VW Beetles through the ages

As America's youth began their revolt against mass culture, Beetles became trendy. Doyle Dane Bernbach's 1959 "Think Small" campaign, later voted number one among 100 in the 20th century captured a growing zeitgeist. By1965, one million Beetles were rolling out of the Wolfsburg factory in Germany. Customers in the U.S. waited as long as five months to take delivery.

Mechanical changes continued apace. The cabin grew airier, and the overall appearance got modernized when the side windows and windshield were enlarged. The windshield wipers now rested to the left side of the windshield instead of the right, the rear engine cover could be opened with the push of a button instead of the twist of a T-handle, and a conventional fuel gauge replaced the lever switch and reserve tank.

NEXT: Mature Beetles: 1967-1974