RIP VW Beetle

Last one rolls off the production line on Puebla, Mexico this week.
From Nazis to hippies: End of the road for Volkswagen Beetle

 

Kinky.

 

My guess is it will be back at some point.

 

Harry Chapin gets his revenge at last.

 

Had about a 20 year run as a retro remake, meaning it outlasted the return of the Thunderbird, Monte Carlo (RIP) and probably the Continental once they realize they bitched that up too.

 

One of the cores of the Beetle’s design, it’s pancake four-cylinder air-cooled engine, probably played a role in its declining market share.

It was difficult to make it larger and more powerful and still dissipate heat sufficiently. And attempts to meet U.S. emissions regulations further taxed its limited horsepower. It was very difficult to add creature comforts such as an automatic transmission or air conditioning and still have a Beetle that could easily reach highway speeds.

 

My buddy had a Beetle in high school. One night he got into it with another driver. At a red light the guys in the other car got out and smashed the windows with baseball bats. That's my nostalgic memory of the Beetle.

 

Take it to the fight thread.