The
man behind the Beetle was its designer Dr Ferdinand Porshe. He was
born Sept. 3, 1875, in Maffersdorf, Austria and died Jan. 30, 1951, Stuttgart,
W. Germany. He was world renowned as an innovator designer of racing automobiles
and even military vehicles.
His dream was to create a car that would be designed and be affordable for the common man. This dream did not always endear him to his employers who mostly manufactured big expensive cars for the super rich.
This dream of Doctor Porshe was brought fruition when the Nazis took power in Germany. Governed by the wish of an automobile enthusiast Adolf Hitler; the dream was finally a reality.
A strange purchase program consisting of savings books and stamps was created, and the Nazi Labor Front which financed the construction of the factory that would manufacture the Kdf wagen. Kdf, was the short name for the German words of the Strength Through Joy government program that helped employees enjoy cruises and trips for their relaxation. Naturally the town where they cars were to be created was named Kdfstadt; Town of the Strength Through Joy car.
It was given the name "KDFwagen" kdf being the short name for the Strength Through Joy Nazi program. A program to help keep employees in line by helping them afford vacations and the like. To purchase the
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