Designed by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930s, the VW Beetle is probably the most popular people"s car of all time. This pictorial history, featuring many rarely seen period photos, looks at the car"s conception and long career. It recalls Porsche"s initial designs and the birth of the car in Nazi Germany, the classic models and the split-window and oval-window Beetles with their characteristic sloping headlamps, and the most familiar models of the late 60s and 70s with their big back windows. The last years of production in Germany are covered and particular attention is paid to special editions like the GT. The book also looks at the underlying reasons for the car"s phenomenal reputation, at the sales and marketing side of the story and at the enormity of the Beetle cult in Europe and North America. The author also considers the new front-wheel drive Beetle, which pays homage to the distinctive design of the original but has been conceived in an altogether different world.