UNDER THE BONNET
with cars of
that date.
In the rst Beetle’s
general layout only altered in one area: in
the late 1960s, the suspension changed
to semi-trailing arms at the rear and to
difference to the handling.
at the rear. This is a very different
later revised suspension. The later,
Golf underpinnings, so, compared
with other 2003 cars, it has the
same layout.
Volkswagen New Beetle.
(Photo: favcars.com)
The facelifted version
introduced in 2011 also shares the Golf
underpinnings and the geometry of the
beam to a multi-link arrangement.
On account of the early Beetle’s
separate backbone and platform chassis,
Author Chris Dowlen
Chris Dowlen’s rst degree is in Automotive
Engineering and his PhD in car history. He
spent some 10 years in the motor industry,
at Triumph Cars and BL Technology, before
embarking on a 30-year career teaching at
London South Bank University. He became a
Chartered Engineer in 1983 and joined the
IED in 1986, becoming a Fellow in 2002
and CTPD in 2015. He is currently on the
Education and Training Committee and is
Vice-Chair of the Membership Committee
body form of the car, as
it is non-structural. So,
a multiplicity of Beetle
variants has been
produced: convertibles,
coupés, cabriolets, a
notchback saloon,
a fastback saloon,
estate cars and
various commercial
vehicles by Volkswagen,
and the chassis has
become the basis for many
other vehicles – mostly beach
buggy arrangements.
My personal experience with
Volkswagens of the rear engine sort
started in the 1960s when my father
bought a Caravette in 1960. Camping,
even with a Caravette, has never been
my favourite form of holiday, so I fail to
life, the windows got bigger, but the
rear suspension changed from the torsion
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1957. (Photo: Chris
Dowlen)
strut-type at the front, making a signi cant
Go to the end of the production of
the rst Beetle, 2003, and the contrast
between it and other cars made then is
more signi cant. Small cars by then have
the same basic format – a transverse fourcylinder
water-cooled engine at the front,
driving the front wheels. Almost all cars
have integral body-chassis structures, with
independent suspension all round, using
coil springs throughout, with struts at
the front and torsion beam geometry
layout from the Beetle – even with its
retrospective Beetle compares well, in
terms of its layout. It is based on the
it is relatively easy to change the
see the attraction of the vehicle, even
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