"I do not doubt that the outstanding ability of the designer and at a later date the economic acumen of manufacturers, will make it possible to make available to the German people a car which is low priced and cheap in operation, similar to what American people have enjoyed for a long time..."
- German Chancellor at the 26th International Berlin Automobile Show, 1936

The early development of the "Peoples Car" took root in two forms: first, with Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's quest to build a small car, and second, with Adolf Hitler's desire to emulate the very successful US car builder, Henry Ford. Essentially, the Chancellor hoped to build a propaganda machine that would draw support from the middle and working classes into his National Socialist Party and take advantage of the new Autobahn being constructed all across Germany. While the Volkswagen was primarily an offshoot of Germany's socialist thinking, it was the inimitable Porsche who brought the vehicle's design and manufacture from concept to fruition.

This particular set consists of three 1:43 scale versions of the German KdF Volkswagen vehicle (open, cabrio and limousine) with the German chancellor figure looking on. The building of the new Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg started on May 26th, 1938, in the new town of KdF-Stadt (modern-day Wolfsburg), which had been purpose-built for the factory workers. This factory had only produced a handful of cars by the time war started in 1939. None were actually delivered to any holder of the completed saving stamp books, though one Type 1 Cabriolet was presented to Germany's Chancellor on April 20th, 1944 (his 55th birthday). Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 3-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: December 2015

Historical Account: "Wolfsburg" - Wolfsburg was founded on July 1st, 1938, as the Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben (English: City of the KdF Car at Fallersleben), a planned town centered around the village of Fallersleben, built to house workers of the Volkswagen (people's car) factories erected to assemble what was to become the Volkswagen Beetle.

During World War II military cars, airplanes, and other military equipment, were built there, mainly by forced workers and POWs. In 1942, the Arbeitsdorf concentration camp established by the Nazis in the city for a few months.

At the urging of the British occupying power, the city was renamed as Wolfsburg on May 25th, 1945, after the eponymous castle located there. Ironically, 'Wolf' was the chancellor's nickname amongst his closest colleagues and is also found in 'The Wolf's Lair' and his sister's adopted name. In 1951, Wolfsburg was separated from the District of Gifhorn, and became an urban district.