[positiveions]

PDK in the early 80s rally race? Wow, that's a first for me.

[BEM-S4]

Still miss dad's 500E that was the ultimate stealth bomber.

Little mentioned fact about the VW Bug, the Fuerher commissioned it originally. "Asked" aka demanded Porsche to design a car for the people that would carry 2 adults and 3 children comfortably. Think it's still the best selling car ever produced if memory serves.

Hugo Boss also did some work for Uncle Adolf too, made SS and youth uniforms.

The G-Wagon was a similar story, commissioned by the Shah of Iran. Think he was gone before he ever took delivery.

[Chappers 71]

VK4501 Porsche Tiger

[Teutonic]

Cool Thread. I knew about several things but didn't know that the E500 is a Porsche design. That Harley is gorgeous, a bike design is not an easy thing given the physics requirements and challenges; I think that is a clean neat design.
I also did not know about the Scania trucks.
Always enjoyed your posts! Thank you!

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Still miss dad's 500E that was the ultimate stealth bomber.

Little mentioned fact about the VW Bug, the Fuerher commissioned it originally. "Asked" aka demanded Porsche to design a car for the people that would carry 2 adults and 3 children comfortably. Think it's still the best selling car ever produced if memory serves.

Hugo Boss also did some work for Uncle Adolf too, made SS and youth uniforms.

The G-Wagon was a similar story, commissioned by the Shah of Iran. Think he was gone before he ever took delivery.

There is a debate, but it seems that Hitler actually draw the generic design for the Beetle.

http://www.hitler.org/artifacts/volkswagen/

Hitler and F. Porsche though got inspired by the Tatra V570

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Tracus

There is a debate, but it seems that Hitler actually draw the generic design for the Beetle.

http://www.hitler.org/artifacts/volkswagen/

Hitler and F. Porsche though got inspired by the Tatra V570

Yeah... Ferdinand Porsche and Hans Ledwinka knew/admired/stole each other's designs...

Hans Ledwinka - was a Czech-Austrian automobile ... In any case, of Ledwinka, Ferdinand Porsche admitted "Well, sometimes I looked over his shoulder and sometimes he looked over mine"...

Hitler was very enamored by Ferdinand Porsche(& his son Ferry). Hitler was a very big fan of Ferdinand Porsche way before Hitler came into political power.

It was Hitler's idea of a peoples car... the so called Volkswagen. Hitler wan't to give the project to Porsche... but MB and the other German car makers wanted a piece of the action. So a contest was born. Hitler had indeed drawn up some early sketches of his idea of a "people's car"... then everyone started up with their renders. The "contest" was between Mercedes, NSU, Tatra, Porsche(which became knows as the KdF wagen, which in turn became VW)...

From what I remember... the car had to travel at least 120 kph(for Hitler's new idea, the Autobahn) it had to get at least 10liters per 100 kph(or about 24 mpg) the car had to be cheap(I think under 5,000 Reichsmarks (RDM)) and the car had to be able to drive 100K kms(60K miles) without any major work. Mercedes was adamant that such a car couldn't be built. Dr. Porsche disagreed.

Hitler sent his SS men to ride along with the development engineers. I remember reading in Ferry's autobiographical... "Car are my Life"... that Ferry remembers how each night after testing the KdF Beetle on the Alpina roads/passes... that he would round up some pretty girls to keep Hitler's guards entertained(over dinner) while Porsche's mechanics would sneak outside to the cars and make repairs such as new sparkplugs or service work... all under the guard's noses. lol This was one way Porsche was more clever than the other auto makers of its time. Porsche had no love for those "other" car makers since he had worked for a lot of them before setting up his engineering firm!

I don't remember who's idea it was... but someone thought up a savings booklet for normal people to order a car. You just had to purchase these special KdF stamps in order to purchase a car. It was a sort of War Bond - program... only thing was not one car was delivered this way!


Here are some archived pics from the "people's car"...








NSU wagen...


