Very Rare Footage! Volkswagen Production Documentary at Wolfsburg and Hannover factories.

We don't know if this amazing film "Wolfsburg 221" was produced for dealer/distributor training or internal staff/employee training, or public promotion purposes, but all footages are unreal.
You will see 1960 model Beetle production and some research & development footage at the Wolfsburg factory. Then we go to Kassel and Braunschweig factories for transmission & parts production. And finally, Type 2 production at the Hannover factory.
Some interesting scenes. Please leave your comment if you find something interesting.
0:52: The power plant building still didn't have chimneys. Chimneys were added in 1961.
6:36: The body at the paint booth looks 1959 model because it has only one door handle hole.
7:54: The engine case is 40hp, which was started from the 1961 model for Type 1 and the 1960 model for Type 2.
8:14: Split case transmission was used until the 1960 model.
8:42: 36hp engine mated to the Type 1 chassis. Probably this was the 1960 model.
8:58: 40hp engine with Type 1 chassis. Testing for the 1961 model in 1960?
11:47: VW Tram in Wolfsburg. VW Museum owns one today.
12:20: Hannover Factory started production in March 1956.
16:20: One complete drivable rolling chassis at the final stage of the line. That was probably for the Karmann plant.
Compared to the Porsche 356 production of the same period, which was handled mostly by hand, Volkswagen's production process was highly automated.
Watch the 1960 Porsche 356 production footage "Made by Hand" filmed by Porsche.
• Porsche 356 - made by ...

[@dscott130]

I was a professional VW mechanic at one of the largest dealerships in Southern California in my youth. 1965 through 1976. A line mechanic and in unit repair. Those were the good ole days for sure. Economotors Volkswagen, Riverside, CA.

[@hotvwsmagazine]

WOW!!!! You worked at Economotors!!!!!!!!!!!! You witnessed golden era of EMPI, Joe and Darrell Vittone!!!!!!!! 👍🏼

[@sriddle3569]

Hey David, come work with us down at KIA, West Poiny, Ga!

[@kippywylie]

My mother purchased an early version of the VW and I think the year wad 1961. I think the floor model was $1,600? She loved that car and even got those cute eyebrow add-ons for the headlights

[@lukemartin2476]

If you haven’t already you need to check out Volkswagen’s own video on “Annie the Beetle.” The owner Kathleen mentions she purchased her car there. I’m betting you worked on it!

[@dr.wilfriedhitzler1885]

So you know us Germans from another side of view!

[@BrianSmith-fn3rl]

I’m blown away by the automation and the fact there’s a beautiful young lady hand stitching the interior. Amazing!

[@hertzair1186]

Germans

[@marcoortiz4579]

My father worked many years for VW in 1960 he went for a trainingship of 2 years in Wolfsburg. In 1963 he was in Portugal, in the CKD plant of Setubal... He retired in Pamplona, Landaben factory.

[@rathneshkarunanayake2654]

Great Workmanship I love the VW Beetle no car can ever match the beetle and will live for ever I still own many beetles .

[@Marbleeyes54]

This is great. I graduated from school in the early 70's and started working in a VW dealership near me. I spent many years working on and owning VW's. Numerous bugs and 2 of the old split window buses. I have such good memories of those days. Thank you for posting this.

[@Mikefngarage]

What is amazing is all the automation. How advanced that stuff was at that time. the mechanical machines spot welding to perfection all the parts of the car on the body.

[@AgentOffice]

It's almost modern! Crazy

[@hertzair1186]

Remember….the Germans are engineers

[@foamdataservices]

I wish they would invent a machine to repair my now rusty Volkswagens as effortlessly…

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Wow, what classic footage - back when Chet Huntley was a household name! Good find. Thanks for posting.

[@axelurbanski2828]

Thx never seen befor. I was born in this year and i know most of the plaeces. My hometown is Wolfsburg. My dad spend most of his working live to build Tools for production.

