Eighty-eight years ago today, on May 26, 1938, the Nazi Party’s union labor organization laid the foundation stone of the first Volkswagen factory. Adolf Hitler was present to witness this step in his 1933 vision becoming a reality. (DW) And, of course, today is Memorial Day where we remember Americans who died in our fight to strip the Germans of their empire (a fight that might not have been necessary if we and the British had stayed out of World War I?).
Let’s have a look at a cherished survivor of this company’s output, spotted here in Jupiter, Florida:
It seems to have one of the 5 mph bumpers that NHTSA required from 1973-1982 so perhaps it is a second generation (1967-79) bus, beloved by hippies, anti-war agitators, Grateful Dead fans, etc. Here’s the surprise…
A closer look…
Nice to see a Patriot on this day!
We may hate America and Western Civilization and everything about it, but we are people too (not just DEI detritus)! On this Memorial Day we should be celebrating the Real Patriots, starting with myself, Barack, our recent presidents (Dr. Jill Biden and Hunter Biden), and also Proud Kamala (affectionately, the “Kackler”). Barack and I will today be re-reading the Great works of Karl Marx, and hoping America can resume our struggle to rid America of Greatness really soon.
An authentic Hitler era type 1 beetle would be something special. The type 2 bus was introduced in 1948. Their 2 wartime vehicles were produced by enslaved ancestors of Greenspun. The Greenspun made Kübelwagen is visible in Indiana Jones & the last crusade.
I recall the original Hitler WV beatle war trophey. It was a noisy and heavy for its diminutive size and little utility chunk of metal but with some TLC it was operational into early 80th.
That was the type of Volkswagen my brother and I used to ride to school through middle school. The school would cram in as many kids as possible — young children would sit on the laps of the older ones. This was at a private school back when I was growing up in Aleppo, Syria. Amazedly, there was zero accident!
There was no MAGA hat in the van, but there was a photo of our dear leader, Hafez al-Assad. His image was everywhere, displayed in classrooms, shops, and even in the homes of those involved in politics.
Remember the fallen
only ss in arlington:
Larry Thorne
Lauri Tourni
Someone always has to screw it up, am I reich? Yeah yeah, you did nazi that coming did you..
In ’80s America I had a friend in high school who drove one, I guess inspired by the Fast Times at Ridgement High scene with Spicoli and friends in their smokey exit from a microbus to get to class after the bell rang. Going 55 MPH downhill with a cross wind on the interstate after a rock concert was like a horizontal roller coaster. A primitive contraption, but definitely a “stoned people mover”.
Of course, “Out on the road today”, Don Henley ironically “saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac” (true story). And if you have ever lived near the Republic of Boulder you probably have seen–irony of ironies–a “Free Tibet!” bumper sticker on a Mercedes SUV on their way back to their $10M house.
I asked a GenX hippy friend (who always seemed more true to the cause than Boomers, drove a Ford Pinto) how hippies reconciled the disturbing roots of the VW bus with its peace symbol status…his answer was “swords to plowshares, man”, kind of a Yankee practicality thing. VW has an electric version of the microbus now. “Plug in, turn on, and drop out.” would be a fun advertising slogan, don’t you think?
Peace, man! ☮
> Plug in, turn on, and drop out.
Plug in, (wait 3 hours), turn on, and drop out. Farfenugen, man. ✌️
FTFY