{"id":10712,"date":"2019-12-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/70-years-of-volkswagen-beetle-cabriolet\/"},"modified":"2020-10-08T14:49:43","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T14:49:43","slug":"70-years-of-volkswagen-beetle-cabriolet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/en\/70-years-of-volkswagen-beetle-cabriolet\/","title":{"rendered":"70 Years of Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To this day, the Volkswagen Beetle is very popular all over the world. In Germany, many of them are now registered as classic cars. No wonder, since several generations of drivers learned how to drive in one of these cars. The open-top convertibles enjoy a special cult status. Although Ferdinand Porsche had already planned such a variant during the original project planning of the Volkswagen and had a final, four-seater prototype built by Karmann in Osnabr\u00fcck\/Germany in 1936, the car initially was launched to the market as a closed limousine, optionally equipped with a folding sunroof. The prototype driving tests had shown that the open version was much more torsional than the closed one. In addition, the wartime conversion of production to K\u00fcbelwagen, Schwimmwagen and Kommandeurswagen versions of the KdF-Wagen had almost changed the appearance of this vehicle. However, on behalf of the Wehrmacht, Autenrieth produced between ten and fifteen custom-made convertibles of the KdF-Wagen between 1938 and 1943. When the British military under Major Ivan Hurst restarted production of the Volkswagen after the war, practical cars were first needed for the military itself and some authorities. Lifestyle products such as a Cabriolet had a much lower priority. Karmann in Osnabr\u00fcck however remembered the open pre-war prototype in 1949.

They made a new vehicle and presented it to the Volkswagen board. They really got the green light for it and produced the Beetle Cabriolet officially on behalf of VW. These were basically based on the most powerful and best equipped limousines of each respective model year. Of course, Karmann also included the optical modifications of the closed version for the Cabriolet. From 1964, for example, the side windows were enlarged. Headlights and taillights were available in numerous variants over the years. Production of the Beetle Cabriolet ended on 10 January 1980 and was discontinued in favour of the Golf Cabriolet, which was already in production at the same time. Karmann produced a total of 330,281 copies of the cuddly open four-seater.<\/p>\n\n\n

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