[@traj00]

We took a tour of the Wolfsburg and Hanover plants back in the late 80's. By then it was all water-cooled models being built. It was like a pilgrimage to me. My first car in 1971 was a 58 Beetle and have had numerous air-cooled and water-cooled since. 2022 Arteon currently.

[@theoldbigmoose]

Can't believe all the automation for 1960. My first was a 1965 beetle... my favorite car of all time... except in the winter.

[@dre3k78]

While ive never owned an old Beetle i was always told they did well in the snow since they were RWD and all the weight was in the rear.

[@nonelost1]

@@dre3k78 I believe the OP was referring to the heaters, not the engine over the rear wheels traction.

[@mattywho8485]

@@nonelost1 I knew a guy that owned one in RI (back when there used to be snow there) and he kept a can of window de-icer in the front seat to defrost the INSIDE of the windshield on cold days !

[@dre3k78]

@@nonelost1 Ah ok that makes sense. If i recall the heat for these vehicles was generated from the exhaust? Yeah id imagine that wouldn't be the most efficient during the winter.

[@theoldbigmoose]

@@dre3k78 Marshall was spot on. Traction was great till you high centered on a snow drift with the pan. But the heaters were a joke. I always drove with knit cap, gloves, and inside ice scraper and two cans of spray alcohol to defrost the inside of the windshield!

[@mr.goodpliers6988]

Great old footage. What a super find!

[@mikmey7141]

Its fun seeing your hometown and what it looked like 50 years ago, difference like night and day

[@mikewhitcomb6558]

Can't get enough of old footage like this! Thank you for sharing. Have owned quite a few VW's over the years, currently have a full tube chassis Type 4 powered baja, a Class 12 single seat off road car with a 2110 motor, and my garage queen. Fully restored, every nut and bolt, original floor pans, 25 horse, split case, 1953 Azure Blue oval.

[@restaurantattheendofthegalaxy]

That’s awesome!

[@restaurantattheendofthegalaxy]

My brothers and I tore beetles an busses apart in our family’s driveway. For us, the wrenching was half the fun. I ordered parts from Brazil & Mexico and we kept ourselves driving until ~2005.

[@frankdenardo8684]

Great documentary here. Narrated by legendary NBC News anchorman Chet Huntley. Those Germans know how to build cars and I have driven a few of them.

[@vayabroder729]

Nice! 36hp engines and swingaxles in production. This footage is probably pre 1961.

[@tonychavez2083]

The overall structure of the early VW's was incredibly rigid, my aunt drove one from CA to Mass. for college several times cross country with ZERO mechanical issues...

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Aaahhh the great classic Beetle! The best VW ever built!👌🥰👍👉♥️

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Anibal Babilonisla. Don't you like no 2 and no 3 Beetles, then? At least they are W - I - D - E - R, so I would still be able to fit in (at 70 years old), as opposed to the mk 1 I successfully learnt to drive on, when I was 17, and NARROWER! I can't get the door shut on the mk1 now, it presses on my shoulder, and would cause my arm to go to sleep - so I wouldn't be able to steer! How on earth it got to be the world's biggest selling car with the disadvantage of the narrowness cars had in those days, is beyond me! Nice to look at, though!

[@nonelost1]

Back in the day of the ‘70s and ‘80s, I owned 4 early ‘60s VW bugs! One of them was a white ‘62 sunroof bug that I decked out like Herbie. Also, my dad owned a 1960 bug.

[@kelalamusic9258]

The most fun to drive car made. My first was a new1969 model, and drove two more after that, plus a Westphalia. It sure would be nice if they would bring back that body design again. Thank you for the memories, and the tour.

[@tynewlin]

They did, except it's bigger, heavier and really just a Golf underneath. Volkswagen stopped making good cars over 30 years ago.

[@alanwood5857]

Had a black '58 beetle with a mild 1600cc, loved it! These cars on the assembly line are about that era.

[@alanwood5857]

My Bug was modified and ran a '73 1600 DP engine, thanks.

