±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Although the new Volkswagen Beetle’s faulty wiring hit the

headlines following its launch in the US last month, few would deny

that, on the outside at least, the car is a design classic.

The Beetle, designed by Ferdinand Porsche, was launched by Hitler at the

1939 Berlin Motor Show as the ’people’s car’. More than 21 million of

the air-cooled bugs have been produced, with 300 still rolling out of

the Mexico factory every day.

The Beetle was, and still is, a revolutionary piece of design. Stripped

of all their identifying marks, how many cars are as instantly

recognisable as the Beetle? So bringing it into the 90s was a smart move

for Volkswagen.

The new Beetle has evolved from the Concept 1, a car unveiled to an

enthusiastic crowd at the 1994 Detroit Motor Show.

Enthusiasts have been following the car’s progress with bated breath

since then. A holidaymaker took photographs of the car being test-driven

in Mexico last year and the illicit shots appeared in many specialist

magazines.

Taking the car from concept to reality was the task of project manager

Holger Ploog. The car’s three domed sections do not conform with the

modern ideals of aerodynamics and space efficiency, so the modern

commercial adaptation had to ensure that the classic shape wasn’t

lost.

The fans have not been disappointed. The retro design encases Golf

engineering, so the car is full of all the modern specifications that

Beetle fans have only dreamed about.

The poorly performing original brakes, for example, have been replaced

by a disc set-up. And travelling downhill with the wind behind you was

once the only way to get close to the now standard top speed of over 100

mph.

Jeremy Clarkson and Bill Clinton have them on order. Personally, I am

waiting for the cabriolet.

With its retro lines and modern engineering, the new Beetle must be

poised to be the leisure car for the year 2000.