The Type 1's genesis can be traced (primarily) to the work of three brilliant automotive engineers: Joseph Ganz Hans Ledwinka and Ferdinand Porsche.

Joseph Ganz was Jewish engineer with a penchant for controversy which survives him to this day. In 1923 while studying mechanical engineering Ganz had developed an automobile design that featured a mid-engine tunnel frame automobile with independent suspension. Shortly after graduating from university Ganz became the editor in chief of a car magazine which was eventually named Motor Critic. As editor Mr. Ganz began to openly criticize the 1920’s era automobiles then being produced by the German auto industry. His chief complaints against these “devil’s carts” revolved around their inefficient drive trains high centers of gravity great weight lack of independent suspension and solid axles. Using his voice at Motor Critic Ganz began to advocate for the development of lightweight aerodynamic rear mounted independently suspended tube chassis automobiles. Importantly Mr. Ganz not only advocated for these alternative cars but he also began to design them.

In the late 1920’s Ganz began having discussion with German motorcycle manufacturer Zundapp to build a prototype of his design. During these discussions Ganz disclosed many of his ideas to Zundapp and they retained them for future use. These discussions broke down and Zundapp hired Ferdinand Porsche to build an “Auto fur Jedermann” (“Auto for Everyman”). In 1931 the first Porsche designed prototype was produced – the Zundapp 12 – and by 1932 three were in operation. This prototype is widely considered to be the first manifestation of what was to become the VW Beetle.

However one year prior to the appearance of the Zundapp 12 Mr. Ganz and the Ardie motorcycle company produced an operational prototype – the Ardie-Ganz prototype - which captured in part Ganz’s vision of a proper automobile. This prototype featured a central tunnel or tube chassis which supported the car’s suspension engine and drivetrain it had a mid-mounted engine and swing axle suspension at all four corners. In examining archival photographs of the Ardie-Ganz prototype one cannot escape the similarity it bears to a 1970’s American classic – the Volksrod.

After demonstrating the Ardie prototype Mr. Ganz received an offer to build a second prototype from the German car manufacturer Adler. Ganz completed this prototype in 1931 and nicknamed it the “Maikafer” or “May Bug.” After completing this car Ganz took it on a promotional tour to display its technological advancement. According to one source Ferdinand Porsche not only saw the May Bug but actually rode in the car.

In the summer of 1931 Ganz was retained to consult with Mercedes Benz on the development of a prototype vehicle similar to the May Bug. Working with other engineers at Mercedes Ganz produced the 120H prototype which featured modern “Beetle-esque” body panels a tube chassis and a rear mounted air cooled boxer engine. Mercedes never brought this car into production and Ganz was left without a manufacturer for his May Bug.

After Ganz left Mercedes he began working with another German car manufacturer Standard Fahrzeugfabrik. Using patents he had obtained over the years Ganz and Standard were able to produce a production version of the May Bug called the Standard Superior. This car had a tubular chassis a horizontally opposed a 2 stroke 2 cylinder engine mounted in the rear of the car. However the engine was in front of the rear swing axle transaxle and the car had independent front suspension. This production car first appeared in February 1933 at the Berlin Auto Show (and may have been seen there by the then Chancellor Hitler). By September 1933 Standard was producing promotional literature describing the Standard Superior as “the fastest and cheapest German Volkswagen.”

Within a year of the appearance of the Standard Superior Ganz was placed under arrest by the Gestapo under allegations that he was attempting to blackmail a Czech company Tatra. This allegation appeared to be completely baseless but in June 1934 – shortly after Hitler ordered Porsche to develop his people’s car - Ganz fled from Germany to Switzerland where he attempted without great success to resurrect his May Bug.

The company that Ganz was accused of attempting to blackmail - Tatra - employed one of Europe’s greatest automobile engineers Hans Ledwinka. In 1921 Ledwinka was appointed to the position of chief design engineer at Tatra and by 1923 he had designed the first known tube or “backbone” chassis. Ledwinka also invented versions of swing axle transaxles independent front suspension and rear mounted horizontally opposed air cooled engines. Perhaps his greatest automotive contribution was in the field of aerodynamics. Using his designs Tatra brought the first streamlined automobile bodies to market and forever changed the bodies of automobiles.