[@sletourneau3]

Volkswagens, the only vehicles I've ever owned ❤️

[@michaeltutty1540]

When I was a kid there was a neighbour who had a bright orange Beetle from about 67. There was a red Beetle from the 50s rotting in the backyard. I was told the old one was so slow it was dangerous. The last I saw that man was about 2010, and he was still driving a Volkswagen, but now a rather nice City Golf. Brand loyalty lived back then because companies cared about retaining customers.

[@sletourneau3]

@@michaeltutty1540 up until recently I've only owned mk4 jettas, 3 of them. The first cars I drove off the dealership lots. Then I got a pandemic project in July 2020, a mk4 city golf of my own. Been putting her back together for fun. Then I got a 2014 Tornado red bug this year, because I'm apparently collecting all the volkswagens now. 🤣🤣🤷‍♀️ I've got my eye on the ID Buzz too. There's a '64 baby blue bug down my street being neglected I might ask about too, she deserves a loving home too.

[@jarice4657]

I had a '72 yellow Baja Bug with a 2180 and dual webers, roll cage, bucket seats, 5 point harness and hurst shifter. I also had a baby blue '66 Bus. Unfortunately someone t-boned me and I rolled going through an intersection. Was really cool seeing all the VW's in the 70's-90's and giving a peace sign. ✌

[@terrymcknight]

Great video, at 4:05 the narrator explains how precisely the valves are engineered, except they're not valves, but link pins for the steering knuckle.

[@notajp]

That would have to have been a blast to cruise around that test track in a body-less bug!

[@tynewlin]

Sure would have. Remember to fasten your lap belt! ;D

[@umbertospilotros3986]

Durante muitos anos, colecionei esta revista, que guardo até hoje...

[@chip9177]

My first car, an old 74 powder blue bug with a sunroof. Down a steep hill windows & sunroof open 94mph, its all she had. Passenger floor rotted out, heat channels rotted, had to scrape the inside of the windshield in the winter. I had fun with it, even used the back seat which was not easy. It would go anywhere & if you couldn't get up the snow covered road going fwd, turn it around and chugs right up in reverse.

[@jamesmisener3006]

First 3 cars were beetles. '53, '67, and a super beetle. All were used uninsured and throughly enjoyed in the late '60s and '70s. Also had a company car that was the weird station wagon model. A 4 something maybe. Cheers 🇨🇦

[@toddvanwinkle7777]

James I believe you were driving a 411 or 412 model…they were not as beautiful as the squareback, but definitely weird looking!!😅

[@kuntakinte4333]

@@toddvanwinkle7777 In Germany the 411 was called "Nasenbär" (coati) A very own beauty in his uglyness 😉

[@toddvanwinkle7777]

@@kuntakinte4333 Thank you! Definitely not as pretty as the Squareback!!

[@fdegeorge2000]

I dated a girl that had a new super beetle. We drove it across the US ,NYC to LA and back one summer. When crossing the desert we got her up to 100 mph and I think it may have had a little more to go. Proof God watches out for children and idiots.

[@bunning63]

Speedo error or a long downhill stretch?

[@keithad6485]

100 mph Wow! was it standard? was this on flat or down hill? The most I got out of a 1600cc beetle was 85mph.

[@jerryspencer5453]

Being from Flint, Michigan it's hard to believe I've never seen a production line or been in an automotive plant but, it's true. Always had a desire to take a tour of the shops here. Great video, enjoyed it a lot.

[@axelurbanski2828]

At that time VW had the biggest carfactory under one roof in Europe. When i visit first time a production line, that impress me a lot. It was like a big mechanic ballet... And a hello from Wolfsburg to Flint MI

[@jerryspencer5453]

@@axelurbanski2828 I had to mention Flint, Michigan in my comment because, it's known as " The Vehicle City" home of General Motors. Not much GM here anymore. They kept Flint alive. Jobs are gone, poverty abounds. Not the city it once was.

