VW TRIVIA

- By Herschel D. -

1. Q: Early German VW literature mentions a "limousine" model. What body style was that?
   A: "Limousine," in German, is the term for the ordinary Beetle sedan!

2. Q: When did VW start their famous self-knocking ads?
   A: The much beloved "self-knocking" ads that VW ran right into the 1970s, began in late 1959 for the 1960 model.

3. Q: Why did pre-1968 U.S. Spec. VWs have tubular bumper over rider bars?
   A: U.S. specification VW Beetles had tubular over-rider bars on the bumpers because most American-made cars were bigger and their bumpers, typically, stood taller.

4. Q: We VW nuts all know that when Daimler-Chrysler says they invented the minivan, that it just isn’t so. But can you explain the difference to a non-VW fan?
   A: Chrysler certainly did not invent the minivan. VW did that in 1950. But Chrysler’s formula of having a front, transverse mounted engine created a big space saving, low-sitting cargo capacity that just really caught on and saved Chrysler’s bacon! Never the less, VW’s "bus" was the real pioneer in the idea of having a large cargo passenger capacity in a small vehicle over 20 years earlier!

5. Q: Here’s a term that VW owners who are new to the scene often misunderstand. What is a "barn door bus?"
   A: I’ve explained the term "barn-door bus" before, but newcomers to the VW hobby always need it explained. That term does not refer to the side, swing out doors of the pre-68 bus. It means the large rear engine lid found on the pre-mid’55 buses. That lid was hinged up on the belt line and accommodated getting to the spare tire, which was, then, mounted above the engine

6. Q: What company was the first post-war "official" maker of promotional VW toys and when?
   A: Viking (pronounced "wiking"); in 1948.

1. Why did VW change over to a dual brake system in 1966? Hint: It was not just another "progressive improvement!"

2. True or False: PINK was a long-running color option on the various VW models.

3. At what company did VW’s first director, Heinz Nordoff, work before VW took him on?

4. Name at least two noticeable external differences between the Euro New Beetle and the U.S. one.

5. The early VW Microbus has two-tone color choices that placed the darker color above the belt line. When did VW switch over to the lighter color being above the belt line?

6. The earliest VW Beetles were equipped with a means to crank-start the engine in the event of a run-down battery. When did VW do away with that crank?