Friday Auto Trivia

[SD987]

You're kidding me right? The problem with citing Wikipedia as a definitive source of information, is in the very nature of the site, as fully disclosed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Who_writes_Wikipedia

Unlike other encyclopedias, the volunteer authors of articles in Wikipedia don't have to be experts or scholars (though some certainly are). They can be anyone, including you! Volunteers do not need to go through any formal process before creating an article or editing an existing article. Many people have created or edited articles in Wikipedia. They come from countries around the world and are of all ages and backgrounds. Anyone who contributes to this encyclopedia is called a Wikipedian.

The best way to decide whether a particular statement is accurate is to find independent, reliable sources to affirm that statement, such as books, magazine articles, television news reports, trade journals, or web sites. For more guidance on evaluating the accuracy of Wikipedia articles, see Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia.

The Volkswagen Beetle passage you cite was added to Wikipedia by someone who picked up on the claims made by Paul Schilperoord in 'The Engineer' magazine, which if you do a little research on the matter, caused a bit of a buzz but wasn't substantiated. You can read the translation of the original Dutch press release and the Autoweek message board thread, which put the question on the radar of a few automobile sites, here.

http://forums.autoweek.com/thread.jspa?forumID=17&threadID=12968

MNBoxster's original question was who was the 'Father' of the Volkswagen Beetle, not who designed it. There is significant evidence that Hitler spawned the idea and whether that is considered 'Fatherly' is debatable. This is discussed in a gazillion places and stated (as an example, not a definitive source) by Csaba Csere in this CNN transcript:

ARENA: For more on the Beetle legacy, history, and what all this could mean for Volkswagen we are joined by Csaba Csere, editor-in- chief of "Car and Driver" magazine from Ann Arbor Michigan, welcome.

CSABA CSERE, "CAR AND DRIVER": Glad to be here.

ARENA: So, did I hear right, this idea was spawned by Adolf Hitler?

CSERE: Absolutely, shortly after Hitler came to power in 1933 he decided he wanted to put Germany on wheels just like the Ford Model-T had done to Americans only there was no inexpensive, affordable, reliable car in Germany.

However, there is also evidence that Hitler had a hand in the design. The following link is to the 'Hitler Historical Museum', which describe the circumstances under which Hitler conceived the car and a sketch of the vehicle:

http://www.hitler.org/artifacts/volkswagen/

If you read the page, I think you'll agree that sounds pretty "fatherly".

And of course, there are numerous "historians" who pretty much give F. Porsche all the credit for the Beetle, except for the idea of the car. The general storyline can be read in this sample:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bv/beetle.htm

You see, the key to good trivia is asking a question with a definitive answer that isn't open to debate or interpretation. This rule would apply to both the phrasing of the question and it's answer. Question 2 is an example of good trivia. Question 1, was not, hence my post at 16:08.

[98Boxster98]

Originally Posted by SD987

You're kidding me right? The problem with citing Wikipedia as a definitive source of information, is in the very nature of the site. . .

Just posted it as an attempt at an answer to a trivia question. It was the first answer I found that offered someone else other than the previous two answers, Porsche and Hitler. I participated in the spirit of livening things up and relieving tension on the forum. Next time, perhaps I'll have my crack team of researchers prepare a scholarly thesis.

[SD987]

98Boxster98, that's not a joking matter...it wasn't cheap to bring in a team from the Smithsonian for the afternoon. I'm looking forward to offsetting the expense with the $5.00 voucher.

[986Jim]

Volkswagen was loosely translated as For The People somebody told me. That kinda sounds like something Hitler would do or say with his Communist adjenda. I also Heard it was Dr. Porsche who fathered the car, but Hitler saw it liked it and figured it was the right car "for the people".

Feel free to correct me where I'm way off base. This is mostly shop banter I'm repeating.

[MNBoxster]

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

I guess the question is, who is more believable; the commies or the nazis?


Nonetheless, the design of the mid-30's Tatra does give compelling evidence that Tatra was the originator of the Beetlesque design...

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Here are this Friday's Trivia Contributions, they are all Porsche related. Good Luck!

1. The 250,000th Porsche 911 was built in:

• a) 1980
  b) 1985
  c) 1987
  d) 1991
  e) 2001

2. How many Porsche employees were there in 1949?

• a) 13
  b) 17
  c) 24
  d) 52
  e) 12

3. Name the American responsible for the development of a new 356 model
Porsche and the Porsche Crest emblem.

• a) John Von Neuman
  b) Briggs Cunningham
  c) Max Hoffman

Post your answers and thoughts over the next 5 days, the answers will be given next Wednesday - Good Luck!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99