Controversies of Long Standing.(automobile history)(Column)

Byline: Kevin A. Wilson Some of the most divisive topics on today's automotive scene trace their historic roots to the publication date on this issue. The History Channel's This Day in History feature reminds us that Jan. 17, 1949, was the day the first VW Beetles arrived in America. Only a few sold that first year, but even after sales numbers rose, the car's influence was measured in far more than volume.

The real message of the Beetle's success was counter-cultural, the philosophy behind it being in direct opposition to the news from Detroit, circa 1949: tailfins, emblematic ...

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