Volkswagen History
The creator of the Volkswagen,
Ferdinand Porsche had his own
office in the early ´30s, "Porsche
Büro", in Stuttgart. He worked
there, along with about ten
collaborators as a consultant and
constructor for other companies,
such as the recently formed Auto
Union (Horsch, Audi, Wanderer
and DKW) and Mercedes-Benz.
Dr Porsche became very famous
for the racing cars he designed for
the 750 kg racing-class. But as
early as 1931 he designed a car that carried many of the features from the first
Volkswagen. It had a streamlined design, a central-frame, the engine placed in the
back and it was equipped with individual suspension. This car was built by the
mc-producer Zündapp, who were planning to start a car production at this time. The
testdrive of this car took place in 1932, but due to the demand for motorcycles,
Zündapp lost the interest in developing the car any further. After this, Dr Porsche was
approached by another mc company, NSU who planed a small car with a 1500cc
engine. The result was "Type 32". The difference from the Zündapp car was that the
suspension had been changed from blade- to torsion suspension. A number of different
engines were tested, including a two-stroke engin. But the engine that proved to be
most suitable for the car was a boxer engine with four cylinders. This aircooled engine
was based on a 90 hp aeroplane engine that Dr Porsche had designed back in 1912.
However, NSU backed out of the project, but a number of prototypes had been built
and tested.
At this time Hitler had gained the power in Germany. Dr Porsche realised that the
plans for new roads was suitable for his car. In 1934 Porsche delivered a memorandum
to Hitler, where he promised to have prototypes ready within 12 months. The time that
followed was hectic for Porsche Büro, three test cars were tested during the fall and
winter. An additional 30 cars were built by Mercedes-Benz, and the results were
examined by state-employed inspectors. The name of the car was then changed to
"KDF-Wagen" in 1938, before the car-exhibition in Berlin. The name was taken from
the slogan "Kraft Durch Freude". In Berlin Hitler announced that the Volkswagen finally
was finished, after many years of development. The building of the factory began in
1938, but only a few civilian cars were produced before the production was changed
due to the war.