One Of The First Porsches Was Destroyed By American Troops In WW2

The Type 64 had a 985 cc, 1.1-liter flat-four VW engine that kicked out anywhere between 32 horsepower and 50 horsepower (depending on which historical record you read). According to ” The Drive, ” it topped out at about 99 miles per hour. Porsche wanted it as light and aerodynamic as feasible, so the body was made from the lightest aluminum available and included shrouds across the wheel wells. Sotheby’s detailed history of the Type 64 listed the curb weight at a mere 1,346 pounds and had characteristics that resembled an aircraft more than any Beetle.

Only three of these prototypes were ever built, and only one survives today. None made it into Hitler’s Berlin to Rome race because World War II erupted, and the race was canceled. According to Sotheby’s, Dr. Bodo Lafferentz — head of the German Labour Front — took possession of the first car. It was reportedly damaged in an accident in 1939, but not beyond repair. 

Around this time, Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry urged Volkswagen to build two additional cars for “testing and experimentation purposes.” The second car was built shortly after his recommendation, and the body for the third was reportedly completed in 1940. Still, it wasn’t mounted to a chassis until after the crash involving Dr. Lafferentz’s original model. According to Sotheby’s, Lafferentz’s Type 64 made its way back to Porsche’s facility, where the third body was used to repair his vehicle and is the only original to survive.