[@axelurbanski2828]

@@jerryspencer5453 yes like the big Motown Detroid. It is sad that so mutch industrial power and knowlege is Death in US motown.

[@jerryspencer5453]

@@axelurbanski2828 Detroit is "The Motor City". Motown refers to a style of music that was recorded there. Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, The Jackson Five, The Supremes, and many more great sounds came out of Motown Recording Studio.

[@dancalmpeaceful3903]

At least go see the Rouge tour in Dearborn.......it's pretty awesome I thought. I've seen a Toyota plant tour and Corvette plant tours in Kentucky too....

[@brianchisnell1548]

Amazing to see where my 1st car, '64 bug bought in '75, and my current '64 bug came from.

[@VWResto]

The rolling completed car at 16:42 appears to be a 61 model with no choke knob to the right of the ashtray as it became automatic in 61.

[@johnfreeman1189]

Outstanding!! Thanks for sharing!

[@HERBYWALLACE3]

Wow, this is amazing

[@harryvalentin8462]

Thanks 4 📽️👌

[@timwhite8878]

Very good old days

[@gsxr419]

The level of automation was amazing.

[@D.AtheerNatiq-rm9hr]

We had one VW model in 1976 baghdad..it was a part of our life .. reflection of German Q.C since past days

[@ghiajunkie125]

Wunderbar ! Thumbs up from Germany.

[@mysterymonkey]

I enjoyed that. Rare , not now it’s on KZbin for the whole world to see 😂

[@toddvanwinkle7777]

Oh my I could watch this at least 50 times!!….oh wait..I think I have!!!! 😂Thanks Hot VW’s! 🚘

[@ryanshotwell5580]

"In a free market, success is rarely an accident" Amen.

[@kippywylie]

Got out of the US Navy November 1970. There was an abandoned 1300 cc VW in the garage of a hippie commune I lived in so I purchased it for $135. Purchased my first metric socket set and pull the motor to replace a failed clutch plate. All I had was the VW stock sizzer jack and a pile of bricks but I was able to lift the chassis off the engine. I remember at one crutial point balancing the engine on my knees for a second to slide it onto the bricks. All came back together and I drove it for many years. Prior to this I had minimal mechanical skills and my manual taught me everything. It was just before the "Idiots Manual" came out.... which I did not like after getting that manual because it had too much prose, too much poetry. One day stranded in the roadside I threw it into a ditch in frustration while trying simply read up on points adjustments. My points I remember setting with a book of matches for the best gap

[@hotvwsmagazine]

Thank you for sharing your story about Volkswagen, and thank you for your service.

[@bartjohnson8139]

While in college in the late 70s, I bought a girlfriend’s VW that didn’t run for $200 because she was out of money. That was the first time I really paid much attention to the cars. It was a funky 1965 with four different colors of fenders and some pretty ratty upholstery. I pull the engine and did a full rebuild. My gosh parts were just dirt cheap! Anyway, stab the engine after installing a fresh clutch and new boots on the axles. Oh, and of course, fresh heat exchangers that were built out of the thinnest of metals. Anyway, I buzzed about in that car. And had to do very limited repairs on it, until I sold it to a mechanic friend of mine who chopped the top and turned it into a hard top convertible. He put in a full new interior, and a larger Displacement engine, I don’t remember now what size him creased it by. But anyway, it was a fun car that I drove for years and years, and then watched Tom load onto a trailer when he moved to California. BTW, he hasn’t done the body yet, so it still had four different colors of fenders a red, blue, black and a white one on a grey body. And man, o man did that hard top convertible looks slick!

[@hotvwsmagazine]

Thanks for sharing your cool story about VW. This is why we love VWs! Almost everyone has an unique story with VW!! 😄

[@eugenebaroni1298]

Wow that's awesome 👍 thanks for the tour.... Great to see how it was done very cool...

[@zxtenn]

Cool, i am 67 and my 1st car was a well used 61 bug in 1973

[@donaldbrittsan984]

I have a set of 35mm slides that were given to the VW dealers when they toured the Wolfsburg plant, my grandparents were there in 1959 with the larger rear window bug and all of the slides have a caption on them.

