Time, as we all likely know by now, is kind of a jerk. It’s cold and unfeeling and trudges on forward inexorably and doesn’t give a brace of BMs what you think about that. It ages us and pushes our memories further and further away, changing the way we see things. That’s why sometimes we need to take a moment and remind ourselves to consider some things not just in the context of our eternally-fleeting present, but in the overall period of time where it existed. I think Volkswagen’s New Beetle is a great example of this; today it’s often dismissed as some silly, less-practical Golf, or, worse and more troubling, with the misogynistic moniker of a “chick car,” but the truth is when the New Beetle hit the scene in the late 1990s, it was a huge deal. I know, because I was there, and I was excited as all hell. Plus, it brought back an element to the automotive world that had been in painfully short supply: fun.
I remember the period when the New Beetle was being developed and teased and tested and eventually released extremely well. I was, in some ways, an ideal target for the car: a longtime air-cooled VW Beetle fan, someone who daily drove a 1973 Beetle, in my 20s, working in a creative industry and caring about the design of things. Well, I guess if I actually had money to spend on a car, that would have helped, but that’s just a detail! A silly detail.
As a kid, I grew up in the back (often the very back, in the luggage well) of my dad’s ’68 Beetle. I remember seeing one of the very last Beetle convertibles in a VW showroom in 1980. From there, I remember the transformation of VW from the company that made peculiar and friendly rear-engined, air-cooled cars that were curvy and distinctive into a company that made highly rectilinear FWD, liquid-cooled machines that, while often very competent and interesting in their own way, nevertheless did not have the same character as the old rear-engined cars. In some ways, I felt like Volkswagen had given into the pressures of the mainstream automotive landscape, and there was nothing left for me there.
Then, in 1994, the Volkswagen Concept One was shown at the Detroit Auto Show and everything felt like it changed. It’s hard to explain to people who didn’t live through it, but the 1990s were a strangely optimistic time. There was a feeling that permeated everything that made you feel like things were changing, but in a good way. It felt like we were finally figuring things out. The internet was just becoming part of life, and it was still early enough that you could believe all of the utopian-sounding hype about it. For a while, everything felt like it was it changing and getting better, and the reveal of this re-born Beetle fit the narrative perfectly.
It was a day I never really thought would come; I knew Volkswagen of Mexico was still building original-style air-cooled Beetles, but getting those into America was an unlikely and difficult pipe dream. The idea that VW finally seemed to be paying attention to all of us old Beetle-obsessed fools just felt incredible.
(I like this early sketch because it seems to have the turn indicators on the tops of the fenders, like the original Beetle)
And, even better, it looked to be a truly modernized Beetle, still capturing that Beetle essence, but updated for the end of the 20th century. This, of course, was due to the incredible design work of Freeman Thomas and J Mays, who undertook the project without the initial approval of Volkswagen in Germany, who, culturally, saw the Beetle in a very different context than Americans did. For the Germans, the Beetle was a reminder of hard and lean times after the war, and while there was certainly affection for the Käfer that helped to start the whole German economic postwar miracle, there was a lot less nostalgia for the old Bug than in America.
When re-imagining the 1938 Volkswagen Type 1 (the official name of the Beetle) design into a modern design vocabulary, Thomas and Mays distilled the Beetle down to its absolute most basic visual essence: three curves.
The basic three curves became the New Beetle’s logo, and you can easily see how this concept was expressed in the form of the concept car, known as Concept One:
The Concept One was based on the VW Polo platform, which wasn’t available in America and was a bit smaller than the Golf. It was a front-engine/FWD/liquid-cooled platform, completely the opposite of the original Beetle, and while I was disappointed by this, I also remember just kind of accepting this as the Way Things Had To Be. And, while in my mind that made these re-born Beetles not true Beetles, I was still so excited by the general concept and look that I accepted it as the price of existing in modernity.
I remember seeing this picture below in magazines, a VW-released collage of the design process, with old Beetles around for inspiration and some interesting hints at ideas that didn’t make it, like the rear deck vents on the turquoise model in the lower right.
The hype when the Concept One was shown was enormous; this was one of those times where a car was making news that went beyond the usual greasy-fingered gearhead circles, and had everyone talking. This is partially a testament to the incredible success of the original Beetle; even in the early 1990s, when the car hadn’t been officially sold in America for over a decade, almost everyone still had some sort of Beetle story, whether they owned one themselves or some kooky friend had one and the went on that crazy roadtrip, or the things they did in one or whatever. So many people had an emotional connection to the Beetle, and this concept reminded people of that.
