Kdf-Wagen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The KdF-Wagen was the official name of the first Volkswagen Beetle car. Originally commissioned by the Nazi Party in the late 1930s, the KdF-Wagen was designed by Ferdinand Porsche (senior) as a compact people's car that would be affordable to the vast majority of the German population.
The KdF-Wagen (and indeed Volkswagen itself) was a project of the Kraft durch Freude organisation in Nazi Germany.
KdF stands for Kraft durch Freude, or "Strength through Joy".
For the construction of the KdF-Wagen, a new town now known as Wolfsburg was created in Lower Saxony.
The KdF-Wagen had initially been called the Porsche 60 by Ferdinand, but it was officially named the KdF-Wagen when the project was launched. Later simple known as the Type 1, it became more commonly known as the Beetle after World War II.
In the period of World War II, two notable variants of the KdF-Wagen were produced for military use: the Kübelwagen and the Schwimmwagen. A number of short-run and innovative (although ultimatly doomed) variants known as "Holzbrenner"s also existed, including charcoal and woodburning versions, intended to cope with the extreme fuel shortage experienced throughout Germany (and most of the world) during World War II.
The designer of the KdF-Wagen (Ferdinand Porsche senior) is often confused with his son Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche. Ferdinand Porsche (senior) was the founder of the Porsche car company, which his son worked for and later went on to run after his death.
[edit] External links
- a dedicated KdF-Wagen website (English and German language)
- a Pictorial history of the VW Beetle
