Volkswagen Beetle

The Beetle is one of the most iconic cars of all time. Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to create a "people's car", one that anyone could afford. Thus he created the "Volkswagen", a barebones and inexpensive vehicle. It became phenomenal instantly. Ironically it was also a success overseas after World War II. It was especially a success with hippies in the sixties, and because of this the film The Love Bug was created with a Beetle having a mind of its own. The film was a hit and spawned sequels. Decades later the franchise was revived, but with less success. The original beetle was discontinued in the seventies but continued to be sold in Mexico for a lot longer. Decades later a "New Beetle" was introduced. However, there were many criticisms. It was larger. It was front-engined. It was not barebones. It only vaguely looked like the original. It was more powerful. The name "New Beetle" was gimmicky and was even kept years after introduction. The "New" was dropped after awhile. The revival was dropped in 2019. The original Beetle was used in the Trans Am Series. The New Beetle had its own spec series.