After the first Concept One, VW showed a red convertible New Beetle at the New York auto show:
In 1995 came the Concept Two, shown at the Geneva Auto Show, and by this iteration the design was just about finalized to what it would look like as a production car:
Here’s a production one, from the first year of production:
As you can see, a few things were changed from Concept One: the car was now larger, on the Golf 4 platform, the front end lost the oval grilles that evoked the original, pre-’68 Beetle’s horn grilles and replaced those with a wide, under-bumper grille. The hood had been lengthened a bit, and some of the purity of the “three circles” idea had been lost, but not much, and the result both felt like the archaic old Beetle and something completely new.
Living in Los Angeles at the time, I remember seeing pre-production New Beetles being tested on Wilshire Blvd, surrounded by a coterie of black Jettas and with their badges missing or taped over– like anyone would think they were, say, a new Chevy or whatever. VW didn’t bother to really camouflage these, because what would be the point? Beetles just look like Beetles. All of this was in the everyone-has-a-camera-on-them-always era, so I regretfully never managed to get any pictures of those test Beetles. But I wish I did.
I can’t overstate the impact the New Beetle had on overall design at the time; it came onto the scene just as industrial design was starting to feel a bit more free, more open to having fun, and the New Beetle was like a massive, obvious banner reading YES LET’S DO IT to every company out there, no matter what they made. The bright colors, the pure and friendly curves, the exuberance and unashamed glee, these were all things inherent in the New Beetle and ready to pop all over industrial design. And that’s nor even mentioning the effect the New Beetle had on retro-inspired automotive design, which paved the way for the new Mini, new Fiat 500, the Mustang re-design, the Ford Thunderbird, and more.
One of the best examples of this is perhaps the most famous: the iMac. Look how this Newsweek article about Steve Jobs and the introduction of the iMac starts:
“Look at That!” says Steve Jobs he pulls his Mercedes into a parking space. He’s pointing at a new Volkswagen Beetle, and as soon as he parks, he dashes over, circling the shiny black Bug, taking the measure of a well-publicized update of once great product design. “They got it right,” he concludes.
I’m not saying the New Beetle inspired the iMac, but I am saying that both the New Beetle and the iMac were at the vanguard of a revolution in industrial design that was happening in the 1990s; it was as though the whole material world had suddenly rediscovered color and frivolity and translucency and for a while, everyone decided it was okay to have, say, a microwave that looked like a gumdrop or a de-humidifier that seemed like it came out of a CGI cartoon.
I found an old Automobile magazine from 1997, and you can feel the optimism in the coverage of the New Beetle. They’re excited. The New Beetle was nostalgic and hopeful and just about fun. There was so much hype about the way the instruments illuminated (a blue designed to look like how an illuminted swimming pool looks at night) and the bud vase, built into the dash. Yes, old Beetles in the ’50s and ’60s could have an optional flower vase, but these were never common. And yet VW decided to make it a standard part of the design! A standard flower vase, on a mass-market car. Just think about that.
My parents got a yellow turbo New Beetle (the one that made a very respectable for the time 150 hp) and got a custom license plate that read YOLKSWAGEN. This is the sort of thing the car inspired, even in parents like mine, a diminutive elderly couple who routinely has conversations at a decibel level that makes local airports call and complain and whose general idea of fun is buying things and then returning them, with complaints. They were inspired to get a fun, quick, bright yellow car with a punny license plate because this was the power of the New Beetle’s design.
Sure, late ’90s to early 2000s Volkswagen quality wasn’t great. I’ve been stung, badly, by VWs of this era, and New Beetles were no exception. But they had better interiors than almost any other car of their class at the time, they could be engaging to drive, reasonably practical, and, again, were simply fun. This was a car designed from the get-go to cause people to smile, and that alone makes it worthy of redemption in my book.
The look is definitely of an era when seen today, but the charm is still there, and I think these little colorful bubbles deserve our respect, because they did something simple and noble: they tried to make the world a little more fun.
You can still find these around, for usually pretty cheap, and I’m often tempted by a convertible new Beetle as a cheap, fun little ragtop. People who roll their eyes at New Beetles or treat them with the peculiar hostility of the insecure need to, I think, just lighten up. The New Beetle new what it was, and it was just that. Fun.
