tivo'd show about history of VW, war and all that. A little unsettling seeing ferdi porsche driving hitler around in the new "peoples car"

anyway there is great footage of the Type I motors on the production line. They look just like Type IV's of course. Showed machining of flywheels, cranks, cases, even cylinders. I didn't know they made the cylinders back then at the factory.

There was and incredible amount of hand work on every part. Showed a guy fitting cylinders on a motor. His hands were moving so fast they looked like a blur.

Also said Henry Ford almost bought VW back then but it was impossible for him to assume ownership because of the war etc. etc.

Alot of the factory machinery also came from the states.

dr

I saw that one the other day too... great show, I liked that they changed the name of the whole town after the war... I had never heard a lot of that information... I think they could have filled up another hour about the beetle though... or maybe some more information about Karmanns and the Bus... they barely mentioned any of that...

in a book about the hitler and the power of the aesthetic (soryy, cna't remember the title) there are photos taken from hitler's sketch books from the 20s and early 30s. included is a sketch, by hitler, of what looks like a bug convertible. remember, he was a failed artist before anything else.