Mercedes 170H...


Mercedes 170H...


NSU wagen...


Hitler's KdF Wagen later renamed the Volkswagen(people's car)...


KdF stamp savings card and catalog...


KdF stamp savings card and catalog...


Ferdinand Porsche... at his engineering firm in downtown Stuttgart... Now home to AutoMotor und Sport Magazine(from what I heard)...


KdF test cars on the Autobahn....


One of the "savings stamps" needed to buy a KdF Wagen under the Nazi's...


If looks could kill... the "works" garage inside of the Porsche family home...


Porsche family home on Feuerbacher Weg 48 - 50, Stuttgart...




Hitler never learned how to drive... that's why you always see him in the front passenger seat(or rear seat) surrounded by his generals...


a pin given out to party workers who laid the corner(foundation) stone of the KdF Werk or later known as Wolfsburg, factory...

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

VK4501 Porsche Tiger

The Porsche Maus was one of Hitler's wonder weapons that never saw any action. Mainly because it was way too heavy to traverse any bridges at that time! lol

[Chappers 71]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

The Porsche Maus was one of Hitler's wonder weapons that never saw any action. Mainly because it was way too heavy to traverse any bridges at that time! lol

Attachment 1691460

I had a model of the maus when I was a kid. If I remember correctly it would have weighed around 190 tons

German tanks such as the Panther, Tigers 1 & 2 although technically superior to allied armour were prone to reliability issues & difficult to maintain in the field, just like their cars

Ferdinand Porsche Elefant

[Chappers 71]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Yeah... Ferdinand Porsche and Hans Ledwinka knew/admired/stole each other's designs...




Hitler was very enamored by Ferdinand Porsche(& his son Ferry). Hitler was a very big fan of Ferdinand Porsche way before Hitler came into political power.

It was Hitler's idea of a peoples car... the so called Volkswagen. Hitler wan't to give the project to Porsche... but MB and the other German car makers wanted a piece of the action. So a contest was born. Hitler had indeed drawn up some early sketches of his idea of a "people's car"... then everyone started up with their renders. The "contest" was between Mercedes, NSU, Tatra, Porsche(which became knows as the KdF wagen, which in turn became VW)...

From what I remember... the car had to travel at least 120 kph(for Hitler's new idea, the Autobahn) it had to get at least 10liters per 100 kph(or about 24 mpg) the car had to be cheap(I think under 5,000 Reichsmarks (RDM)) and the car had to be able to drive 100K kms(60K miles) without any major work. Mercedes was adamant that such a car couldn't be built. Dr. Porsche disagreed.

Hitler sent his SS men to ride along with the development engineers. I remember reading in Ferry's autobiographical... "Car are my Life"... that Ferry remembers how each night after testing the KdF Beetle on the Alpina roads/passes... that he would round up some pretty girls to keep Hitler's guards entertained(over dinner) while Porsche's mechanics would sneak outside to the cars and make repairs such as new sparkplugs or service work... all under the guard's noses. lol This was one way Porsche was more clever than the other auto makers of its time. Porsche had no love for those "other" car makers since he had worked for a lot of them before setting up his engineering firm!

I don't remember who's idea it was... but someone thought up a savings booklet for normal people to order a car. You just had to purchase these special KdF stamps in order to purchase a car. It was a sort of War Bond - program... only thing was not one car was delivered this way!


Here are some archived pics from the "people's car"...