It’s easy to forget that at the time people were genuinely excited about these, the new Mini and, GASP… the PT cruiser. Only the Mini seems to have any hint of residual love from enthusiasts. Was the Mini (an early 2000’s BMW product) really that less shit than the other two? (Not owned any of them so I genuinely don’t know).
Also that turquoise instrument backlight is very much quintessential late 90’s. So many stereos (including the one in my bedroom as a teen) had displays that colour. It was the shit!
My vague memories are that car magazines thought the Beetle and PT cruiser were one trick ponies.Simply about looks.
Minis OTOH were great to drive
For a very short time, unfortunately, before they broke down into an expensive worse-of-both-worlds german complexity and british reliability
Yeah, the British reliability and German complexity is the general vibe I’ve gotten talking to Mini owners.
Gosh, there was SO MUCH LOVE for the PT Cruiser when it came out. The big hits of that retro era were hits for a reason. The PT Cruiser was a decent handling versatile weirdo in a compact package. The Mini and New Beetle absolutely nailed the assignment, with the former being one of the best-handling FWD cars you could buy and the latter managing to be a callback that didn’t live entirely in the past.
It’s easy to forget that at the time people were genuinely excited about these, the new Mini and, GASP… the PT cruiser. Only the Mini seems to have any hint of residual love from enthusiasts. Was the Mini (an early 2000’s BMW product) really that less shit than the other two? (Not owned any of them so I genuinely don’t know).
Also that turquoise instrument backlight is very much quintessential late 90’s. So many stereos (including the one in my bedroom as a teen) had displays that colour. It was the shit!
My vague memories are that car magazines thought the Beetle and PT cruiser were one trick ponies.Simply about looks.
Minis OTOH were great to drive
For a very short time, unfortunately, before they broke down into an expensive worse-of-both-worlds german complexity and british reliability
Yeah, the British reliability and German complexity is the general vibe I’ve gotten talking to Mini owners.
Gosh, there was SO MUCH LOVE for the PT Cruiser when it came out. The big hits of that retro era were hits for a reason. The PT Cruiser was a decent handling versatile weirdo in a compact package. The Mini and New Beetle absolutely nailed the assignment, with the former being one of the best-handling FWD cars you could buy and the latter managing to be a callback that didn’t live entirely in the past.
After smoking the engine, then later the autotragic transmixer on her Novarolla, my daughter (w/child) bought a buttercup yellow new beetle mit manual trans & a 6disk cd changer ensconced in the “trunk”. It had that typical VW leather smell in its black cave interior. The motor consumed oil and the kid occupied the front seat, cause the back was a pain to get into. When daughter acquired a golden retriever, the car got much too small. She then bought a Honda Pilot that mad a lot more sense
After smoking the engine, then later the autotragic transmixer on her Novarolla, my daughter (w/child) bought a buttercup yellow new beetle mit manual trans & a 6disk cd changer ensconced in the “trunk”. It had that typical VW leather smell in its black cave interior. The motor consumed oil and the kid occupied the front seat, cause the back was a pain to get into. When daughter acquired a golden retriever, the car got much too small. She then bought a Honda Pilot that mad a lot more sense
I love and curse these at once for starting the retro trend. I still remember these bringing 20k dealer mark up when they were first released. Our neighbor at the time was dumb enough to pay it. At least it was that pretty green color
I love and curse these at once for starting the retro trend. I still remember these bringing 20k dealer mark up when they were first released. Our neighbor at the time was dumb enough to pay it. At least it was that pretty green color
There was a huge amount of optimism and positivity in the late 90s as we headed into the new millennium, looking forward to the future. The products and culture of that time reflected that. The reborn Mini also came about during this period too.
Then 9/11 sent us spiralling back into seriousness again.
Yep! I was a kid finishing school, about to start uni, living in a country that was still basking in the afterglow of hosting the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The mood of the nation really was that we were King Dick and could do no wrong. 9/11 was a “welcome to the real world kids” for our generation!
Same here. Halfway through college when 9/11 happened. That said, though I was into tech I was also pretty clinically depressed even before 9/11, so while it was shocking to me for what it did to change the whole international mood, and certainly my own worldview, I was not getting knocked down quite so many pegs as other folks I knew.
There was a huge amount of optimism and positivity in the late 90s as we headed into the new millennium, looking forward to the future. The products and culture of that time reflected that. The reborn Mini also came about during this period too.
Then 9/11 sent us spiralling back into seriousness again.
Yep! I was a kid finishing school, about to start uni, living in a country that was still basking in the afterglow of hosting the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The mood of the nation really was that we were King Dick and could do no wrong. 9/11 was a “welcome to the real world kids” for our generation!
