A post in AutoWeek's Combustion Chamber forum quotes an article from a Dutch magazine claming the concept of the Volkswagen Beetle was stolen from a Jewish auto designer and builder, not created by Ferdinand Porsche at Adolf Hitler's behest. If true, the story casts a sinister pall over one of the most beloved vehicles in history. Read on.
An article in the Dutch magazine, The Engineer, reports the Volkswagen Beetle, likely the most recognizable vehicle the world has ever known, was not developed by Ferdinand Porsche as history records, but by Josef Ganz, an automotive conceptualist, reportedly of Jewish ancestry.
According to writer Paul Schilperoord, Ganz had created a concept car in 1928 called the "Volkswagen," which, like the later Porsche creation, had a fixed chassis, engine in the back and rear-wheel drive. According to Schilperoord, Ganz had published his works in several German illustrated magazines — even referring to the prototype as "Maik fer," or May beetle, in 1931 — but a year after seeing Ganz' Maik fer in 1933 in a car exhibition, Adolf Hitler announced plans for "Deutsche Volkswagen," and tasked Ferdinand Porsche with its development. As Schilperoord writes, Porsche simply adapted the plans and designs of Josef Ganz, who reportedly fled Germany for Switzerland in 1933. Porsche's version went into production after the war and went on to sell more than 21 million units during its lifespan.
Speechless, yes we are.
Beetle not developed by Porsche [AutoWeek Combustion Chamber]
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Pascal Meslet s World of Volkswagen [internal]