VOLKSWAGEN
Volkswagen as a company was founded in the 1930s’ by the German government under Hitler’s rule. The intent was to build the “people’s car” (later named the Beetle) that Ferdinand Porsche had designed according to the ruler’s requests. The car was supposed to carry 4 people, be practical and consume little fuel, because even though Hitler couldn’t drive, he had understood the importance of the car for the development of the nation. The war started before the beetle could begin production, so the car maker we know today really only began its life after the war, under British/American ownership.
The first car produced was the Beetle which went on to be one of the most successful ever, ending production in 2003(!!!). The second car was the iconic van created in 1950 which went on to be the symbol of the hippie generation. Both had the engine in the back, carrying with them the heritage of Porsche’s designs.
VW went on to create another top seller called the Golf, inventing the hot-hatch segment with the GTI and introducing many other iconic names along the way.
I owned a Passat like many people around the world and I must say that it was one of the most practical daily cars I’ve ever come across.
Phaeton
Regardless of the historic flop, VW didn’t end production until 2016, adding more technology as the years passed.
Remember that the same platform and most of the components were used for the Bentley Flying Spur. It’s the bargain of…well…always!
First things first, its pronounced: Fay-ton.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about one of the best luxury sedans ever produced. Similarly to the i-Phone, when Ferdinand Piëch gave the engineers his requirements for what was to be the last car produced under his watch, half of them walked out of the room saying it would have been impossible. Just like the i-Phone, Piëch didn’t take no as an answer and put the ones who stayed to work. Still like the i-Phone the engineers managed to deliver on all the requests and produced something that is an engineering masterpiece. Sadly however, unlike the i-Phone, the Phaeton never received the same appreciation by the masses. Apparently, who wants the best luxury sedan also wants people to know that it was expensive and the VW on the Phaeton just doesn’t cut it. Luckily for us, this means that the Phaeton depreciated like few other cars have managed and maybe someday I will be able to own a second hand one.