Same here. Halfway through college when 9/11 happened. That said, though I was into tech I was also pretty clinically depressed even before 9/11, so while it was shocking to me for what it did to change the whole international mood, and certainly my own worldview, I was not getting knocked down quite so many pegs as other folks I knew.
I never liked them at the time, thinking a front-engined watercooled ‘Beetle’ that cost more than similar cars was an unworthy reboot of the original. But given how boring the design of cars has become, I am prepared to reconsider my dislike of the New Beetle, will grudgingly accept New Minis (although they can never look right because they are way too big by comparison with the original). The real winner in the retro stakes is the Fiat 500, which despite being much larger than the original, does not look too big.
Unfortunately nobody seems keen on making a cheap, simple, ‘fun and stylish’ car these days – there’s no money to be made from ‘niche’ inexpensive cars like these and the Pike Factory Nissans (I still occasionally look up prices of S-Cargos and imagine the best ways to mod one!)
I never liked them at the time, thinking a front-engined watercooled ‘Beetle’ that cost more than similar cars was an unworthy reboot of the original. But given how boring the design of cars has become, I am prepared to reconsider my dislike of the New Beetle, will grudgingly accept New Minis (although they can never look right because they are way too big by comparison with the original). The real winner in the retro stakes is the Fiat 500, which despite being much larger than the original, does not look too big.
Unfortunately nobody seems keen on making a cheap, simple, ‘fun and stylish’ car these days – there’s no money to be made from ‘niche’ inexpensive cars like these and the Pike Factory Nissans (I still occasionally look up prices of S-Cargos and imagine the best ways to mod one!)
Yeah, nah, not redeemed. Sorry.
They were cute and whimsical, sure, but they fucking sucked to drive. And they were lower than the standard curb/kerb height, so they were a complete shit show in parking lots. Ask me how I know.
No don’t.
Goddamn, some 20-year old trauma has been unlocked, apparently lol
Yeah, nah, not redeemed. Sorry.
They were cute and whimsical, sure, but they fucking sucked to drive. And they were lower than the standard curb/kerb height, so they were a complete shit show in parking lots. Ask me how I know.
No don’t.
Goddamn, some 20-year old trauma has been unlocked, apparently lol
IF you want one, please reconsider. I had a 2002 turbo S after a guy told us to scrap it, after we told him it would need approximately $1000 in repairs to get through inspection( leaking valve cover fouling coils, all tires beyond shot, too many trouble codes), and that’s probably the most desirable one since it is the front drive 180hp Audi TT drive train with 6 speed. I did the needed repairs, and it was fun to drive, so I continued to restore it. The wires inside the headlight assemblies shed their insulation, the mat, soft touch finish on the hard plastic interior turns to goo, the engine compartment is so tight, had to remove intake manifold to replace alternator and secondary air pump and plastic hoses. The shift linkage detached from the base of the shifter due to worn plastic bushing backed by too small of a metal washer that just pulled right through the eyelet.The hydraulic line from the shared brake/clutch reservoir developed a leak that led to slave cylinder failure that is internal, so gotta drop trans, do full clutch replacement. I’ve sworn off all VAG products of the era, the only reason I got my money’s worth out of it was insurance payout after I got T- boned.
I hated wrenching on my friend’s Beetle Turbo. Anything under the hood was nearly impossible to work on, and holy crap was the thing an electrical nightmare. The first time I worked on it I assumed it must have had 200,000+ miles on it given all the issues that were described to me. Sadly, and in true VW fashion, it only had around 53,000 miles on it. It had some styling charm, but the rest was junk.
Yep, this is why I never got one despite being a fan. By the time I could afford a decent used one, their reputation had preceded them. Basically, “they break as much as a GTI but they’re impossible to work on due to the shape.”
IF you want one, please reconsider. I had a 2002 turbo S after a guy told us to scrap it, after we told him it would need approximately $1000 in repairs to get through inspection( leaking valve cover fouling coils, all tires beyond shot, too many trouble codes), and that’s probably the most desirable one since it is the front drive 180hp Audi TT drive train with 6 speed. I did the needed repairs, and it was fun to drive, so I continued to restore it. The wires inside the headlight assemblies shed their insulation, the mat, soft touch finish on the hard plastic interior turns to goo, the engine compartment is so tight, had to remove intake manifold to replace alternator and secondary air pump and plastic hoses. The shift linkage detached from the base of the shifter due to worn plastic bushing backed by too small of a metal washer that just pulled right through the eyelet.The hydraulic line from the shared brake/clutch reservoir developed a leak that led to slave cylinder failure that is internal, so gotta drop trans, do full clutch replacement. I’ve sworn off all VAG products of the era, the only reason I got my money’s worth out of it was insurance payout after I got T- boned.
