Volkswagen, known later as the Beetle, holds a rich and complex history that could not be summed up in a few paragraphs. But the most important date, perhaps, is June 22, 1934 when Porsche was given the go signal by the Association of the German Reich of the Automotive Industry to manufacture the Volkswagen.

The first Volkswagen made for the civilian use began its continuous production in the summer of 1945. It was given the name ‘VW Käfer’, and sometimes called the VW Beetle. We all have known that in the later years that followed, the Volkswagen did not only become a popular car, but also an icon in the car industry.

As Special Exhibition featuring the first Volkswagen models and the men behind the rich history will be held till July 31, 2009 at the Porsche Museum. The exhibit includes Ferdinand Porsche, one of the men who designed and built the famous car.

Of course, the exhibit will feature actual models: one will be the Volkswagen pre-war model aptly called the rare VW38; while the second model is a tribute to the present’s diesel technology, a Beetle with a diesel engine straight from the early 1950s.