A Brief History of Prototypes – The Early Volkswagen Years
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Words by Ned Faux & Photos from the Porsche Museum Archive.
Repairing drum brakes on a test run in the Alps – 1937.
The wheel looks almost as if it’s from a motorbike.
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W30 prototype dash.
Check out the external wiper linkage! Didn’t a similar gear knob make a comeback on the Type 3?
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The four-stroke two-cylinder ‘D’ prototype engine.
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Test driving W30 Cab in the Alps – 1938
Notice – No taillights.
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The first chassis designed to take a wooden floor.
A great example of their simplicity.
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The ‘C’ two-stroke two-cylinder prototype engine.
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Components of the ‘D’ prototype engine.
Also, only two cylinders.
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V3/1 – 1936
With mounted headlamps and central horn cut in to the bonnet.
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V3 prototype flat-four motor assembly.
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V3 Prototype.
Notice the rear hinged ‘Suicide’ doors
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Arms for torsion bar suspension.
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V3 prototype out on the road.
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The first V3/1 car to drive 50,000km sitting on the edge of the all new ‘Autobahn’
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Ferdinand Porsche, not looking overly impressed, supervising assembly of the W30 at Daimler-Benz.
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Ferdinad’s son ‘Ferry’ Porsche at the wheel of the V2 prototype – 1936.
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The only W30 prototype not built at Daimler-Benz. This car was assembled in the garage at the Porsche villa.
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W30 prototype engine – A design concept used throughout the rest of Volkswagen’s air-cooled history.
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The first car in the W30 Series.
Notice – First use of semaphore turn signals.
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The chassis from the first V3 prototype.
Simple seats and a beam mounted spare wheel designed to take impact.
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W30 cars lined up in military barracks ready to be test driven.
We’d be happy with only one!
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The test dash in the 1937 W30
The dash bears little resemblance to production models.
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Test driving W30’s in the Alps.
Notice – First introduction of a front bumper.
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Controversial photo many claim (not Porsche) is a fake or staged.
Pre-Production W30 cars being dismantled and scrapped. Allegedly 1942
We can’t really see what he’s going to achieve with that hammer.
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Reutter & Co GmbH building bodies for the VW39 pre-production cars.
A small space for a lot of staff.
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V303 Engine.
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The V303 Cabriolet being driven by Ferry Porsche.
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V303 interior.
That steering wheel!
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1938 V303 sedan with roll back roof.
Notice – The grab handles on the front seats.
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1938 VW38 Dash.
“Design Perfection.”
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VW28 with roll back roof 1938
A feature later to be replaced with the smaller ‘3-fold’ rag top.
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Ferdinand Porsche and Karl Rabe in front of the VW38 drawing.
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1938 VW38 chassis plans.
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VW38 demonstrating its off-road capability.
If you search, there is some fantastic surviving video footage of these off-road demonstrations.
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The aim was for five people to travel in comfort.
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The VW39 with headlamps shielded as a precaution against air raids.
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The 1941 production hall.
Notice – Factory-fitted ‘black out’ lights and central Notek shielded spot light.
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Drawing of the VW39 emphasising luggage space.
Still using the ‘barrel’ fuel tank.
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Ferry Porsche’s very own Cabrio.
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Drawing of the VW39 dated October 3rd 1939
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Beginning of 1941 Volkswagen production in Fallersleben (later to be named Wolfsburg)