Beschreibung:

The Volkswagen sedan inspired unusual loyalty and enthusiasm based on its practicality, reliability, adaptability and affordability. It had nothing at all to do with elegance, style, design or performance. Originally conceived by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in the earliest days of his consulting engineering company, it was given the sequential number Project 12. Porsche shopped it to various German manufacturers in the early Thirties but it wasn’t until the rise of National Socialism that the idea of a People’s Car gathered support from the government as a way of promoting the use of Germany’s revolutionary Autobahn highway system. The Volkswagen’s layout was the essence of practicality. The platform backbone frame was simple to build and adaptable, the rear mounted engine left the entire volume between the wheels free of obstructions and mated directly to the transaxle which eliminated the driveshaft. Porsche’s favored trailing arm independent front suspension with transverse torsion bar springs imposed little upon the internal volume and the swing axle rear suspension coped with the typically rough roads of the day. Porsche preferred an air cooled engine because it eliminated the whole water cooling system of pumps, pipes, hoses and radiators as well as eliminating the risk of freezing in cold northern winters. It was a remarkably well thought out concept, meeting a number of difficult challenges and it proved, in terms of its impact on automobile design and acceptance, comparable with if not equal to Henry Ford’s Model T. Conceived in the early 1930’s, it was sold in Europe and the United States for over forty years and remained in production in Mexico until the beginning of the 21st century. Unlike the Model T, however, the Beetle (the nickname its shape and curved luggage compartment door quickly earned) evolved substantially over its production life. Unlike many automobile models, however, the Beetle always stayed true to the basic concept set down in the Thirties by Dr. Porsche and his engineering team. The wheelbase never budged from 94.5” (2,400mm) and the track changed only slightly with wheel and tire choices and the 1969 change from swing axles to fully articulated independent rear suspension. From the late Fifties through the early Seventies Volkswagens sold in hundreds of thousands in the United States, peaking at 572,573 in 1970. In 1973 the Beetle surpassed the Model T’s total production and has continued to add to its margin for a further quarter century. The Paine Collection’s 1959 Volkswagen 1200 two-door sedan is typical of the vast majority of Beetles sold in the U.S. but also exemplifies the small but important evolutionary changes which continued to make the Beetle relevant and popular. Tubeless tires had been standardized in 1957. In 1958 the rear window grew larger and nearly rectangular in shape instead of the former oval. Parking lights and turn signals now perched on top of the front fenders. 1959’s changes were strictly mechanical, reflecting the continuity of design and production which allowed Volkswagen to amortize its design, development and tooling costs over huge production runs and keep the prices (in 1959 the 1200 sedan was just $1,555 landed at a U.S. port) in check. The Paine Collection’s 1959 Volkswagen 1200 Two-Door Sedan shows just 34,338 miles on its odometer and is completely original. Its original paint is a pastel grey-blue while the interior is grey two-tone vinyl. It has an AM radio, two grey translucent plastic sun visors, bumper overriders and blackwall tires. It was given the “Rusty Jones” rustproofing treatment when new, which no doubt contributes to the current sound condition of its body. Its cosmetic condition substantiates the mileage on the odometer and it appears to have been driven – probably around Mt. Desert judging from the stone chips on the nose – then put away on display in the Museum. After mechanical recommissioning it should be usable in its present cosmetic conditi