In the early 1930’s Ledwinka and his design partner Erich Überlacker began design on a rear engine tubular chassis car named the V570 prototype. The first prototype was completed in 1931 and then went through a second design iteration. In 1933 the V570 achieved its final incarnation. This car had the following characteristics: a four seat sedan with a tubular chassis and a rear mounted two-cylinder air-cooled boxer engine which was attached to an integrated swing axle gear-box (sounds like a Beetle huh?). Perhaps the most innovative aspects of the car revolved around the manner in which air was circulated to the rear mounted engine. Ledwinka’s ideas in this area were patented and seemingly protected. Owing to the success of another Tatra model the Tatra 57 the V570 prototype was shelved and the car was never placed into production.

Ledwinka was personally acquainted with Hitler and had several dinners with him where the subject of automobiles was discussed. After one of these dinners Hitler is reported to have said to Porsche “This [a Tatra] is the car for my roads.”

In 1933 after the appearance of the Standard Superior and the design of the V570 prototype Hitler ordered Ferdinand Porsche to develop a “Volkswagen” or “people’s car.” In May 1934 in Berlin’s Kaiserhof Hotel Hitler gave the following design parameters to Porsche: the car must seat 2 adults and 3 children it must be rear engine and air cooled it must be able to travel at 62 mph and obtain fuel economy of 22 mpg. Further worn out or broken parts must be able to be replaced easily and cheaply. After receiving these directives Porsche began meeting regularly with Ledwinka to discuss the design of the Volkswagen Beetle. In later life Porsche stated that at these meetings “… sometimes I looked over [Ledwinka’s] shoulder and sometime he looked over mine.”

Building upon the work that preceded him including the Zundapp 12 the May Bug the Standard Superior and the V570 Porsche first produced the Type 60 prototype. This prototype saw several iterations and with help from Mercedes was placed into limited production for testing purposes only. On May 26 1938 after the Beetle had been approved for production Hitler spoke at the Volkswagen factory and officially named the car the “Kraft durch Freude-Wagon” or “Strength through Joy Car.” Following this speech the Beetle was intended to be placed into production (and a handful of pre-War cars were actually produced). Subsequently Tatra filed suit against VW claiming that the KdF Wagon infringed on no less than 10 of its patents. This lawsuit was stopped when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia and occupied the Sudentenland in 1938. In 1961 Volkswagen settled the suit by paying Tatra $3000000 German marks.

Following the end of World War II the Americans passed control of the Volkswagen factory over to the British who had plans to disassemble it and ship it CKD-style to Britain. However no British car manufacturer wanted the factory or the car. In fact one detractor stated “... the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement or a motor car … it is quite unattractive to the average buyer.”

Fortunately a British Army officer named Major Ivan Hirst was assigned responsibility for the VW factory. Hirst convinced his superiors to order 20000 Beetles and by 1946 the factory was producing approximately 1000 cars per month. Under Hirst’s direction the KdF-Wagon was renamed the Beetle and the rest as they say is history.

The example presented here is one of the 21529464 Beetles built between 1938 and 2003. The luster of its red paint is truly striking. The original restorer of this car matched the paint to that placed on a 1960's era Porsche 356B. Although 20 years old the paint is defect free and is of far better quality that what originally graced the car. The paint has no rock chips or other imperfections and in all truthfulness the paint looks as good today as it did in 1966 (perhaps better). More importantly the paint is not blemished by a single sign of rust. That is there are no rust bubbles and there is no know rust on any portion of this car.

In similar fashion the car's chrome is virtually perfect and is not pitted or cracked. It shines brightly and polishes easily. The bumpers headlight rings running board and body strips antenna front turn signal housings side mirrors front vents and rear fender panels are all in excellent condition as is the rubber which surrounds them.

Please note the pictures showing the mounting points of the bumpers to the body. As shown the supporting arms for the bumpers look new and the rubber surrounding them is also exemplary.

The roof rack is not original to the car and car be easily removed. It is also blemish free and brand new. I personally find it appealing and believe that it adds to the overall charm of the car. If you disagree then you may remove it without any damage to the vehicle or its paint.

The chrome wheels are Porsche 10 slot rims with matching Wolfsburg nipple hubcaps and again they are virtually perfect. The rims are topped by Bridgestone Potenza 205/55R15's which appear to have virtually no miles on them.

