Wolfsburg Christmas 1964A Beetle parked at the western end of Südstraße at the Volkswagen factory bathes in the glow of a tall Christmas tree in 1964. In the left background the 13-story high rise Administration block can be seen

Volkswagen Emden Plant60 Years of the Volkswagen Emden plant 1964 - 2024. The final days of Beetle production in January of 1978

1958 Volkswagen BeetleGleaming and colourful rows of new Volkswagens are lined up in the new vehicle holding yard at the western end of Volkswagen Wolfsburg in September 1958

The VW HochzeitThe most critical part of the build, the Hochzeit, when body and chassis come together to become a complete Volkswagen for the first time is seen in this photo from the Wolfsburg factory in the late 1950s

Karmann PlantSkilled upholstery craftsmen at the Karmann plant in Osnabrück fit the 5-layer convertible roof on a Volkswagen cabriolet. The car has the 'heart' shaped taillamps so probably around 1952 - 1955

VW welding carouselA welding carousel at VW-Werk Wolfsburg in 1959

Type 2 VW BusThe Type 2 final assembly line at the Transporterwerk in Hannover with a mix of models for Europe and the USA

1949 VW BeetleBare metal bodyshells are transferred by chain conveyor at Volkswagenwerk Wolfsburg in 1949

Mexican VW BeetleMid-December 1977, the first Mexican Beetles for Europe arrive at the port of Emden in Germany

MittellandkanalIn 1961 Volkswagen employees are climbing the steps of the pedestrian bridge to cross the rail line and Mittellandkanal to the factory entrance known today as Tor 17

Type 3 VWTypes 1 and 3 Volkswagens on the way from the factory, around 1966 - 1967

1965 VW Type 2 BusThe Norwegian freighter 'Jarabella' is loaded with Volkswagens on the Emden harbour, in this photo which is dated October 3rd 1965

1967 VW Beetle Production1967 VW Type 1 production line picture from the Volkswagen plant in Emden, based on the US bumpers

Karmann Factory TourThe Karmann factory wasnt an exclusive VW body manufacturer, they also did bodies for many others through the years. In addition to the well known Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet, the Type 14 Karmann Ghia coupe and Cabriolet, and the Type 34 Karmann Ghia, which can be seen to the right hand side of this photo

VW Thing MexicoThe first Volkswagen Type 181 to be built in México rolled from the assembly line at the Puebla plant in November 1970, two years after the model was first produced at Wolfsburg in Germany. Known as the Volkswagen Safari in México, daily production of the Type 181 commenced with just 10 vehicles per day and continued at the Puebla factory until 1980

1964 VW Beetle60 years ago - At the Wolfsburg factory in 1964, Beetle bodyshells are dipped into a tank of transparent wash-rinse solution after the primer immersion

Custom Type 2 BusKing Hussein and Queen Nur Al-Hussein of Jordan were given a tour of Volkswagenwerk Wolfsburg. They were driven around the plant on November 11th 1978 in a customised Type 2 during a state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. The chopped VW Bus was later preserved and is now on display in the Stiftung AutoMuseum Wolfsburg

VW WolfsburgSparks fly during grinding and deburring operations on a bodyshell 75 years ago at Volkswagenwerk Wolfsburg

1956 Karmann GhiaDecorated with a celebration garland, Volkswagen Karmann Ghia number 10,000 is celebrated in November 1956 at the end of the Wilhelm Karmann GmbH assembly line in Osnabrück, West Germany

1967 VW Beetle1967 Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle in the final stages of assembly

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