[@t2stu]

That was excellent to watch. Thanks for posting that up.

[@rolfspeedtv]

Very nice footage. Thanks for sharing.

[@hotvwsmagazine]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@MrsSunshine75]

I hope Jim, one of the agents from Cold War Motors, gets to see this video!

[@skdinterceptor2828]

Beautiful......

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

You've convinced me...I'll take 3 please!

[@davidgold5961]

9:01 No matter how many times a day that guy drove the bare chassis down the test track, he MUST have had a thrill every time!

[@jasongoodacre]

15 years after the end of the war and VW are making cars better than Americans can. Amazing stuff.

[@visionlightlab6094]

Awesome! The only thing missing is the galvanizing station for the body steel! Nooooo........!

[@foamdataservices]

In those days they had really good paint. I had a 54 with all the factory paint still on the floor pan and interior under the carpets, my 71 bus has all the original paint in the wheel tubs still, under some underseal. I have polished original factory paint that was totally flat and it’s come up great! The steel used was also of a very high quality and thicker than modern vehicles.

[@youtubesavich]

Simplemente genial 👍👍👍

[@carlc5748]

Excellent! Thanks for posting this, impressive precision. From 12:12-12:27, the logo portends the future, as well, three vavs in the logo (v=6,v=6,v=6), a coded reference to a continuing future "666" industry.

[@johnphilips406]

love it, thanks for sharing.

[@hotvwsmagazine]

Thanks for watching!

[@youtoobe169]

So cool, I have a '60. I wonder if mine is in one of those pictures somewhere.

[@jasongoodacre]

That test driver isn't even wearing a helmet. Crazy times!

[@westerlywinds5684]

My parents were acquainted with the Pon family. (Ben Pon).

[@giovanniprincipe3435]

The original Beetle was a great and timeless car. Nowadays it's ridiculous that I cannot purchase a Passat Station Wagon because VW decided to not import it anymore.

[@davidgold5961]

The Golden Era for VW in the USA was from about 1958 to 1973. After that, the cars were required to have much larger 5 MPH bumpers and a year later, somewhat problematic fuel injection was introduced. For my taste, a 1973 Super Beetle would be great.

[@patrickcannell2258]

The car that made VW. All time best seller. Of same body shape.

[@perceive8159]

One thing I do know is I'm still around and kicking at 70 and still looking pretty good,, but most of those rust buckets are all dead and buried . May they rest in peace 😎

[@bennyboogenheimer4553]

My Aunt had one of the first Bugs in Philly. She bought it at what was then Moore Motors Rolls/Jag/Triumph on Broad Street. Moore got 1 free for each 3 Jags he bought. She paid $800.00 cash, as it was never in the showroom. Britain's "dirty German secret" they told her. By 1960 Moore Motors was selling 300 Bugs, and 16 Buses, a week. Each had a 90 day warranty on them.

[@WeazelJaguar]

"To pay the working man his fair share!"

[@whatliesbeneathurbanexplor1631]

They use to make the old vw beetle in Dublin ballsbridge

[@Mercmad]

11:46. Randy at Carcheology needs to track this thing down and buy it....😁😁

[@rickden8362]

Great old footage and history of VW. He conspicuously avoided talk of the original designer, Ferdinand Porsche or the guy who had the original concept...a guy with the first name Adolf. 😉

[@donswier]

ID Buzz on it's way to USA soon. 🇺🇸 It has a more special meaning here than any other market. Will be interesting to see if it can make the current SUV craze seem tired & passe. I hope.

[@keithad6485]

Is magnesium engine right?, I always thought the VW aircooler had an aluminium crankcase.

[@track1219]

Bought a 63 beetle in 1982 for $100 and sold it 2 years later for $100. Decent car.

[@johnw3996]

good one 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@AgentOffice]

Wow it's almost like modern robots

[@hertzair1186]

And now Volkswagen Group is the largest car corporation in the world….and it all started with the lowly Beetle.

