They reconstructed the oldest Vocho in the world

silhouette Volkswagen Type 1 It is one of the most famous places in the world. Over 23 million cars have been sold since 1945 and their worldwide nicknames like Beetle, Käfer, Coccinele and, of course, FuzhouDo nothing but glorify his legendary legacy. But have you ever wondered what it looked like? older model. We show it to you.

manner of creation Fuzhou It wasn’t easy. In fact, several prototypes had to be passed to get to the one we know. To fully celebrate its history, German Christian Grundmann has since 2018 started a project to rebuild the first beetleon the basis of nothing more and nothing less than the original structure of the only existing prototype, the W30. Here we tell you the whole story.

Photo: Facebook/Christian Grundmann

From Porsche to Hitler: how the first Vocho . was created

Origin Fuzhou It dates back to the 1930s, according to the official website of Volkswagenfirst designs automatic Made in Austria Ferdinand Porsche (Yes, the creator created a Porsche model Fuzhou), who was looking for a publicly available production, cost and sale model.

First Attempts to Create automatic The city was a failure. From 1932 to 1933 models were manufactured write 12 s type 32 (The numbers indicate how many prototypes were built), but their engines were hot and didn’t get the expected mileage. Currently there is no version of these models.

As expected, the projects were canceled but thanks to the rise Hitler To power in Germany, which also wanted automatic Cheap folks, Ferdinand had the funding he needed for one last try. And so, after testing other compounds, it came W30.

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It was a series of 30 concept vehicles that featured grilles instead of a rear window, a 25 liter petrol tank, and a tank. engine E60 4-cylinder air-cooled, which according to specialist portal BeetleInjection, would make automatic Cheaper and more reliable.

The first unit was completed in December 1936 and after passing more than two million kilometers in tests, the W30 I was ready for the next step. After some aesthetic and technical changes, in 1938, 630 units were manufactured that will be the basis for Fuzhou Which we all know, began to be produced in 1945.

All 30 models were officially destroyed. However, the central part of Chassis of prototype No. 26 On display at the Gründmann Family Museum in Hessisch-Oldendorf, in Germany which, according to antique collector Christian Gundmann, was discovered in an Austrian scrapyard in the early 1980s.

Photo: Volkswagen

The first vocho (almost) comes back to life

In 2018, Christian Grundmann announced that he intends to rebuild Volkswagen W30 From the chassis of the prototype No. 26 manufactured in 1937, a piece of Fuzhou The oldest recorded so far.

After some delays due to the pandemic, the 8th Volkswagen International Show Hessisch Oldendorf took place in June 2022, where Christian was able to present W30or at least its body, because it does not yet have the proper motor to install it in automatic.

Photo: Facebook Models / Volkswagen

Through updates from Christian through the Facebook forum and TheSamba, we’ve learned that Fuzhou It was recreated thanks to a wooden mold and 3D-printed, in an attempt to obtain the exact measurements of the original, unlike the model displayed by the official museum of Volkswagen.

The pictures speak for themselves. Gründmann imprinted the Porsche vision faithfully and it is as if he saw it automaticLet’s travel through time. Now we just need to wait for his engine and we will face the first Fuzhou Functional history.

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