I hated wrenching on my friend’s Beetle Turbo. Anything under the hood was nearly impossible to work on, and holy crap was the thing an electrical nightmare. The first time I worked on it I assumed it must have had 200,000+ miles on it given all the issues that were described to me. Sadly, and in true VW fashion, it only had around 53,000 miles on it. It had some styling charm, but the rest was junk.
Yep, this is why I never got one despite being a fan. By the time I could afford a decent used one, their reputation had preceded them. Basically, “they break as much as a GTI but they’re impossible to work on due to the shape.”
While i love the new Beetle and the new Mini, i’m disappointed that both cars are luxury/fashion cars, not cars for the masses.
Also i miss the optimism of the 90s.
While i love the new Beetle and the new Mini, i’m disappointed that both cars are luxury/fashion cars, not cars for the masses.
Also i miss the optimism of the 90s.
Had a 99, the usual shit quality VW work. It cemented my hatred of German cars. Drove the heck out of it and turned it back into the dealer when the lease was up. It remains one of the few cars that I was very comfortable in. Max headroom, great legroom. For a newly single guy the thing was perfect. Bought a 01 corvette and used the Bug as a winter car until its lease was up.
Had a 99, the usual shit quality VW work. It cemented my hatred of German cars. Drove the heck out of it and turned it back into the dealer when the lease was up. It remains one of the few cars that I was very comfortable in. Max headroom, great legroom. For a newly single guy the thing was perfect. Bought a 01 corvette and used the Bug as a winter car until its lease was up.
I got a New Beetle because it was a cool design and to thumb my nose at the status-craving gotta-have-at-least-a-5-Series-Beemer people I was surrounded by. I remember a somewhat perplexed and offended woman ask, “What could possibly fit in such a tiny trunk?” I demonstrated by easily tucking my not-at-all-dainty self in there, which offended her even more that I would do such a silly low-brow thing in her presence.
Hahahahaha, that is awesome.
I got a New Beetle because it was a cool design and to thumb my nose at the status-craving gotta-have-at-least-a-5-Series-Beemer people I was surrounded by. I remember a somewhat perplexed and offended woman ask, “What could possibly fit in such a tiny trunk?” I demonstrated by easily tucking my not-at-all-dainty self in there, which offended her even more that I would do such a silly low-brow thing in her presence.
Hahahahaha, that is awesome.
I thought it was a fun looking car and the vase was a cute touch. I hate the headlight eyelashes with the burning fury of a thousand suns but there’s no accounting for taste. Personally I prefer the chopped and channeled look of the A5 based 2nd generation.
Unfortunately A4 Golf mechanicals mean the New Beetle is getting scarce as they age and more of them suffer expensive failures. I suppose I would consider one as project car or fun car, but after working on modern cars I’d sooner risk my life in an OG Beetle I can fix with a tool roll and a test light.
The vase made a good pen/pencil holder.
I thought it was a fun looking car and the vase was a cute touch. I hate the headlight eyelashes with the burning fury of a thousand suns but there’s no accounting for taste. Personally I prefer the chopped and channeled look of the A5 based 2nd generation.
Unfortunately A4 Golf mechanicals mean the New Beetle is getting scarce as they age and more of them suffer expensive failures. I suppose I would consider one as project car or fun car, but after working on modern cars I’d sooner risk my life in an OG Beetle I can fix with a tool roll and a test light.
The vase made a good pen/pencil holder.
I too, am often tempted by a second hand (third?) convertible new beetle. Good article. Tell us more about your parents.
Until he returns, I can direct you to a little background he shared, as much as I hate directing any traffic to the former site.
I too, am often tempted by a second hand (third?) convertible new beetle. Good article. Tell us more about your parents.
Until he returns, I can direct you to a little background he shared, as much as I hate directing any traffic to the former site.
My good friends bought one of these, in yellow, with the 2.0 and an automatic. The engine had some kind of catastrophic failure around 60,000 miles and that was the end of the beetle. They weren’t “car people” but they took care of it to the extent of keeping up on maintenance. It was really disappointing because they loved that car and it definitely put them off VWs for life.