We youngsters certainly paid close attention to commercials in the 60's. One I'll never forget involved a guy climbing into a Beetle, driving it into a pond, and explaining to the audience as he bobbed up and down in the water that Volkswagen engineered their cars to be watertight, or something to that effect.
And the commercial had an effect on me. I spent thew rest of my childhood feeling like if a car DIDN'T float, it was inferior.
Strangely enough, I haven't owned a VW Bug. Both of my older brothers have, as have a large percentage of the earth's driving population. I DID own a 1974 bus.
But still, the commercial filled me with a high regard for the ubiquitous little car.
In the 1940's after WWII, it barely survived. It was viewed as Hitler's pet project by much of the rest of the world.
But sales started picking up. By the 1960's it was an extremely common sight on American roads.
As pollution increased, and legislation was put in place to fight it, the Beetle was phased out in the U.S. While it was still a big seller, particularly in Latin America, here in the States dealers were now pushing Rabbits, Sciroccos, and Jettas.
Eventually, the Beetle resurfaced in its 1998 introduction as the New Beetle. It has proven to be a success worldwide.
But does it float?
Comments (5)
...I loved those cars! My first real car was a bug. I remember when my dad bought his second-hand (thrifty, old dad): he drove that bug to-from work for years, until some guy hit him. I'll never forget driving down to Guadalajara in that '65 bug with my girl friend...ah, memories. We made it back, too!
Posted by bob | May 12, 2007 12:30 AM
Posted on May 12, 2007 00:30
Our local amusement park, Santa's village,
actually had a ride that took place in a volkswagorn beetle that
floated for a while as a boat during the ride, like the duck rides in some places.....so strange that something so ugly could be so cool9But it was indeed!)
Posted by scott | July 20, 2007 6:36 AM
Posted on July 20, 2007 06:36
hello.
I saw your posting on this site about the classic beetle commercial. I am the guy who posted about 150 beetle commercials on youtube. The commercial you refer to is this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qB0lb401ZU
Is that the one?
greetings,
paul
the netherlands
Posted by paul | May 13, 2008 7:29 PM
Posted on May 13, 2008 19:29
I'm sorry! I don't remember this commercial at all! The VW bug is certainly a classic and is a good product! Good German product! The familiar engine of magnesium in the trunk. I like the bug and wouldn't mind owning one of the new ones! The old VW van was a real hippie machine! I used to do some printing work for a VW manufacturer way back in the day!
Posted by Rivers End | May 29, 2009 8:33 PM
Posted on May 29, 2009 20:33
The Beetle had some very unique qualities during its lifetime. It was a very simple car, engineering wise. Easily fixed or repaired. This could matter to a working man who could do some of his own work and save money getting it fixed. In addition, it was an economical car in a time when economy was not important except to those without much money. And it was an inexpensive car compared to many American cars.
For these reasons, a Beetle was a big seller. As a kid, I saw many of them on the road. MAD magazine once made a VW ad parody, calling it the ultimate get-away car since practically every car on the road was a Beetle. You would not stand out. But VWs were very small and cramped to ride in. Not a luxury car when most USA cars were quite big, family type cars. I would call the VW a singles car or childless couples car.
And here in Maine, VWs would take forever to warm up, as they were air cooled and did not need or require really cold air and in fact, did not like cold air temps. Defrosters are very important here in the north. But in warmer climates, this was not a factor. Despite that, VWs were popular in Maine as anywhere.
I mourn the loss of a car that was simple and inexpensive to fix and maintain, not to mention, affordable. The new Beetle looks quite a bit like its forefather but the similarities end there. It is not simple like its father, and not inexpensive like its father. Those 2 factors will always prevent it from being the big seller its father was.
The original Beetle was truly a car for the common man of little means. It was a symbol of the 60s is ever there was one.
Posted by Scott Irv | May 29, 2009 10:35 PM
Posted on May 29, 2009 22:35