I used "Der"...

Otherwise I could go the South-German route and just use D' Beste Deutsche Auto!

I'm nominating the car that:

-Put 4WD into a supercar
-Had a sophisticated computer controlled 4WD system before the Skyline
-Was designed to tackle the Group B series
-Paved the way for 4WD in "super" Porsche 911s
-Came 1-2 at the infamous Dakar rally
-Led to the monster 961, a Le Mans class winner
-Scared Ferrari so much with its performance they had to make the F40 as good as it was.

DQuaN

Easily the Quattro Sport for me.

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Tis the one shall be voting for but I dont belive anyone german car deserves the title of best german car ever, as there were many that were so special in a certain category.

Anyway lets not forget the SL 300.

Gingiba

Audi Quattro has my vote. Revolutionized Rallying...

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I can't agree with the quattro, much as I do love it and the important influence it had on the WRC, it was good but not that good.

My nominations are:

Porsche 911
Short one this, for every reason mentioned by everyone above.


Mercedes Benz S Class
Almost every generation of the S class that has been launched has set a new standard in one area or another. From material technology to electronics to safety this car has always been ahead of just about anyone else.

Designed as luxury transport is also handles itself well as a drivers car, very few cars can set such standards and maintain such a reputation.

If you every get the chance either ride in one or drive one, an S500 is an experience to b e savoured.

Remember that this car has been described by motoring writers the world over as the 'best car in the world', that must give it a place in our list of the best German cars.

Regards

Scaff


PS - Voted for the Coupe

Toronado

(which I beleive the Rallye 037 Monte Carlo usually won.).

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It did, but the Pug 205 T16 also took a lot of wins over the quattro.

While the quattro certainly did move the drivetrain focus of the WRC from RWD to 4WD (and as such is a very important car in rally history) it was not the huge success in the WRC that people often believe, tarmac being its biggest weakness.

Regards

Scaff

Toronado

I know, I was just talking about the early days of Group B before the Delta S4 and 205 T16 monsters came into play. I was talking about how despite it's RWD, the Rallye 037 still managed to beat the original quattro quite a bit.

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Don't get me wrong I'm certainly not putting teh 037 down, quite the opposite I still consider it to be one of the best looking rally cars ever (but thats a different thread in a different place).

Sorry for the off-topic

Regards

Scaff

I'd prefer the Peugeot or the Lancia, but they're not German. While not being a that big a success (even the next generation was beaten by a next-generation pug), changing the drivetrain focus still is a rather large-scale change. I'm generally not a fan of german cars, but I had to choose something. I don't like the 911, and the Beetle, well, is a Beetle... So I took the Audi.

And about the spelling: I'm not sure about the masculine/feminine of Auto, but it sure is Das. I know German since I'm 6... And Google translator confirmed. Try translating "the best german car" - it's right this time...

People arent giving the quattro enough credit. It had its flaws but which car that introduced us to something tottaly new didnt.

Which other car manufacturer can claim that their vehicle could single handidly go up a ski slope on its own, or tackle huge sanddunes in the sahara desert without any modifications?

On surfaces with poor grip quattro is aguably the best, and if the RWD cras didnt beat it in tarmac I would have to clkaim that the quattros competitors were inadequate.

Poverty

People arent giving the quattro enough credit. It had its flaws but which car that introduced us to something tottaly new didnt.

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Like what? 4wd in a road car, sorry but the Jenson Interceptor FF beat the quattro to that one by quite a margin. It was introduced in 1966 with 4wd and ABS.

Poverty

Which other car manufacturer can claim that their vehicle could single handidly go up a ski slope on its own, or tackle huge sanddunes in the sahara desert without any modifications?

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The quattro road car was not capable of beating the sand-dunes of the sahara in stock road form, then again nothing short of a 'real' off-roader could, so in answer to your question I would say Land Rover and/or Jeep.

Poverty

On surfaces with poor grip quattro is aguably the best, and if the RWD cras didnt beat it in tarmac I would have to clkaim that the quattros competitors were inadequate.

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No when introduced the quattro WRC car dominated on gravel and snow, however its RWD opposition did beat it on tarmac. I have hours of group B footage (and am old enough to remember it) that unfortunatly show how poor the quattro was on tarmac.

Now keep in mind that I am a huge quattro fan, it was a great car that popularised 4wd and turbos on road cars, but it was not the first with either of these and quite simply the Germans have built better cars since.

Regards

Scaff

Auto is neuter in german, that's why it's das Auto.
You could have used der Wagen instead, which is masculine.
Check here : http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa033098.htm
[/smartass mode]

Back on topic: the Golf GTi was just one of the biggest revolutions as far as cars are concerned.
Look, the S1 Quattro was a great racing car, the SLR is also a wonderful super car, but how many of them did you see in real life ?
The Golf GTi offered an opportunity to drive a cheap, powerful and reliable lightweight car. Fun for everyone 👍

The Beetle. It's the one car that has the most global reach out of all of them.