In 1933 in one of his first acts as Chancellor, newly elected Adolf Hitler, made a speech at the Berlin International Motor Show to outline the National Socialists' plan for the motorization of Germany. Among the proposals was the construction of a national highway system and the reduction of road taxes to encourage the sale of smaller, cheaper cars. He ended his speech with a call to the automobile industry to focus on a small car that would be affordable by the working man. Over the next twelve months, the major industry players, such as Opel and Mercedes-Benz, lobbied the government against the small car proposal, while the smaller players, such as Gutbrod-Standard and Framo, rushed to fill this niche with newly developed microcars. When Hitler reviewed the results at the 1934 Berlin International Motor Show, he could not disguise his disappointment. He was scathing in his critique of the motley collection of plywood bodied microcars and frustrated with the major players insistence that a cheap car could not be built. Hitler's ideas had crystalized somewhat in the previous twelve months and, for the avoidance of doubt, he stated his expectations clearly. The small car would be modern, made of steel, would carry a family of four at a speed of 100 kph. He set a fixed sale price of 1000RM. The industry was aghast. The cheapest car at the show, the Framo Piccolo, was priced at 1400 RM and it was built of plywood and powered by a 200cc two-stroke stationary motor.
There was however one person in the audience who was not horrified by the Fuhrer's demands. Dr Ferdinand Porsche had long been an advocate for a budget car for the 'everyday man.' As technical director at Daimler-Benz he had agitated for just such a project in the 1920s, which resulted in him being fired. He had promoted the idea at Austro-Daimler and Steyr, without success and, since striking out on his own in 1932, had worked on a budget car project for the motorcycle manufacturer, Zundapp. Capitalizing on his work on the Zundapp project, he wrote a detailed proposal for the Volkswagen which he sent directly to Adolf Hitler. Hitler did not immediately respond, but shortly thereafter, the Reich Transport Ministry authorised funding to commence work and the Volkswagen project was underway.
Dr Ferdinand Porsche and his son, Ferry, in 1938. Ferry was also instrumental in the development of the Volkswagen into practical automobile.
I INTRODUCTION
The construction of a standardised radio receiver, the so-called Volksradio, has shown how important a product is if high quality can be united with an extremely low price. Such a high number of these Volksradios have been sold within a short time that the desired aims - to bring radio within reach of everybody and at the same time to produce so many new jobs to the domestic economy - has been exceeded by a high margin.
The German people have been harbouring the hope for years that they may be bestowed with a proper People's Car. This can be seen not only in the press, but also in the thousands of enquiries coming in. There have indeed been many types of car which have appeared on the market, of high quality, but the price of these has in no way taken into account the low average income of the German worker. Such 'Factory Volkswagens' are still aimed at a limited class of customer, which can and may never be decisive for the future development of German motorisation. This development should, more than ever before, be a matter for the entire German nation, in particular the young people, who want to become acquainted with these things both physically and technically. In addition, the economy of the transport system - proved by the planning of the Autobahn - is suitable as no other to stimulate the entire economy and to produce more jobs, or at least to encourage such a development.
II CONCEPT REQUIREMENTS
I have studied the question of the Volkswagen at some depth and hereby in the following I wish to clearly state my point of view. Under the term Volkswagen, I do not see a small vehicle with artificially restricted dimensions, performance and weight, etc.1 in the manner in which we have seen some results in this area. Such a car can be cheap to purchase, but never from the point of view of a healthy national economy, since the value is extremely limited if the driving comfort and length of life are in any way decreased. At such times of an increase of traffic density, when the safety of the vehicle is gaining more importance, all measures which in any way lower the value of the vehicle are to be totally rejected. Therefore, I see under the term Volkswagen only a full-size vehicle for everyday use, which can compete on an equal footing with other everyday vehicles. In my opinion, in order to make the customary cars into Volkswagens, radical new solutions are necessary. I wish to summarise the requirements of the Volkswagen in the following words:
1. A Volkswagen may not be a small car at the expense of its handling and durability by reducing its dimensions but keeping its relatively high weight. It must be an everyday vehicle with normal dimensions but of relatively light weight, achievable only through fundamentally new methods of construction.
2. A Volkswagen may not be a small car at the expense of its top speed and mountain climbing ability by reducing the engine power. It must be an everyday vehicle with enough power to allow a normal top speed and necessary climbing ability.
