Aircooled

Aircooled, the quiz of the most incredible car story in history, that of Volkswagen and the People’s Car – or Beetle.

We thought we knew about Volkswagens but in designing this game we learnt a whole lot more, and you will too.

In answering the questions your air cooled Volkswagen knowledge will increase dramatically, did you know that the Wolfsburg plant in Germany includes 31.2 miles of railroad track? Or that the nose of the 1302 was stretched by 2 inches in order to lay the spare tyre flat and increase luggage space?

These and dozens and dozens more facts are included, learn when Mexico City banned the two-door taxi - effectively finally sealing the Beetle’s fate in that country. Learn the time a Beetle has floated, when Porsche switched to water cooling, when the Karmann Ghia was launched, the first convertibles, when the Porsche 911 was launched, when the 411 was launched, even the number of spot-welds in a Beetle roof along with a ton of other air cooled VW information that no Beetle, Bus or Porsche owner should be without.

Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany dreamt of building highways, cutting taxes and making car ownership a possibility for the masses. Established firms such as Mercedes Benz had been approached, however they were unable and unwilling to produce a car for Hitlers target retail price of 900 marks.
When one in six Americans owned a car German car ownership was a miniscule one in 50. The American machinery also made pre-war European cars seem farcically inferior. Hitler was impressed by the engineer Dr. Ferdinand Porsche’s plans for a rear engined racing car with torsion bar suspension.

The two men determined that the car should be economical, be a four seater, be a called to operate in extreme temperatures and be able to cruise at 100 kilometers per hour.

Porsche calculated thats this car, the Kleinauto would cost 1550 marks but Hitler wanted the price to be 900 – around $360. Porsche and the established order firms protested but they knew Hitler and his government ruled Germany with an iron fist and prototypes were duly built.

The Wolfsburg factory was built on a greenfield site and production very briefly started before the war.

When World War 2 ended the allies had a partly destroyed Volkswagen factory and many former enslaved workers. The factory was resurrected and production switched from military vehicles to passenger cars.

The basic design stood through the ages and production continued in Germany as well as Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa and many more countries around the world.

After many small changes and improvements such as the addition of fuel injection and a catalyst during 62 the Beetle became the most loved car on the planet before production finally ceased. By then other models such as the Fastback, Squareback, 411, 412 and 914 had been added to the line-up. Porsche also produced the more powerful 912 and 911.

It is the Beetle though that will remain the longest and most incredible car story ever. We hope you enjoy learning more about it.