Follow the Iconic VW Beetle Through History In This Archival Image Gallery
See what drove 21 million sales over six decades.
We're back with another round of archival deep-dives, wherein we scour photo repositories for some of the coolest old automotive imagery we can find. We did classic Land Rovers and old dealerships not too long ago, so we figured it was time to shine the light on a bona fide cultural icon—the VW Beetle. Between 1938 and 2003, over 21millionof these things were built, so its no surprise to see the Beetle popping up in almost every part of the 20th century. It's a varied group of photos; as usual, we've picked a few of our favorites to highlight, but make sure you check out the full gallery.
Too Much Woodstock—Or Maybe Not Enough
You can be sure a hefty percentage of the cars parked on the grass at Woodstock—and those stuck in the infamous traffic jam—were VW's round little Bug. Good thing there weren't many sharp corners for these Woodstock partiers to collapse onto.
Proving the VW Beetle's Waterproofing
Not much background info can be dredged up about this image, though the caption notes this Beetle crossed the very shallow Strait of Messina in Sicily as proof of its watertight construction.
Hotrod Beetle
Hopping up the People's Car is nothing new. Pictured here is a Canadian enthusiast futzing with his show-worthy Beetle carrying significant modifications. Nice wheels.
