VW TRIVIA

- By Herschel D. -

1. Q: Why did VW change over to a dual brake system in 1966? Hint: It was not just another "progressive improvement!"
   A: VW changed to a dual brake system knowing that a new U.S. federal law was soon coming into effect requiring it.

2. Q: True or False: PINK was a long-running color option on the various VW models.
   A: False. Pink was never a VW color.

3. Q: At what company did VW’s first director, Heinz Nordoff, work before VW took him on?
   A: Heinz Nordoff, VW’s first director-general, starting in 1948 had been an executive with Opel, which was American owned by G.M. He had been trained in U.S. production methods, which is partially why he was attractive to the British as a candidate for heading up VW. The actual employment he had just before VW was as the management of a small repair shop. This came to be because post-war Germany’s industry was in shambles. He had, however, previously hoped to get back on with Opel.

4. Q: Name at least two noticeable external differences between the Euro New Beetle and the U.S. one.
   A: The European New Beetle’s license plate insert is more narrow and long than the U.S. version and it lacks the rear corner turn signals found on the U.S. model. The 1999 U.S. version did not have side marker lights ahead of the doors, either.

5. Q: 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?
   A: In 1958 the VW Bus’s darker color of its 2-tone color scheme went above the belt line.

6. Q: 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?
   A: The provision for a starting crank handle was eliminated during 1949.

NOVEMBER’S - New Questions