Several models that can be described as icons have made automotive history.
Three models also remind us of modern history – thanks to the VW New Beetle, Porsche 911, and Mini.
A Great Start of the 1930s
The prototype of the Volkswagen Käfer folk vehicle (Beetle) was designed by Ferdinand Porsche. It was completed on February 5, 1936 (VW Käfer Type 1). It had an innovative independent wheel suspension, torsion bar suspension, and friction dampers, braking was achieved mechanically, progress was made on the soft rubber engine mount, the use of two- and four-stroke engines with a power of 22.5 hp (16.5 kW) was planned. After the difficult war years, more and more Volkswagen Käfer vehicles came on the market, by 1950 it was 100,000 units produced, by 1953 it was 500,000 and by 1955 it was 1 million. In 1972, 15,007,034 units were achieved. Production (almost 30 years) continued in Wolfsburg until 1974 and in Emden until 1978. Other products were made in Mexico until 2003 (21,529,464 units produced in total). The beetle maintained its typical outline over the years.
An Eye-Catching Story
The first production Porsche was the 356 model. The basis was Porsche’s “No. 1” Roadster by Ferry Porsche. It was a two-seater with a mid-engine and a tubular frame. The drive was provided by a 1.1-liter Volkswagen engine (26 kW/35 hp). The Porsche 356 is considered to have been born on July 7, 1948. The model with a modified frame and already with an engine at the rear went into series production. The first 53 units were produced in Gmünd in Carinthia, in 1950 production moved back to Stuttgart-Zufenhausen. The first Porsche 356 had parts from VW (gearboxes, brakes, and a four-cylinder engine with a higher power of 29 kW/40 hp). Continuously, the 356 improved. In 1963, the introduction of the 901 models followed (the number was changed on October 22, 1964, to the now iconic “nine one one”, based on the protest of Peugeot, which had a model with the same number). Production of the iconic Porsche 356 ended in April 1965 and a total of 76,302 vehicles were produced.
Small but Powerful
The story of the small English icon Mini began to be written by the Greek designer Alexander Constantin Issigonis at the British Motor Company. He was given a difficult task – with his team to create a car for four adult passengers on a small chassis. To meet the requirements of minimalist dimensions, the ADO15 project received a conventional four-cylinder engine, but mounted transversely (it powered the front wheels), the gearbox was integrated with the crankcase, the radiator went to the fender, the door hinges and the luggage compartment lid were on the outside, and 10-inch wheels got into the corners of the body. The serial Mini Mark I was introduced in 1959. The vehicle was powered by an 850 cm3 four-cylinder engine generating 25 kW (34 hp). Despite weighing only 615 kg, it was able to reach a top speed of 116 km/h. In 1961, John Cooper, the F1 designer and friend of Issigonis, became involved with the Mini. This is how the sports versions of the Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S started to emerge.
Text: Peter Stano, photo: Volkswagen AG, Porsche AG, Mini
