The 20 Most Influential People in Volkswagen History !

[Hacksaw-BoB]

Just came upon this article from May 2015 and thought it to be interesting . . .

http://www.peninsulaautomotive.com/the-20-most-influential-people-in-volkswagen-history/
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Hacksaw BoB

http://www.VintageVolkswagenModels.com

Collector of Vintage VW Toys

BoB's Restor-Version Shop

[splitjunkie]

seems spot on to me.
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Chris

You know, a lot of these scratches will buff right out... Jerry Seinfeld

[GTV]

No Max Hoffman?!
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EMPI Power Rules!

[3foldfolly]

No Everett Barnes?

[Cusser]

No "The Cusser" ?
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[jsturtlebuggy]

Yes it is missing Vic Wilson who started the Bug In and who Rich Kimball worked for emptying garbage cans after races at Saddleback Park in Irvine.

The description For Bruce Meyers is not correct. It was after setting a record run in "Old Red" on the Baja Peninsula that the first Mexican 1,000 race in 1967 was run with Ted Mangels and Vic Wilson winning it in a Meyers Manx. Bruce also raced a Manx but DNF.
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Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960

[Randall]

I know it says in the first paragraph, "Below we have compiled a list, in no particular order, of the 20 most influential people in the history of VW.", but the article would have more impact if the author had chosen them in order of influence. Obviously, Ferdinand Porsche would be #1, and Heinrich Nordhoff deserves to be #2. Even the Chancellor (1889-1945) deserves a spot in the top 8.

One name that is missing is Jim Wright. Don't know who he is? He was the publisher-owner of Hot VWs magazine starting in 1972 and was with them from the first issue in 1967. Say what you will about Hot VWs subtly pushing the products of their advertisers in the technical articles, but without Hot VWs, people like Gene Berg, Tom Lieb, and Ron Flemming (of FAT) wouldn't have had as big a voice for advertising their products.

http://www.cbperformance.com/Articles.asp?ID=284
Scroll half-way down to read the larger text of the article.

[Jon Schmid]

The author misspelled Franz Reimspiess' name. Also, leaving Erwin Komenda off the list is a pretty glaring omission.

[enjoyther1de]

Forgot this guy..

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HBB took me to BBV.

[Air-Cooled Head]

Russ Wolf
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Everything known to man has been written.
Readers are Leaders!

[61SNRF]

Congrats Bob, you certainly have a much deserved spot on that list!

No one person to name, but I'm sure most will agree the ad firm of Doyle, Dane and Bernback also had a major influence on the marque.
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-Bruce

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[hitest]

This wouldn't net me a discount or anything, but dare I say, Tony Moore?
His company's responsible for the restoration or preservation of more VWs than any other single vendor.

I like the list, but it is incomplete without Willie Lotterman
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[Hacksaw-BoB]

Yeah hitest

I have to agree . . . .

Heinz-Willi and I had become good friends over the years and he was such a promoter of Vintage VWs in Europe . . . . .

. . . . . and also a very kind and generous person as well (RIP) !!

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Hacksaw BoB

http://www.VintageVolkswagenModels.com

Collector of Vintage VW Toys

BoB's Restor-Version Shop

[Vanhag]

[blitz64]

No John Muir??? I can't imagine a vw world without the Idiot book!

[Shonandb]

Saw this article about Erwin Komenda today.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activi...er_desktop

On April 6, 1904, the automotive world welcomed a remarkable designer: Erwin Komenda. While Ferdinand Porsche often receives credit for the iconic Volkswagen Type 1 (commonly known as the VW Beetle) and the Porsche 356, it’s essential to recognize that he had a talented team supporting him during the development of these legendary cars.

Erwin Komenda, a key member of that team, first crossed paths with Porsche while they both worked at Steyr. When Porsche left Steyr to establish his own automotive brand, he swiftly recruited Komenda as the Director of Design. In this role, Komenda significantly contributed to shaping the identities of both brands and their respective automobiles.

Komenda’s impact extended beyond the VW Beetle. Early in his career with Porsche, he designed the body of what would become the Volkswagen Beetle. He also played a primary role in the design of the Auto Union Type P racing car and the Cisitalia race car. However, his most enduring legacy lies in his work on the Porsche 356 and the Porsche 550 Spyder. The Beetle, with over 21.5 million units produced, became the best-selling automobile of the 20th century.

Komenda’s creative vision and dedication left an indelible mark on the automotive world. His influence extended to the Porsche 901 prototype, which later evolved into the iconic Porsche 911. Despite in-house challenges during the 911’s development, Komenda remained an active employee at Porsche until his untimely death in 1966.

We celebrate Erwin Komenda’s contributions to automotive design, forever linked to the timeless elegance of the VW Beetle and Porsche sports cars.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
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Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
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[Abscate]

Terry K

Bay bus rear wheel bearings around the world bless his name
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