On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 10:18 PM, Scott Daniel  - Turbovans
<scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> I believe the rear engine bug as we know the basic design..
> was the first version of the concept that Ferdinand laid down........for a
> People's Car.........
> something that the Furuer sought design submissions for, in about 1938.
>
> Barely any of those cars  were made I think, pre-war.
> the Kublewagon and Schwimmienwaong were german army adaptations of the rear
> engine, air-cooled 'bug' design, far as I know anyway.  .
> After WWII............VW Bugs here manufactured.
> it was the British who ran the company at first and got it going post-war.
> Easy to study in any 'history of VW' book  or site.
> I think that's the order in which things  happened.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "neil N" <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 9:38 PM
> Subject: Re: If Ted Kennedy Had Been Driving a VW........
>
>
>> On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 9:24 PM,  <syncro@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>> And if IIRC, the precursor to the VW bug, the Kublewagen, would float.
>>> Some even had a prop on the back (No pics of prop)
>>>
>>>
>>> That was not the Kubelwagen but rather the Schwimmenwagen.

Right.

Somewhere in my house, I have a book, I think this was it:

http://tinyurl.com/dzsrvf

Thought the cover looked different.

Now I remember. You're right. The Beetle prototypes were built first.
IIRC, (ha!) they even used wood for the subframe, or something along
those lines. And, I recall that metal was so scarce at one point, they
pieced together the roof with separate pieces of metal. Though I am
not sure if that was production or prototypes that had that.
Anyhow........

Neil.