One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its production period of 65 years is the longest of any single generation of automobile, and its total production of over 21.5 million is the most of any car of a single platform.

The Beetle featured a rear-located, air-cooled four-cylinder, boxer engine and rear-wheel drive in a two-door bodywork featuring a flat front windscreen, accommodating four passengers and providing luggage storage under the front bonnet and behind the rear seat. It had a drag coefficient of 0.48. The bodywork attached with eighteen bolts to the Beetle’s nearly flat platform chassis featured a central structural tunnel.

The front and rear suspension incorporated torsion bars and a front stabilizer bar, providing independent suspension at all wheels, albeit the front axle was designed with double longitudinal trailing arms, whereas the rear axle was a swing axle. Light alloy forms the Beetle’s engine, transmission, and cylinder heads.

Following the war, the Beetle experienced a significant growth in success. This 1951 Volkswagen Beetle is a split-window sedan powered by a 1.1-liter air-cooled flat-four paired with a four-speed manual transaxle. Features include hydraulic drum brakes.

The Ron Sturgeon Collection