Who really invented the Volkswagen Beetle? Was it the “People’s Car” – the proud invention of the Third Reich, or was the real inventor an unfortunate victim of industrial theft? New research has turned up a surprising, if not sad, piece of automotive history. The real inventor of the Volkswagen was a Jewish engineer – kidnapped and tortured by the Nazis -- named Josef Ganz.
When Moshe purchased his car — a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle personally imported to Israel by a German embassy employee in Tel Aviv — he never dreamed he’d encounter problems with it on the very first day.
The engine ran smoothly — no problems there. “German efficiency” Moshe whispered confidently happy to have avoided the expense of a more upscale car. But the morning after his purchase his joy turned to dismay when he found his brand-new car defaced with the words “Nazis out!”
That’s how it was in those years. There weren’t too many cars in Israel and certainly not many VW Beetles. But any Beetle found on the road ran the risk of being sprayed in the dead of night with anti-Nazi graffiti. Why this happened more often to Beetles than it did to Mercedes-Benzes or to AEG washing machines could be because of the Beetle’s political status: a symbol of the German empire.
The well-known part of the vehicle’s history begins in 1933. That’s when German auto designer Ferdinand Porsche began working on plans for a small car with a rear engine. Germany’s new chancellor Adolf Hitler expressed interest in the project asked Porsche to show him the sketches and even made some suggestions as to the design technical specifications and even the name.
Create a free account to keep reading.
