1958 Karmann Ghia

Beetle Fact #1: The Volkswagen Group and its parent company Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (Volkswagen AG) own Audi, Bently Motors, Bugatti Automobiles, Automobili Lamborhini, Porsche (49.9%), Ducati and is the largest shareholder of Suzuki Motor Corporation. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1969 Dune Bug

Beetle Fact #2: The first VW Beetle cost 990 marks in 1937, plus 250 marks for insurance and delivery. At this time period in Germany, this was the equivalent to about 35 weeks worth of wages. In today's terms, that would be the equivalent of about $31,000 for the average American. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1966 Karmann Ghia

Beetle Fact #3: Americans paid $1,545 for a 1958 VW Beetle. The 2013 VW Beetle starts at $19,795 and can easily reach beyond $30,000 with a turbo engine, sunroof and GPS navigation. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1978 Super Bug Convertible

Beetle Fact #4: Unveiled at the 1994 North American Auto Show in Detroit, The Concept 1 redesigned Beetle tantalized auto enthusiasts, yet the car wouldn't be available for sale until 1998. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1977 Puma GE

Beetle Fact #5: In 1972, the 15,007,034th Type 1 Beetle was made, surpassing the Ford Model T as the most produced single model in history. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1966 VW Double Cab Truck

Beetle Fact #6: In 1968, Herbie the Love Bug, the VW Beetle race car with a mind of its own, was released by Walt Disney Pictures, grossing $51 million in the US, touching off a series of films featuring car #53 including the 2005 Herbie Fully Loaded staring Lindsey Lohan. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1985 Westfalia Vanagon Interior

Beetle Fact #7: When the VW Beetle came to America in 1949, only two cars sold. A record 569,292 VW Beetles sold in 1968. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1971 Van - Remodeled As A Coffee Truck

Beetle Fact #8: Ferdinand Porsche was 53-years-old when Adolf Hilter took interest in his Beetle-like, little car, which previously received only closed doors from German car manufacturers. Hilter, who never learned to drive, added small design and performance changes, which became the first prototype Beetle in the early 1930s. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1971 Super Bug Convertible VW - Logo On Rear

Beetle Fact #9: The VW Pickup, Camper, Type-2 Van and Karmann Ghia sports car were all introduced in 1948. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1969 Beetle - Fully Upgraded With Hardwood Flooring

Beetle Fact #10: The 21,529,464th and last old-style, rear-engine VW Beetle was made in Mexico on July 30, 2003 and then sent to the VW Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany. (The photos in this gallery were taken by Heather Ruch at VWs On The Green, an annual event held each spring for Volkswagen enthusiasts in Golden, CO.)

1974 Thing

Beetle Fact #11: Students of the Bournemouth College of Technology claim to hold the title of most people stuffed into a Beetle with 103 in a 1952 VW. However, Guinness awarded a World Record to Asbury University for cramming 20 people into a 1964 Beetle on December 9, 2010. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1967 Westfalia Bus

Beetle Fact #12: Puma, a Brazilian speciality car manufacturer, produced cars from 1966 to about 1995. In 1967, Volkswagen bought the company, modifying the body design to accommodate a Karmann Ghia engine. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1972 VW Bus - Fully Customized

Beetle Fact #13: VW introduced the Karmann Ghia, “a Beetle in a cocktail dress” in 1956 in an effort to revamp its image of producing only “ugly” cars. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

Line of Beetles 1957-1971

Beetle Fact #14: In the 1950s, a Westfalia company began taking orders for custom conversions to the VW Van, making the van into a "home." Wildly popular, in the 1960s the company teamed with Volkswagen to brand it the VW Westfalia. (photo credit: Heather Ruch)

1965 Bug - Interior

Beetle Fact #15: Volkswagen means "people's car" in German. Today, its tagline is Das Auto, meaning "The Car." (photo credit: Heather Ruch)