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