The predominant car on the roads of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the early 1960s was the Volkswagen Beetle. Over the years, the Wolfsburg-based company had perfected it and made it better and more reliable step by step. However, a circle of competitors formed around Wolfsburg that were superior to the Beetle in terms of comfort, space, driving performance and economy ... and still lost out in the local market. This report characterizes the generation of thousands using the examples of the Austin Mini Cooper, DKW F12, Fiat 850, Ford Anglia, Morris 1100, Opel Kadett, Panhard PL17, Renault R8 and Simca 1000. The article is illustrated with over 120 archive photos and over a dozen original sales brochures.