The number four car on our list of world’s greatest cars is one of the most recognizable automobiles in the world: the Volkswagen Beetle.

As with the 911, it all began with the design genius of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche.

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was an automotive engineer of remarkable abilities.  He had helped both the Mercedes Benz and Auto Union racing teams dominate Grand Prix racing in the 1930s.

His skills were recognized by Germany’s Chancellor, Adolf Hitler.  In 1933, he asked Porsche to design a “peoples’ car” or Volkswagen for Germany.

By February of 1936, Porsche had prepared three prototypes, but before the car could go into production, Germany went to war.

Germany was in shambles when the War ended in 1945.  Its industrial base was a bombed out hulk and the Volkswagen factory was no exception.

But the British military authority needed transportation and a young Major decided he’d try to revive the Volkswagen production facility. It worked. By October of 1946 the 10,000th Volkswagen had rolled off the line.

Within a short time it appeared that this would be a viable concern.  The British found a civilian manager for Volkswagen, Heinrich Nordoff who understood what to do. Citing the success of the Model T, Nordoff rejected cosmetic changes in favor of improving quality and reliability.

The strategy worked, and people bought the cars in record numbers. By 1953, the 500,000th Volkswagen was rolling off the line. The VW was called the “economic miracle” that helped to rebuild a shattered Western Germany.  This was no longer a local phenomenon.  The cars were being exported to more than 86 countries, including the United States.

“It was the car that taught the Baby Boomers that there was something other than big heavy Detroit iron. The Beetle was probably more responsible for the role of the import…in the United States than any other car,” Eisenstein said.

Production of the Volkswagen Beetle ceased in Germany in 1978 but continued in Mexico for another 25 years. By the time the last of the original-design Volkswagens came off the line in 2003, the total had reached 21 million 529 thousand 464.