A Short History Of The VW Beetle (cont.)

In 1958, Nordhoff, Porsche and all of the VW staff were awarded the Elmer A. Sperry prize, as part of the acceptance speech Nordhoff commented “I am for more attracted to the idea of offering people something of genuine value-a high-quality product with a low purchase price and an incomparable resale value, than to be continually pestered by a mob of hysterical stylists who try to sell people something they don’t want to buy at all.” No major changes to the car for 1958, only minor chassis and engine changes. Again, the 1959 car didn’t undergo any major changes, however the door handles changed from lever handles, to fixed handles with push buttons. Mechanically the whole engine/transmission was tilted forward by 2 degrees, this had the effect of lowering the swing axles pivot point by 15mm, resulting in a sharper handling car, and increased load capacity. By 1957 VW de Brazil’s new factory had been completed, and in 1959 the first completely Brazilian Beetle rolled off the Sao Paolo production line.