3. A Volkswagen may not be a small car at the expense of driving comfort because of limiting the amount of interior space in the body. It must be an everyday vehicle with normal, i.e. comfortable space in the interior.
4. A Volkswagen may not be a small car with limited use or purpose. It must, by simple adaptation of the body, be useful in any possible practical purpose, not only as a passenger car but also serve as a delivery van and even for certain military purposes.
5. A Volkswagen may not be fitted with complicated equipment needing a high level of servicing. It must be fitted with foolproof equipment reducing servicing to a minimum.
III BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Based on the assessment above, the following will be required from a Volkswagen:
1. The best possible suspension and roadholding.
2. A top speed of approximately 100Km/h (62mph).
3. A mountain-climbing ability of about 30%.
4. A four-seater saloon car for the purpose of transporting people.
5. The lowest possible purchase price and lowest possible running costs.
Therefore with the future Volkswagen, there may be no compromise solution in consideration of a certain price. On the contrary, there must be a fundamentally new design solution with regard to the price affordable by a broad section of society and at the same time in line with technical progress for years to come. In line with these considerations, the future Volkswagen must have the following specifications:
- Track 1200mm
- Wheelbase 2500mm
- Max.power 26bhp
- Max. engine speed 3500rpm
- Weight (unladen) 650Kg
- Purchase price 1550RM
- Max. speed 100Km/h
- Hill climbing ability 30%
- Avge. fuel consumption 8 litres per 100 km
- Construction Swing axles
IV PROPOSAL
On the basis of the previous remarks, I would like to make the following proposal:
The government should commission me to carry out a design study for the construction of a Volkswagen. The car will be designed, constructed and tested within a time frame of approximately one year. Afterwards an inspection must take place by means of a commission of specialists from the government and private industry. In the case of a satisfactory inspection the government should decide to recommend to the industry the series production of the model as a German Volkswagen.
As payment for my work, I wish merely for the reimbursement of the development costs for the one car i.e. the design, manufacture and testing expenses. This would be paid to me from time to time as a government subvention as soon as the work progress has been established and proved. If this car is later taken into series production I wish in addition, for a license fee, still to be agreed upon, for the use of all the patented parts.
I regard myself as qualified for the independent development of a Volkswagen for the following reasons. During my practical career lasting many decades, I have developed more than 60 types of vehicle, and thus have been able to gain specialised knowledge and experience. Moreover, within the framework of my neutral office in Stuttgart, I have at my disposal a team of hand-picked co-workers who are familiar with my ideas and therefore well up to the demands made of them. My design office may truly be regarded as neutral, as there is no interest whatever except regular creative work and no connection at all exists with certain branches of the automobile industry. My design office has been in the shortest possible time in the position to supply designs to a large part of domestic and foreign industry, which has found a sustained echo and recognition among specialists. On my own initiative I began the construction of a German racing car with my employees which, later with help from the state, have just begun its first test runs, which have been much discussed. The construction of a German Volkswagen, which in the broad mass of the population is the strongly desired car of the future’, is an idea close to my heart. I am therefore fully justified in expecting the contract for the construction of the German Volkswagen to be given to me as an acknowledgement by the government.
APPENDIX
V DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
The design features of the Volkswagen planned by me are shown in the accompanying three outline drawings. They show:
X35 The bare chassis.
X36 The complete chassis.
X37 The car complete with body.
The following design details can thus be seen:
(a) CHASSIS
1. Frame: Rigid frame consisting of two parallel tubes forming a central backbone welded to transverse tubes forming a ladder shape. The front transverse tube and the rear of the longitudinal tubes function as spring supports. The front and rear transverse girders also serve as shock absorber supporting beams. In addition, all transverse tubes act as body mounting points.
Achieved: Low height, low weight but good rigidity against twisting and bending, different body types easy to mount, simple fixing of swing axles, simple and cheap construction no necessity for special body mounting points.
2. Suspension: Fully independent suspension. At the front, parallel trailing arms on steered wheels, at the rear swing axle struts on driven wheels. On front trailing arms, torsion bars and shock absorbers run on the same axis. At the rear, swing axle struts, torsion bars fitted via joints.