The car's spare tire is also a chrome 10 slot rim and the spare tire is completely serviceable. The spare tire compartment has no rust and is not even dirty.

The car has an original jack in the proper place. Both the jack and the bracket holding it look to be in "as new" condition.

The car has a complete set of original tools in a green cotton canvas back. Owing to their pristine nature these tools are presumed to be replicas (nice rust free unused ones though).

The car is equipped with two window washers and reservoirs. The original reservoir was designed to tap into the spare tire and use its air pressure to power the system. Owing to its poor design the prior owner bypassed this system and installed a modern electrical pump and large reservoir in the car. The small black button beside the ashtray activates the second system. As the car looks like it has never been driven in rain this appears to be something of an "I have done everything else I might as well do this" item.

In the boot the rear of the car's instrument cluster and attendant wiring is covered by a black plastic cover which is far more durable than the original fiberboard.

Please note the photographs which show the condition of the painted boot hinges. These hinges are emblematic of the entire car and show that its restoration was performed at the highest level possible.

The interior of the car is in the same superior condition as the exterior and is impressively fitted with white vinyl seats in traditional VW basket weave. There are four three point seat belts in the car which are of new manufacture. The seat belt locks bear the Wolfsburg crest and function properly.

The door cards are a matching white as is the headliner and the sun visors.

The speedometer odometer and gas gauge are fully functional and accurately record the car's vital statistics.

The speedometer has been conveniently hash-marked with yellow lines to serve as a de facto tachymeter and indicate the maximum rpm's/speed for each respective gear.

Please note the car will be sold under an Arizona title which states that the mileage on the title is "ACTUAL MILEAGE"!!!

Given the supremely well cared for nature of this vehicle and its fundamentally sound character I have no reason to believe that this is an inaccurate representation.

While I cannot personally attest to the veracity of any mileage claims I can state that it is common to rely on mileage statements placed on auto titles.

Thus when you go to register this vehicle you may be able to record the mileage as actual miles.

Returning to the interior of the car the steering wheel is devoid of cracks and has a bright unpitted trim ring which is capped by a Wolfsburg crest horn button.

A convenient cargo tray sits directly under the dash and is useful for storing routine trip items. This tray is made of plastic and is of German manufacture but is not original to the car. However it is age appropriate and fits into both the era and the concept of the car.

The car has original design rubber front and rear floor mats with integrated tunnel covers. A pair of fitted VW logo floor mats will also be sold with the car.

In order to monitor the Porsche 356 power plant an aftermarket oil temperature gauge has been installed on the left side of the steering wheel below the dash.

The sunroof opening is covered with perforated white vinyl and opens and closes with ease. The hand crank operates flawlessly and the tracks on which the sunroof slides are seemingly close to new. In order to fully close the sunroof it is necessary to "over crank" the hand lever by about 1/4th of a turn. This can probably be adjusted but owing to my unfamiliarity with such things I have decided to live with this minor imperfection.

The car will be sold with an indoor car cover which fits the car nicely and will protect it nicely from the dusty perils lurking in your garage.

Placing its stately appearance aside the most impressive aspect of this car is its Porsche 356 engine. The engine number is P609233 which according to the Pelican Parts website indicates that the engine is from a Porsche 356 manufactured between January 1960 and September 1961. Further the website indicates that the engine is of the 1600 variety (see www.pelicanparts.com/356/technical_specs for verification). Thus in stock form the engine is capable of producing approximately 60 horsepower!

Documents in my possession indicate that the entire car was restored in 1989. This restoration included a complete engine rebuild (by Modern Specialists in Boulder Colorado) the installation of a super street transmission with 3:88 ratios powder coating of all engine tins (25 pieces) seats recovered and new carpet installed. After this restoration the car has been continuously garage kept and it appears to be in gently used condition to this day.

There are numerous other maintenance records in my file including a notebook which documents the monies spent to restore and maintain the car. The most salient of these records indicate that in 2006 the car was converted to 12 volts with the following items being replaced:

New battery;New voltage regulator;New wiper armature;New turn signal relay;New H4 Headlights;New dimmer relay;New Bosche blue coil;New horn;New horn ring;New antenna; andNew 4 point seat belts.

If you are interested in acquiring this pristine automobile then please call Mark Counts at 713-320-3059.