Softcover Book The VW Beetle - A Production History of the Worlds Mosr Famous Car - Ryan Lee Price

The book The VW Beetle: A Production History of the World’s Most Famous Car, 1936–1967 by Ryan Lee Price (sometimes misattributed as “Ran Lee Price”) is a detailed historical account of the Beetle’s development, production, and global impact.

Key Details

• Title: The VW Beetle: A Production History of the World’s Most Famous Car, 1936–1967

• Author: Ryan Lee Price

• Publisher: HP Books / Berkley Publishing

• Publication Date: November 2003

• Format: Paperback, 192 pages

• ISBN: 1557884218 / 9781557884213

Content Overview

• Origins (1930s): The Beetle’s conception under Ferdinand Porsche and Adolf Hitler’s “people’s car” project.

• Postwar Revival (1945–1950s): How British officer Major Ivan Hirst restarted production after WWII, saving Volkswagen.

• Production History: Detailed year‑by‑year coverage of Beetle models, engines, and body styles through 1967.

• Technical Data: Specifications, production figures, and factory changes.

• Cultural Impact: Explains how the Beetle became a symbol of affordability, reliability, and counterculture in the 1960s.

• Illustrations: Includes factory photographs, advertising material, and archival images.

 Historical Context

• This book is considered one of the most authoritative production histories of the Beetle, focusing on its first three decades.

• It complements other VW literature such as Walter Henry Nelson’s Small Wonder (1965) and Jonathan Wood’s VW Beetle (2003).

• Ryan Lee Price is a respected automotive historian, and his work is widely cited in VW enthusiast circles.