Ferdinand Porsche reveals the Volkwagen concept in the presence of a visibly enthusiastic Adolf Hitler, finding that the engine is in the car’s suitcase.
From “people’s car” the legend of the roads, this is the story of the iconic Volkwsagen car.
Everyone has (or would like to have) a story with one, whether he the grandfather’s car or the car of the first adventure on the road. For those who do not have, their friendly design starts smiles. What many do not know is that this icon has a direct connection with nothing less than Adolf Hitler.
The birth of the project that culminated in the carocha is due to one of the most challenging missions of automotive engineering, commissioned directly by the German government shortly before World War II. The story of how Volkswagen Carocha was developed is one of the most fascinating in the automotive universe: a combination of technical genius with a complicated historical context. Let’s then tighten the seat belt and enter this tunnel.
Hitler, Porsche and the Caroch
The unlikely connection starts with a direct order of the führer to the legendary engineer Ferdinand Porsche: Create a “car of the people” (in German, Volkswagen). The challenge, however, was accompanied by a list of requirements that seemed impossible for the 1930s technology.
Porsche’s task was not simple: this car should change the world. It should be robust, reliable and, above all, accessible to the German middle class family.
The specifications were incredibly rigid and detailed, when it comes to price, capacity, performance, economy and maintenance: the car could not cost more than 1,000 Reichsmark, the value of a motorcycle at the time; It had to comfortably carry two adults and three children; should reach and maintain a speed of 100 km/h; He could not consume more than 7 liters per 100 kilometers and his engine had to be air -refrigerated to resist the strict winters without freezing.
The design that conquered the world
To fulfill the mission, Porsche and his team had to think outside the box, creating solutions that became registered carocha marks for decades. The design was not just about appearance; Each curve and each piece had a function.
To the carocha ride we saw several innovations, such as the Air -cooled rear engine. The choice of four -cylinder boxer engine in the rear was a striker. It eliminated the need for a radiator and a complex water cooling system, reducing costs and increasing reliability. In addition, it improved the rear wheels traction.
O Platform Chassisinstead of a bodywork mounted on a stringu chassis, guarantee structural rigidity, simplicity in production and incredible versatility, which would later give rise to other icons such as the van and karmann-cania.
A Torction bars suspensionsimple, robust and economic, it provided surprising comfort for the time and legendary durability on poor roads around the world.
And the beetle formatin a round body, inspired by aerodynamic studies, it was not just to give the car a “cute” air: it helped him reach 100 km/h with a low power engine.
Although its development was interrupted by World War II, the project survived. After the conflict, the factory was remedied and mass production ripped, transforming the small and humble car into a global phenomenon. It became a symbol of German reconstruction and later an icon of counterculture and freedom in the 1960s and 1970s.