Achieved: Rigid fixing of the wheels in relation to the frame, steered wheels parallel, therefore unaffected during cornering and braking; tilting driven wheels, therefore simple drive and good road¬ holding; best possible swing axle combination offering good handling and stability.
3. Springing: Produced by steel bars which twist, directly connected to the road wheels and encapsulated in steel tubes. Fixed by fluting with differing divisions, which allows a movement of the bars.
Achieved: Low unsprung weight through effective use of materials, high resistance to vibration, thus avoiding breakages; no waste of space from placing the bars in the car frame no maintenance necessary in particular no greasing; simple adjustment; good progressive springing quality.
4. Shock absorbers: Double-acting liquid-filled shock absorbers with reduced movement, on the front connected to the steering gear, on the rear specially mounted on the transverse frame tube.
Achieved: Favourable combination with the torsion bars, simple adjustment of the damping effect, absolute reliability.
5. Steering: Direct steering with tie rods working on the parallelogram principle, steering box fixed on the front transverse tube, steering gear using worm and nut.
Achieved: Steering with absolutely no kickback whatever the wheel position; no intermediary parts, self-centering, individual adjustment of the steering arms, no effect through wear and tear.
6. Brakes: Mechanical four wheel braking plus handbrake on the rear wheels, combined brake cable operation.
Achieved: Absolute reliability as, if one brake cable should fail, only one axle is without braking. Low weight through direct combined construction of main brake and handbrake on rear wheels.
7. Drive: Entire drive train mounted directly over the rear axle consisting of transmission, differential and reduction gears and engine block mounted on rubber on the chassis tubes; swing half-axles mounted directly.
Achieved: No restriction on vehicle length, giving excellent interior space no propeller shaft, saving weight, good accessibility and suitability for modification, vibration-free engine mounting, no road noise or exhaust gases in interior.
Engine: Either air-cooled four cylinder four stroke in horizontal flat formation boxer or air-cooled three cylinder two-stroke in radial formation. The flat-four would have a cooling air fan driven by a high-mounted auxiliary shaft. The radial engine would have a combined cooling and flushing air fan mounted on the crankshaft. The individual cylinders would be cooled by air ducted into zones.
Achieved: Good degree of uniformity, low performance weight and limited space requirement, efficient cooling, good accessibility.
(b) BODYWORK
9. Vehicle body: One-piece body using light materials mounted onto a platform chassis, bolted directly onto the ends of the transverse tubes. Fixed by clamping with rubber buffers in between. Body shape conforming to the ideal streamline.
Achieved: Comfortable seating area; simple fixing and removal of body, low wind-resistance at top speed, harmonious looks.
VI Technical data
For the above design of the Volkswagen, the technical specifications are as follows:
1 . Chassis measurements:
Track T 1200mm
Wheelbase W 2500mm
Area within wheels TxW 3m2
2. Engine specifications
Engine type 4-stroke 2-stroke
Construction boxer (flat) or radial
No. of cylinders four or three
Cubic capacity 1.25 litres or 1 litre
Max. rpm 3500rpm or 3200rpm
Max. power 26bhp 26bhp
3. Vehicle Specifications
Number of seats 4
Unladen weight 650kg
Purchase price 1550RM
Max. speed 100Km/h
Hill climbing capability 30%
Av. fuel consumption 8L/100Km
4. Other figures
Kilogram price 2.4RM/Kg
Surface loading 21.6 Kg/bhp
Power to weight ratio 25Kg/bhp
Weight ratio full/empty 1.46
In the accompanying table X38 these specifications are listed out together with comparable vehicles on the market today, in order to facilitate the necessary comparisons.
Stuttgart, 17 January 1934 Dr h.c. Ferdinand Porsche
The Origin of the Volkswagen - http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2012/03/volkswagen-world-beating-peoples-car.html
Volkswagen at War - http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2014/07/volkswagen-at-war.html
The Death and Resurrection of Volkswagen - https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-death-and-resurrection-of-volkswagen.html
The Tatra versus Volkswagen Lawsuit - https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-tatra-versus-volkswagen-lawsuit.html
DKW's 1933 Streamliner - https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2014/01/dkws-1933-rear-engined-streamliner.html
Framo Piccolo - Germany's Cheapest Car 1934 - https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2019/10/framo-piccolo-germanys-cheapest-car-1934.html
Standard Superior - https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2015/07/standard-superior.html
