Volkswagen Beetle review (05/12/2012)

THERE can be few more iconic vehicles in the world than the Volkswagen Beetle, and since the first two prototypes were seen back in 1935 it has successfully embedded itself in the hearts and minds of generations of car enthusiasts the world over. The fact that people still pine for one underlines the fact that Ferdinand Porsche’s design overcame incredible difficulties before, literally, conquering the world.

That irony might not be lost on many people, particularly as the car was originally commissioned by Adolf Hitler — who, after all, wanted to conquer large tracts of the world — as part of his National Socialist vision for a modern German in which everyone had either a car or a tractor.

The ‘Volks Wagen’ — people’s car, literally — was thus born, and