Beetlemania: The Story of the Car That Captured the Hearts of Millions - Hardcover

The book abounds with tidbits of Beetle trivia--for example, in Bournemouth, England, 103 students once squeezed themselves into a single Beetle, and secured a new record. (They also managed to drive the car for 15 feet!)

The birth of the Beetle is traced back to the Berlin Auto Show in 1933, and a historic meeting between Ferdinand Porsche and Adolph Hitler. As Porsche sketched his visions for a small car suitable for ordinary people, Hitler added his ideas. How many Beetle owners today realize the impact that this notorious dictator had on their beloved car?

The car's rise and fall is then charted, through war, economic slump, the swinging '60s, and beyond. An entire chapter is devoted to the new Beetles--first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 1994, and stopping traffic ever since.

Illustrated throughout with dozens of photographs, Beetlemania will delight Bug addicts everywhere.

Now it appears that lightening has struck twice. At the 1998 Detroit Auto Show, the audience stood 2,000-deep to witness Volkswagen's unveiling of the New Beetle. Before the car reached dealerships, the waiting list stretched four-months long. The list of celebrity purchasers ranges from Jerry Seinfeld to Cindy Crawford.

With the New Beetle drawing crowds every time it pulls into a parking lot and vintage Beetles more popular than ever with collectors, "Beetlemania" is the perfect companion volume for the first-time fan as well as the die-hard enthusiast. Filled with fascinating photographs-many of them from Volkswagen's own archives-this book provides a witty, yet authoritative history of the car that's captured the hearts of millions.