Automania (Kids Tour)

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Ferdinand Porsche. Volkswagen Type 1 Sedan. designed 1938 (this example 1959)

Steel, glass, 59 1/4 × 61 × 160 1/2" (150.5 × 154.9 × 407.7 cm). Acquired with assistance from Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Narrator: Take a minute to check out this car from the front and sides. Now go around to the back. What are some words you would use to describe it?

It has a nickname you may have heard:

Andrew Gardner: The Type 1 sedan was called the "Beetle" because it looks just like a bug don't you think? It's this quirky, fun, tiny little friendly vehicle painted in a bright minty green. It has big round eyes. And it almost looks like it's smiling. It reminds me of a ladybug or something like that.

The most amazing thing about this car is that its design has basically never changed. It was a car that was beloved around the world. And by 1972, the car had become the most successful and most widely sold vehicle of all time.