The VW Beetle should actually have had a plastic body
We found the note in an old hobby report, which in turn quoted the 'Gummi- und Asbest-Zeitung Wien' from July 1938:
"For the bodies of the KdF-Wagen, if they are made of synthetic resin, about 10,000 tons of pressing material are needed for 200,000 cars. New paths were also taken in the production of the artificial leather and upholstery. By the time the KdF car is delivered, the production of Buna is such that all rubber parts are made from it. Synthetic silk cord is used instead of cotton cord."
This would have made the VW Beetle almost the first mass-produced plastic car. But it was not to be, conventional sheet steel took the place of modern plastic ... until the last one, over 20 million of them. Only a few buggies and other low-volume derivatives were given a plastic body.
And we know today that even if the first Beetles had had a plastic body, they would soon have abandoned it, because the pressed sheet metal version is much cheaper (and above all faster) to produce for large series ...
