Volkswagen Beetle, circa 1960 (#78; Topic N)

Under the caption of "Power Kick -- Then and Now," today's Washington Post shows a photo of the original Volkswagen Beetle: in 1955, its engine had only 36 horsepower; in 2006, even a John Dee lawn mower has 36 hp; the engine in 2006 VW has 150 hp. The first German car I owned was a VW, circa 1960s. With our son and daughter being born, we needed a second car; with our finance tight, we could afford the least expensive car on the market, and VW, at $2,400, fitted the bill. (In 1960, I left USC to join Cal State Fullerton's faculty, attracted by the latter's offer of an associate professorship as well as an increase of $500 in annual salary -- not much by 2006 standards, but a difference between making it or not making it for my wife and me in 1960.) One reason for VW's reasonable price is that its exterior was frozen -- my 1960s VW looked exactly the same as the 1955 version pictured in today's Post. Another reason is that the car had manual shift -- I had to learn how to drive it in a hurry. A third reason is that the car did not have a gasoline guage -- every time I was driving, I had to guess whether it was due for a gas-station visit; luckily, I never did run out of gas. A fourth reason is that the car was not equipped with safety belts (it was not mandatory at the time). A piece in Consumer Reports strongly suggested that that be added; I took its advice and did so. As it turned out, that move saved my life; in 1965, my VW tumbled down an elevated Orange County freeway to the street level 18 feet below. I was unconscious for a couple of days, but was otherwise ok. I am eternally grateful to Consumer Reports, and have been a faithful subscriber ever since.
Posted 7:56 pm, Friday, February 10, 2006