KdF-Wagen. 1940–5 (prod. 630). 2-door saloon. R/R, 985, 1131 cm³ (4 cyl.). Developed by Ferdinand Porsche with admitted inspiration from Tatra, Volkswagen—or, as Chancellor Adolf Hitler insisted from 1938, the Kraft durch Freude-Wagen (named after the German Labour Front’s [or DAF’s] leisure section) entered production at KdF-Stadt in 1940. Prototypes in 1938–9 built by Daimler-Benz AG. RM 990 purchase scheme never honoured due to WWII, and production mostly went to high-ranking Nazis. Considered progressive at the time with streamlined bodyshell. Larger engine introduced April 1943, shared with KdF-Wagen-based Schimmwagen, or Typ 166.

Successor: Volkswagen Käfer

q.v. Volkswagen Käfer

Off-site link

• A Picture Review of the Volkswagen Beetle