Attachment 1691422

Attachment 1691423

Attachment 1691424

NSU wagen...
Attachment 1691425

Mercedes 170H...
Attachment 1691426

Mercedes 170H...
Attachment 1691427

NSU wagen...
Attachment 1691428

Hitler's KdF Wagen later renamed the Volkswagen(people's car)...
Attachment 1691429

KdF stamp savings card and catalog...
Attachment 1691430

KdF stamp savings card and catalog...
Attachment 1691431

Ferdinand Porsche... at his engineering firm in downtown Stuttgart... Now home to AutoMotor und Sport Magazine(from what I heard)...
Attachment 1691432

KdF test cars on the Autobahn....
Attachment 1691433

One of the "savings stamps" needed to buy a KdF Wagen under the Nazi's...
Attachment 1691434

If looks could kill... the "works" garage inside of the Porsche family home...
Attachment 1691435

Porsche family home on Feuerbacher Weg 48 - 50, Stuttgart...
Attachment 1691436

Attachment 1691437

Hitler never learned how to drive... that's why you always see him in the front passenger seat(or rear seat) surrounded by his generals...
Attachment 1691438

a pin given out to party workers who laid the corner(foundation) stone of the KdF Werk or later known as Wolfsburg, factory...
Attachment 1691439

Unfortunately for the German people that paid for their pre war beetles non were ever received.

Here's a pic of my 1967 'people's car' (sorry for the pic quality, it's a picture of a photo from 1989)

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

I had a model of the maus when I was a kid. If I remember correctly it would have weighed around 190 tons

German tanks such as the Panther, Tigers 1 & 2 although technically superior to allied armour were prone to reliability issues & difficult to maintain in the field, just like their cars

Ferdinand Porsche Elefant

When ever I heard people talking about how well German cars are made... I think of this old cheesy movie scene...

00:54 secs...

[Chappers 71]

Excellent, was that a young Val Kilmer?

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

Excellent, was that a young Val Kilmer?

Yep. The film was a spoof(Parody)film like Airplane, etc of that time.

Top Secret! (1984)...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088286/

[Chappers 71]

powered by Porsche (does that count?)

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

When ever I heard people talking about how well German cars are made... I think of this old cheesy movie scene...

00:54 secs...

More Americans died in Toyota Corollas fires in the 1970's than did in Ford Pinto fires.

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by Tracus

There is a debate, but it seems that Hitler actually draw the generic design for the Beetle.

http://www.hitler.org/artifacts/volkswagen/

Hitler and F. Porsche though got inspired by the Tatra V570

French army put their hands on bunch of trucks and VW cars that belonged to the German Army in Northern Africa. My grandfather, being in the French Army, drove a VW to the ground with all the dust, and dirt-those cars never gave up on running not once.

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

When ever I heard people talking about how well German cars are made... I think of this old cheesy movie scene...

00:54 secs...

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by positiveions

French army put their hands on bunch of trucks and VW cars that belonged to the German Army in Northern Africa. My grandfather, being in the French Army, drove a VW to the ground with all the dust, and dirt-those cars never gave up on running not once.

I remember reading that saboteurs(in Nazi occupied lands) would reroute the Kubelwagens and Schwimmwagens that were headed to Russia(cold area) and send them to Africa(hot climate!), and vice versa. They thought the machines would wear out due to having the wrong viscosity oils in them. Nope. They just kept on working. Damn German engineers! lol

[BEM-S4]

Was in a deli once and a patron gave me a dirty look, then commented on my BMW hat and said something to the effect of Germans are evil how could I drive a Nazi car.

We left around the same time and I saw her get into a VW. Apparently she didn't know it was German.

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by positiveions

French army put their hands on bunch of trucks and VW cars that belonged to the German Army in Northern Africa. My grandfather, being in the French Army, drove a VW to the ground with all the dust, and dirt-those cars never gave up on running not once.

Cool story man! I believe it. One of my friends owns a 1948 Beetle

[MSups6]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I remember reading that saboteurs(in Nazi occupied lands) would reroute the Kubelwagens and Schwimmwagens that were headed to Russia(cold area) and send them to Africa(hot climate!), and vice versa. They thought the machines would wear out due to having the wrong viscosity oils in them. Nope. They just kept on working. Damn German engineers! lol

Yep, almost engineered genocide as well as their cars.

[Germanauto]

Ever since BMW went mainstream w/ the release of the E89 Z4, I've become progressively less affectionate toward the brand. I hope my next car will be a Porsche.