#ThrowbackThursday – The Nostalgia of the Volkswagen Beetle

Photo Courtesy / Volkswagen

As a way of acknowledging the ever-so-popular #ThrowBackThursday trend, Volkswagen has taken a trip down memory lane with the Volkswagen Beetle and explains how the new model has secured itself as a pop culture icon.

Every generation finds nostalgia for a time when many of its members were being born – it’s how young adults in the 90’s found the 70’s captivating, and how the styles and trends of the 80’s and 90’s have enjoyed their own revival in the years since. In fact, back in 2015, we talked about why the iconic Volkswagen Beetle should your perfect next vehicle.

The younger age group, Generation Z, has kept this trend alive in recent months with a boom for all things #Y2K – a unique historical marker that has become something of a touchstone for a simpler time. Part of this nostalgia for turn of the century culture has manifested in a renewed appreciation of one of the most recognizable cars in history – the Volkswagen Beetle.

Freeman Thomas, half of the design duo behind the Beetle and current CEO of Meyers Manx, explains how the iconic design has maintained a pop-culture edge throughout the years.

Back in 1993, the New VW Beetle was originally conceived as an electric car, and started as a small-scale model captured with a photo shoot on the sunny beaches of California before being greenlit as an auto-shop concept car. At the Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled “Concept One”, a nostalgic concept car that paid homage to the original Beetle while offering a modern, front engine chassis. The car was revealed with a sentimental video asking viewers to “remember when”, recognizing the golden age of the original Beetle.

“The journalists were all tearing up [at the video], said Thomas. “The overwhelming response from the press was so big that they would not leave the show stand and go to other press conferences, they wanted to see if Volkswagen would actually build the Beetle.”

After tremendous success at the Detroit Auto Show, Concept One was approved for production and Thomas and his team designed every interior and exterior detail. The team took the original Beetle down to its most geometric elements – the three arches – and were inspired to mix Bauhaus flavors with warm character design, making the New Beetle stylish and approachable.

“Everybody has their own Volkswagen Beetle story”, said Thomas. “Memories based not just off the charisma of the design but the reliability of the vehicle and [how] it represented Volkswagen’s philosophy of how to build, design and sell a vehicle.”

The New Beetle was was introduced to consumers in 1998 and was immediately popular. In 2003, the VW cabrio model was introduced and once again inspired by a mixture of modernity and nostalgia. The New Beetle was all about cohesive design – one that even today maintains a precise balance between welcoming and whimsical. The Beetle is still the star of music videos, movie, and now social media posts because of its iconic design and history.

“The [Beetle] means the simplicity of the past, when things were innocent and accessible and fun,” said Thomas. “That’s really what the Beetle represented.”