MOST POPULAR CAR IN THE WORLD-- TamilYoungsters.Com

WHEN 1946

TOP SPEED 100 KM/H

POWER 19 KW

ENGINE 995 CC

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE The best-selling car of all time is the Volkswagen Beetle: more than 21 million have been built in the past 65 years. The Beetle was invented as a car for the people – ‘volkswagen’ means ‘people’s car’. In 1933, the German government asked Porsche to develop an affordable car that could carry two adults and three children at 100 km/h. The Second World War started while they were still making prototypes and the fi rst production Beetles were not made until 1946.

FIRST MASSPRODUCED C A R The fi rst truly affordable car was the Model T Ford: 15 million were built in the USA from 1908 to 1927. It was the fi rst car to be made on a production line, each worker carrying out only one task. Cars could be built very quickly – one was fi nished every 15 minutes. The Model T had a 2,900-cc engine that produced 15 kW and could reach a top speed of 64–72 km/h. The earliest models were started with a crank handle.

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“ANY COLOUR AS LONG AS IT’S BLACK.”
The Model T Ford was available only in black until 1926 – because the only type of paint that would
dry quickly enough to use on the production line was a black lacquer called ‘Japan black’. When better paints were invented, other colours became available.

The Beetle has been through several redesigns and has been built in
lots of countries besides Germany. But it still has a distinctive humped
shape and an engine in the rear boot. A new sof t-top convertible
launched in 201 3 – but the fi rst soft-top was issued in 1949.