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Volkswagen Beetle
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Car companies as famous as Toyota and Ford are widely known around the world. Many car manufacturers have made vehicles that have endeared themselves not only to their customers, but to an entire generation. With that in mind, lets look at these companies from a different angle, here are ten things you didn't know about the major car companies.

1. John and Horace Dodge, future automakers themselves, were among the initial investors in the Ford Motor Company.

2. There are only four companies worldwide that are larger than General Motors: Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP.

3. The trucks manufactured for the Japanese military by Toyota had only one headlight which was mounted in the center of the hood.

4. The now famous Chrysler star logo, known as the Pentastar, first began to appear on their vehicles in 1963.

5. During World War II, the main manufacturing plant for the Nissan company was moved to Japanese captured land in China.

6. The first Volkswagen Beetle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of auto maker Porsche.

7. Honda is not the largest auto maker in the world, but it is the largest maker of engines in the world.

8. When auto maker Dodge was sold for 146 million dollars in 1925 it was the largest cash transaction in history.

9. Auto maker Porsche was founded in 1931 but didn't make its first car until 1939.

10. The Cadillac company is named for Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, a 17th century French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701.

The major car manufacturers have gotten to be major corporations because they are doing something right. They surprise us and disappoint us every year with the new models that come out. What will they roll out for next year and what will their great accomplishments be? Only time will tell.

Mark Allen provides access to the Department of Transportation webcams from around the United States at http://dotwebcams.com

It doesn't stop there though as there is also travel information, must-see webcams, and photos of car wrecks too. DOTwebcams.com is the place to go.

The History of the Vw Beetle. One of the Worlds Classic Cars

The VW Beetle is one of the most well known cars in history. The beetle came out initially in 1938, and has been in production in one form or another for most of the years from 1938 to 2003. The VW Beetle is without doubt one of the most classic cars in history. And the history of the VW Beetle is an interesting one indeed.

The original idea for the VW Beetle, or what is also known as the VW Bug, came from Adolf Hitler. It is said that he had the idea of a "peoples car" in 1924 whilst he way in prison. He wanted a car that anyone could afford, and also to help with the unemployment problem that existed in post WW1 Germany. In 1933 the Nazi party came to power and Hitler raised the issue of building special roads for the peoples car, and in 1933 the government began a program of construction of "autobahns" for German drivers. "Volkswagon" (VW) is the German name for peoples car.

Hitler wanted the design project for the Beetle started and gave the job to Ferdinand Porshe, later to become very well known for the "Porsche" cars that bore his name. Hitler specified some criteria, including a top speed of 62 mph (100 kmh), at least 42 miles to the gallon fuel consumption, able to transport at least 2 adults and 3 children and to be able to sell for less than what was at the time the equivalent of 86 pounts (UK currency).

Thus began the history of the VW Beetle, arguably the most famous car in history.

The big question was the engine to be used and the placement of the engine, and in 1935 an Austrial engineer came up with a design for a flat four engine, Porshe having previously decided that the engine should be rear mounted. This engine was an air cooled engine, and was cheap to build, and this engine powered hundreds of thouands of beetles for the next 40 years.

And the name even came from Adolf Hitler. He specified a car that would "look like a beetle" so it was well streamlined, and hence the name "Beetle". Then "Bug". And the history of the VW Beetle records that that body shape changed little over many decades.

The basic style of the VW Beetle changed little over many decades, though of course there were many different models, but each model had the same basic beetle shape, and the engine changed little too. The manufacture of the Volkswagen Beetle stopped in 1980, at what point it had become the worlds most popular car.

The VW Beetle is not the worlds fastest car. It will, technically, do 0 - 50 mph in 13 seconds, a little slower than most cars today, but it had other features that made it popular. It was cheap to buy and run, simple to work on and reliable. It had only a small motor and, although originally required by Hitler to do 42 mpg, actually did a little over 30 mpg. That, however, is still very good compared to many modern cars.

That's the basic history of the VW Beetle. It was and is one of the worlds classic cars. It spawned a whole generation of great small cars, like the VW golf, and sold hundreds of thousands. It has also been the basis of many other vehicles. For example many vehicles such as dune buggies are based on a simple VW Beetel chassis.

The history of the Beetle is an interesting one. And for those interested in owning a VW Beetle there is still a range of great quality second hand Beetles available. And there are countless restored Beetles and car clubs with many Beetle owners.

So if you'd love your own piece of automobile history grab a VW Beetle. The history of the VW Beetle has shown it to be one of the worlds great cars.

About the Author

Want to find a classic VW Beetle For Sale? Visit Peter's Website Cheap VW Beetles For Sale and find new VW Beetles as well at http://cartemple.com/Beetle-Classic/new-VW-beetles-for-sale

anyone drive a volkswagen beetle between the years of 1997-2005? are they reliable?

i want to have a volkswagen beetle by February 2008. i just started a new job and im a full time student with an 11 month old daughter so i know moneys gonna be tight. i do have a lot of help from my family however. ive always ALWAYS wanted a volkswagen and now i see that actually owning one is becoming more realistic, im trying to plan everything out...but anyway, is there anyone out there that owns or once owned a volkswagen beetle? one of the more recent ones. they seem spacious and reliable but i would love to hear it from someone that would know hands on. thanks

The big issue with the New Beetle is not the mechanical (engine, transmission), but the electrical issues. Window regulators are known to have cable failures or problems with the nylon window to regulator hasp and known to break; there is a 7 year/unlimited milage campaign to deal with the issues of this; another issue is the coil packs on turbo model vehicles, they also are known to fail; the brake light switch is another sore point, they sometimes stick in the on position, thus draining the battery or worse, don't engage at all and you cannot shift the vehicle out of the park position. Other items that are a sore point headlight and tail light bulb replacements (recall campaign for Beetles for headlight harness replacements for 98 to 2002? due to burnout or open circuit issues); glove box doors that break; center console lid latch failures; inside door panel colour fading away; etc.

If I were going to purchase a New Beetle, I would purchase only a very late model one; 2004 up, earlier ones have had too many issues. (although by this time, most have had the various updates and recalls done).

Late model ones also have side and curtain air bags to protect you in an accident and although the New Beetle shares the basic floor pan with the 2 door Golf, it does have an additional re-inforcement, so it does better in frontal crashes than the Golf or Jetta of the same year.

On balance though, if I were going to get a VW, I'd probably opt to get a Jetta where the resale value would be higher and it be an easier vehicle to sell, if need be. The additional rear seat room and larger trunk space would be nice too.

If dependability were the most important item; then, perhaps other choices might be better. A late model Honda Civic, a Toyota Corolla, or a Mazda 3, would be excellent choices.

The Civic has known reliability, good fuel economy, decent handling, but not very exciting. The Toyota Corolla can be bought for less money than the Honda or Civic, highly reliable, the best with gas and the most pleasant ride. The Mazda is by far the best handling of the bunch (save a Civic SI), has sedan or hatchback availability, the highest resale value (hatchback), but the economy only matches the VW.

So, there you have it in a nut shell. Hope this helps, a car nut.

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