DThe paintwork on Bernhard Appelt’s Beetle rivals the sky above the old imperial city of Worms on the Rhine. “The pretzel in blue – that is simply phenomenal,” says the retired career counselor and points to the typical rear window of the Volkswagen Type 1 from 1951. It has an oval shape with a central bar that is actually reminiscent of – or even of – a pretzel a contemporary pair of racing driver glasses. This variant was produced until 1953, when a one-piece rear window replaced the two-eye rear. Instead of “Pretzel”, this slightly facelifted generation of Beetle was given the name “Ovali” after the silhouette of the rear window shape.
But where does the pretzel window actually come from? When civilian series production of the Volkswagen sedan began in December 1945, the technical solution with two small flat windows was chosen in Wolfsburg out of sheer pragmatism: a curved, one-piece rear window that adapts to the streamlined shape of the rear would simply have been too expensive. The VW designers didn’t have to completely rethink the pretzel window at the time. After all, it distinguished the prototypes developed by Ferdinand Porsche manufactured in 1939. Only 14 copies of this VW Type 39 were made. The pretzel window was then used in various military versions of the later Volkswagen.
In any case, the Beetle initially remained a dream car that was unattainable for private individuals. In the very early post-war period, Volkswagens were initially produced exclusively for authorities, other public institutions and the British military. It was only after the currency reform in June 1948 that more and more private customers were able to enjoy a Volkswagen. Its air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine developed a decent 25 hp from a displacement of 1,131 cubic centimeters. That was enough for a top speed of 105 km/h – sufficient for motorway journeys in the young economic miracle and perhaps even for your first vacation in the dream country of Italy.
It’s about “ancient Volkswagen”
Today, the split rear window arouses nostalgic enthusiasm – just like the small vase on the dashboard of a 70-year-old VW with fresh summer flowers in it. This was also evident in Worms in mid-September at the autumn meeting of the VW brand club “Pretzel Window Association”. The association has around 1,000 members worldwide who either own a Beetle produced until July 1957, an early VW bus or special Volkswagen-based bodies. The spectrum of the latter category is wide: it ranges from cars that have almost been mass-produced, such as the “small” VW Karmann-Ghia (Type 14, built from 1955) to exclusive gems such as the Dannenhauer & Stauss sports cabriolet.
For those who find such subtleties in the brand’s history overwhelming, the association has a pithy formulation ready: The Pretzel Window Association is concerned with “ancient Volkswagens,” explains Bernhard Appelt. He organized the meeting including a trip through the vineyards of the Wonnegau and the Palatinate. The final presentation of the historic Volkswagens took place as part of the Worms Classics, a classic car meeting organized by Mariana Queißer and Steffen Maier.
Imperial cathedral, Jewish cemetery, Luther monument, Nibelungen Museum: Worms is rich in history and historical places. This also includes the sculpture of Hagen von Tronje from the Nibelungen saga. The monument from 1906 stands a few meters from the venue on the banks of the Rhine. But the legendary figure turns his back on all the colorful hustle and bustle between diesel Unimogs and road cruisers with a rich V8 sound, between numerous classic cars and the phalanx of Beetles in the middle of the area. Well, it fits somehow. Ultimately, people in the legends were more interested in gold than in chrome and lacquer. The millionth Beetle from 1955, painted in glittering gold, would certainly have thrilled Siegfried and Co. more.
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