When the VW Beetle became world champion
On February 17, 1972, Germany became world champion. No, not in soccer or any other sport. On this presumably wintry grey Tuesday 50 years ago, a light blue Beetle rolled off the production line in Hall 12 of the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg. It was a 1302 S. The special feature, however, was the production number of this car. This inconspicious example was literally one in millions. Since the start of series production in 1945, this was number 15,007,034 and thus actually a strange occasion for celebration. Normally, one would think that number 15,000,000 would have been a much more appropriate number to celebrate. But this odd number meant that the Beetle had officially overtaken the legendary Ford Model T. The latter was the world record holder for the largest number of vehicles produced up to that point. By the time production of the Beetle ended in 2003, the number had risen to 21,529,464 units.
Limited Weltmeister edition
Nowadays, the record lists lead the Toyota Corolla and the Volkswagen Golf ahead of the Beetle. However, both achieved the higher production figures only with many model generations. The Model T and Beetle, on the other hand, remained virtually unchanged in appearance throughout their entire production run. At least a late Volkswagen 1600i has more in common with the original model from 1945 than the current Golf 8 has with a Golf 1. In 1972, the automaker from Wolfsburg didn’t just let its employees in Hall 12 share in the world record celebrations. From February 19 to March 31, 1972, 6,000 customers were able to sign a purchase contract for the special “Weltmeister” model. This was given a special light blue paint job named “Marathon metallic”. The equipment also included Lemmerz-design rims, halogen headlights, a dual-tone horn, a heated rear window and reversing lights. Inside, black corduroy seats, floor mats and shift panel upholstery provided comfort. Each owner also received a sticker, key fob, jewelry tag and factory certificate, as well as a World Champion gold medal.
Weltmeister Beetle in AutoStadt
Number 15,007,034 remained in the possession of Volkswagen AG after the 1972 celebrations and is now part of the inventory of the ZeitHaus museum in AutoStadt, their automotive event park in Wolfsburg, Germany. This likewise has a Ford Model T. Both vehicles stand at present in the entrance area, the so-called Piazza of the AutoStadt. With this special display they would like to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the world record. The AutoStadt can be visited daily. Currently, German “2G rule” applies (only vaccinated or recovered from the CoVid virus), as well as general hygiene regulations and rules of conduct. The AutoStadt press release left open how long the two former world champions will remain on display in their Piazza.
Images: Volkswagen, AutoStadt GmbH