[@thiagolima5232]

Pctures amazing

[@DemopVWgarage]

very nice :)

[@ArmyOne519]

A fine Car 😊

[@WestCentralWVWX]

Wow is that me before me?

[@fytpersonplays6315]

Ein Wolfsburger hier

[@hotvwsmagazine]

Amazing VW city!!! WOB!!!♥️

[@angrycatowner]

If only they could have figured out how to make an engine crank case that did not leak oil, overheat at highway speeds, and could produce more than 36 HP.

[@bigears4014]

Overheat at highway speeds , what a load of shit , oil leaks yes but no different to any other car of the day , and within a year of this the type 3 had 65hp

[@harryh5620]

imagine that - a company actually employing folks in their own country. Golly, what a strange time it was!

[@bigears4014]

Not the best vehicle but a well built vehicle, with parts backup throughout the world at a affordable price , which vw doesn't follow now

[@dre3k78]

Indeed. German cars are not what they used to be....same for American cars.

[@hectorodio4630]

The best of the best build by two great Adolf H and Ferdinand Porche

[@bunning63]

Shame VW New Zealand never remained so committed when it came to quality when they were still assembling cars here. They definitely had a policy of can't see don't paint it.

[@auxmike718]

And now it’s all done in Mexico….’with that said I love my Jetta!

[@malcolmcowan9554]

Took British Leyland till the late 70s 80s. use those machines great Britain very back wards still is

[@arjanvanraaij8440]

Have been to the plant in Hannover the inpressive brickwork building is still there after 10million transporter Van's the plant produces now the IDbus and fast chargers.

[@12dougreed]

I worked at the Hannover factory in 1970 for about a year. My job was putting on headlamps And later threading the wiring from the back to the front. It was terrible. Shift work I think 8 hours 1400 to 2200 and 6 to 1400 . The only thing was it payed well for the day. About 800 DM per month I had to get up at 0400 every morning to drive from Celle An American guy shared the car with us always said when seeing the VW sign lit up. There is the fucking blue boy . It was the worst time of my life Most of the workers were from Turkey, and Italy and Greece. I was the only English person in our department. I had sleep problems for years after An real nightmares. Anyway in true German fashion they managed to trick the world ( that cost many ) in the diesel emissions. I hope they have a bad ending. Just to add I am a qualified mechanic, they refused to give me a better position, as they did not recognise my qualifications from England. ( The truth is they needed more people doing unskilled jobs earning less money.

[@Mac-if3gt]

A automação já era bem desenvolvida pare a época.

[@curtisshields6618]

Major change in transporting cars since this was recorded. No more open rail cars since vandalism by spray painting began.

[@AgentOffice]

Where's the Jetta

[@freelonmorris3659]

Workers had good benfits there too.Health care,vacations,daycare for kids and more.Are you listening corporate America? I doubt it.

[@bigears4014]

Both 36hp and the 40hp a visible, the last of the 36hp cars

[@onesandzeroes]

Back then Americans were able to pronounce the brand.

[@rogerhudson9732]

The town and factory should be called Fallersleben not Wolfsburg, it's a British invention. When the British occupiers took over thay ordered that the town name must change from 'Stadt der KDF Wagen' (town of the Strength Through Joy Car), saw there was a derelict castle nearby called Wolfsburg and called the town and factory after that . They forgot that 'Wolf' was the nickname of you-know-who.

[@smesui1799]

Germany imported many Turkish workers from Turkiye due to worker shortages after World War 2. Many of the workers you see here at Volkswagen are Turkish. Many of these imported Turkish workers later settled in Germany with their families. That's why today you see a sizeable Turkish population in Germany.

[@nanachidayo]

9:00 ゴーカートみたいで楽しそうだんなぁ〜。

[@battshytkrazy156]

Dangerous az he'll...but REALLY COOL 😎 like moto😬 guzzi. Etc