This color promotional film “The Small Car Idea” shows the construction of automobiles including the Beetle, Microbus and Fastback Coupe at the modern Volkswagen Factory in Wolfsburg, Germany. The film attempts to showcase the innovative design of these various vehicles while underscoring their safety features, reliability and gas efficiency.. Copyright is circa 1971 or 72.

Opening: German cars including Porsches, a VW wagon, and a Karmann Ghia race around a test track. VW workers head into the office at Wolfsburg, Germany leaving their cars in a huge parking lot. The Wolfsburg Volkswagen Factory is the worldwide headquarters of the Volkswagen Group, and one of the largest manufacturing plants in the world. Smoke stacks of the plant. A railroad spur extends inside the plant. Volkswagen Beetles head towards a VW branded transport ship. VW’s Volkswagenwerk factory exterior (1:05). Cars being built. Cars on the assembly line. Biggest test track in Europe is located at the Volkswagen Factory. A Volkswagen Beetle is crashed into a wall as part of safety tests. DEI Defense Electronics Inc. mainframe computer. The crash of the Volkswagen Beetle is reviewed by engineers (:06-2:18). Engineers look over plans, and at (3:05) are shown working with clay models to design components. High tech, highly automated machines stamp out car parts. Workers look at the doors to a Beetle. Machine tools at work. Precision cutting machines at work. 1 out of every 10 workers at the Volkswagen Factory is an Inspector. Brake components checked on a machine (2:19-4:22). A machine tests parts. The engine has come a long way. One of the most dependable engines ever built comes from the Volkswagen Factory. Pistons installed (5;24). The engine. Rear axle joints placed on (4:23-5:51). Hands put a machine on. All engines are dynamically balanced. Testing engines happens every day. An automatic transmission. The engine is put together by a robot assembly machine. Every automatic transmission is tested and run at full power (5:52-7:35). Big machinery build the small cars. The machines at work. Doors are moved by machines. All the body parts become a body structure in a mechanical merry-go-round type machine. Thousands of welds piece the cars together, welds is better than bolts (7:36-9:13). A worker welds carefully (9:28). Cars on the assembly line. Car bodies are dipped in a special primer. Men buff the cars and make sure they are smooth and angled. Paint is sprayed onto the cars. Every little detail is touched up on the line. Paint on the line (9:14-11:12). Conveyor lines keep things moving in advanced mass production. Car bodies hang on the line. Car doors are opened, windshield wipers are tested, steering wheels turned, locks are opened and cars are sprayed with water. All of these tests are to make sure the cars are ready to go. Microbus is tested in a modern wind tunnel to simulate different climates from extreme cold to extreme heat. The pipes of the refrigeration unit (11:13-13:14). Volkswagen Van is driven. It is driven at a high rate of speed on real roads and test roads. Computers are used in research and development. A crash test dummy is shown on an acceleration sled, designed to test seat belts or similar restraints. All pieces of the car are collision or impact tested, and tested for durability. Exhaust analysis equipment. Gauges check for exhaust emissions. Development makes a model car. A man stands next to a small model of a Fastback coupe (13:15-15:56). Sketches and models of new cars in development. Prototypes and concept cars that didn’t make the cut. Volkswagen cars tested on the test track at high speeds, POV as you pass multiple cars on the track (15:57-17:20). No end credits .

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com