Beetle in Germany

The Tatra 87, which would be quickly dropped in favor of the VW Beetle, so that Germany invaded the Czechoslovakia. This idea also captivated the designer of cars Austrian Ferdinand Porsche, an engineer regarded at the time, since 1931 opened its own office of design. He also had their plans for the VolksAuto, these plans which will soon start to be implemented. As soon as he mounted his office received an order of the Wanderer (part of Auto Union, now Audi) for a line of sedans of luxury. Despite the proposal, resulting from the project (which was No. 7, to give the impression of not being the first) was already somewhat similar in design to the VW Beetle.

Also in 1931 the Zündapp, manufacturer of motorcycles, decided to risk it in the idea of popular German car. They ordered the office (Konstruktionbüro) Porsche to build a prototype of popular car. Porsche has built three (actually the mechanics was provided by Zündapp, and the body by Reutter), who were baptized, "Type 12".

The car was compact, rear radial engine with five cylinders (similar to aircraft engines), 1200cc, and had a body aerodynamics, to reduce the power required and the size of the engine.