At the time, his wheels were a classic VW Beetle and a Fiat Abarth "as an everyday drive".

BBC: Selling James Bond's Aston Martin DB5

It is a rear-engined, four-door, four-seat car that will get around on 33hp--more pep than the Model T or the VW Beetle had when they drove onto the scene.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The cheapest versions won't have air-conditioning or power steering, but Tata hopes its cute looks will make up for missing creature comforts--just as happened with the VW Beetle and the Mini long before it.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Three astronauts, mission commander Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert, found themselves rocketing around the moon in a pair of joined vehicles, each with the interior space of a VW Beetle, almost no power, and no heat.

FORBES: Apollo 13: Lessons From the Successful Failure

And there are plenty of variations on the theme: A version of the Levitron called "Floating Ideas" gives you a base over which you can float a variety of objects, including models of the space shuttle, a VW Beetle and a picture frame.

FORBES: Toys Your Techie Friends Will Love

We have little retro cars like the VW New Beetle (and a convertible is coming), the Mini from BMW and the Chrysler PT Cruiser.

FORBES: Falling in love

We remember VW as the maker of the Beetle, that great low-priced car designed even before World War II, and later the small Golf, Europe's bestseller.

FORBES: Luxury: The Cure du Jour

We remember VW as the maker of the Beetle, that great low-priced car that was designed even before World War II, and later the small Golf, Europe's bestseller.

FORBES: Luxury: the cure du jour

As in all VW's of recent vintage, the Beetle's interior trim lacks a certain richness and solidity.

WSJ: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Review: The Beetle Mans Up | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

One final thought on the New Beetle Convertible: It's not going to salvage VW sales all by itself, especially because it's got company coming.

FORBES: Test Drives