| Although believed to be designed by Porsche creator Ferdinand Porsche, the original VW Beetle was actually designed in 1923 by a Hungarian-German named Josef Ganz. At the young age of 25, Ganz was a young engineering student who was looking to create a an economically friendly car, that could be sold for about the same price as a motorcycle. | 
Josef Ganz
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1933 Standard Superior Editor-In-Chief of a car magazine, Ganz was particularly critical of the automobile industry which he thought was creating clunky, old, and unsafe cars. Ganz began designing his own vehicle - the Beetle, which quickly caught the eye of the German government.
1934 Standard Superior Unfortunately with the onset of the Hitler regime and growing anti-semitism, Ganz who was Jewish, was arrested on fake blackmailing charges against the auto industry. He was later released, but he could see things were only getting worse so he fled the country. It was then that Ferdinand Porsche stepped in and took all the credit for Ganz's design. But, let's not forget Josef Ganz - the REAL DESIGNER OF THE VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE!
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