Car New Quote

First published in 1965, "Small Wonder: The Amazing Story of the Volkswagen Beetle" is the most successful book of all time on the Beetle. Originally selling over 1.2 million copies, "Small Wonder" is often quoted as the source by many subsequent histories. Now, Bentley Publishers is releasing this new edition, with new foreword by the author, in honor of the new Beetle and the renewed interest in the original Beetle. Given complete access to Volkswagen archives in both Germany and the U.S. at the time of writing, author Walter Henry Nelson gives a highly detailed account of the Beetle's development and success. Nelson gives many behind-the-scenes details and glimpses into the people who shaped the company, providing a rich picture of how and why Volkswagen and the Beetle evolved as they did. Filled with numerous personal tributes and valuable insights, "Small Wonder" provides the reader with a better understanding of the Beetle's "cult car" status.

The idea of building a car for the people was not new, but the success of such models had always been limited. At least until 1946, when the Volkswagen factory began building the first Beetles for public consumption. From then on the car just ran and ran. Volkswagen Model Documentation begins by telling the history of Volkswagen after the war, how the British under Major Ivan Hirst rescued Porsche's concept from the rubble, and how Heinrich Nordhoff then steered the company to worldwide success. Joachim Kuch then examines in detail the genesis and history of each Volkswagen model, beginning with the Beetle and Cabriolet (Types 1 and 151), through the Karmann-Ghia (Type 14), Thing (Type 181) Transporter (Type 2, including air-and watercooled, Campmobile and Westfalia), Type 3 (Notchback, Squareback, Fastback, Ghia), Type 4 (411, 412), and 914 (4-and 6-cylinder). Also included are separate sections detailing the important dates, changes, and milestones in each model's production run. Packed with photographs, quotes from press and test articles of the time, and information from internal Volkswagen documents, Volkswagen Model Documentation tells the comprehensive story of all the Volkswagen boxer-engine models.