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MNBoxster · 05-17-2006, 06:52 AM

Hi,

We had a pretty good response to the innaugural Friday Auto Trivia Questions. I know many of you have waited sleeplessly for the answers so here goes in reverse order...

The creator of the 007 series, Sir Ian Fleming, was a true Car Guy, which
is why in his books, James Bond drove a Bentley Type R. But long before
the Man from MI 6, Fleming wrote about a Car - Can you name it?

SD987 was the 1st to post the correct answer: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Commander Ian Lancaster Fleming, RNVR wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a 3-part novel for his son, Caspar Robert Fleming, when he was a little boy in 1953 (the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953). Chitty Chitty Bang Bang took its name from a pair of celebrated racing cars built and raced by Louis Zborowski and his engineer Clive Gallop, in the 1920s. The book was subsequently published in 1964 (the year of Fleming's death).

The next question: Who is the True Father of the Volkswagen Beetle? is somewhat more complex, but nonetheless definitive as some have suggested.

First off, it is Urban Myth that Hitler coined the phrase VolksWagen or People's Car, or commissioned it's production.

The term VolksWagen was first coined in 1924 and a detailed draft of the Beetle was sketched already in 1925 by Béla Barényi of Tatra-Werke which was engineered by Hans Ledwinka of Austria. At this same time, Hitler was in Landau Prison, writing Mein Kampf, for his part in the failed 1923 Putch in Munich.

In 1930 (3 years before Hitler was to be appointed Chancellor of Germany), the Weimar Gov't allocated 2 million RM to Tatra (Koprivnicka Wagenbau of Czechoslovakia - Tatra-Werke) to begin production of their Ledwinka engineered Tatra 77 prototype, the World's first aerodynamically styled automobile powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled engine.

After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, his Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Jossef Goebbels, propogated the myth that it was Hitler who concieved of the idea a People's Car. This is not uncommon for a Politician to take credit for an idea, once it has already been generally accepted, such as Al Gore inventing the Internet.

The Koprivnicka Wagenbau of Czechoslovakia was nationalized after the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia and the plans for the Tatra 77 (T-77) were siezed (in other words, the Nazis stole the design). Dr. Ferdinand Porsche (a Nazi Party Member) was given 20,000RM from the Imperial Federation of the German Automobile Industry with the task of taking these plans and preparing a factory to produce it. But he did not design or create it as has been common myth.

A Lawsuit by Barényia in 1953, resulted in a German court judgment confirming his authorship, and with it his claims, that he was the true designer of the Volkswagen.

Likewise, a lawsuit was settled in 1961 by Court Order between Volkswagen AG and the heirs of Franz Ringhoffer (the owner of Tatra-Werke) for 3 million DM compensation for Patent Infringement of the T-77 (engineered by Ledwinka) in production of the Beetle.

BTW, Volkswagens were first exhibited and sold in the United States in 1949. On its entry to the U.S. market, the VW was briefly sold as the Victory Wagon, but it's Official name at Volkswagen was the Type 1. The term Beetle was 1st coined in a 1949 article reviewing it in the New York Times. Volkswagen didn't actually trademark the name Beetle until the 1960's.

So, while the Myths about Hitler and Porsche's involvement continue to abound, the facts clearly show that the Beetle was the Brainchild of Béla Barényi and Hans Ledwinka of the Tatra-Werke.

Stay tuned for this week's trivia questions. Be sure to PM me with your contributions for questions to be selected for next week's installment...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

05-17-2006, 06:52 AM	#12
MNBoxster Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Posts: 3,308	Hi, We had a pretty good response to the innaugural Friday Auto Trivia Questions. I know many of you have waited sleeplessly for the answers so here goes in reverse order... The creator of the 007 series, Sir Ian Fleming, was a true Car Guy, which is why in his books, James Bond drove a Bentley Type R. But long before the Man from MI 6, Fleming wrote about a Car - Can you name it? SD987 was the 1st to post the correct answer: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Commander Ian Lancaster Fleming, RNVR wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a 3-part novel for his son, Caspar Robert Fleming, when he was a little boy in 1953 (the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953). Chitty Chitty Bang Bang took its name from a pair of celebrated racing cars built and raced by Louis Zborowski and his engineer Clive Gallop, in the 1920s. The book was subsequently published in 1964 (the year of Fleming's death). The next question: Who is the True Father of the Volkswagen Beetle? is somewhat more complex, but nonetheless definitive as some have suggested. First off, it is Urban Myth that Hitler coined the phrase VolksWagen or People's Car, or commissioned it's production. The term VolksWagen was first coined in 1924 and a detailed draft of the Beetle was sketched already in 1925 by Béla Barényi of Tatra-Werke which was engineered by Hans Ledwinka of Austria. At this same time, Hitler was in Landau Prison, writing Mein Kampf, for his part in the failed 1923 Putch in Munich. In 1930 (3 years before Hitler was to be appointed Chancellor of Germany), the Weimar Gov't allocated 2 million RM to Tatra (Koprivnicka Wagenbau of Czechoslovakia - Tatra-Werke) to begin production of their Ledwinka engineered Tatra 77 prototype, the World's first aerodynamically styled automobile powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, his Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Jossef Goebbels, propogated the myth that it was Hitler who concieved of the idea a People's Car. This is not uncommon for a Politician to take credit for an idea, once it has already been generally accepted, such as Al Gore inventing the Internet. The Koprivnicka Wagenbau of Czechoslovakia was nationalized after the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia and the plans for the Tatra 77 (T-77) were siezed (in other words, the Nazis stole the design). Dr. Ferdinand Porsche (a Nazi Party Member) was given 20,000RM from the Imperial Federation of the German Automobile Industry with the task of taking these plans and preparing a factory to produce it. But he did not design or create it as has been common myth. A Lawsuit by Barényia in 1953, resulted in a German court judgment confirming his authorship, and with it his claims, that he was the true designer of the Volkswagen. Likewise, a lawsuit was settled in 1961 by Court Order between Volkswagen AG and the heirs of Franz Ringhoffer (the owner of Tatra-Werke) for 3 million DM compensation for Patent Infringement of the T-77 (engineered by Ledwinka) in production of the Beetle. BTW, Volkswagens were first exhibited and sold in the United States in 1949. On its entry to the U.S. market, the VW was briefly sold as the Victory Wagon, but it's Official name at Volkswagen was the Type 1. The term Beetle was 1st coined in a 1949 article reviewing it in the New York Times. Volkswagen didn't actually trademark the name Beetle until the 1960's. So, while the Myths about Hitler and Porsche's involvement continue to abound, the facts clearly show that the Beetle was the Brainchild of Béla Barényi and Hans Ledwinka of the Tatra-Werke. Stay tuned for this week's trivia questions. Be sure to PM me with your contributions for questions to be selected for next week's installment... Happy Motoring!... Jim'99 Last edited by MNBoxster; 05-17-2006 at 08:48 PM.