The 10,000,000 Silver Beetle
A silver milestone

by Pete Frost

Twenty years ago, a very special event occurred in the history of Volkswagen. On Friday, May 15, 1981, the 20 millionth Beetle in the world came rolling off the production line decorated with a huge garland of flowers on the bonnet, at Volkswagen de México in Puebla. In attendance were representatives of the German government, the government of the state of Puebla, Volkswagen AG, the press, and the legendary Major Ivan Hirst. This was yet another world record for the Beetle, with no other car manufacturer having achieved such a high number of sales.

The 10,000,000 Silver Beetle

To mark this unique occasion, the special edition âSilver Bug' was produced. Indeed, the 20 millionth Beetle that day was a Silver Bug edition. From May 1981 until the autumn of that year, around 2000 Silver Bugs were produced for the European market. Demand was so strong, that Puebla built a further batch of 1700 for Germany in February of the following year.

Apart from the standard 34bhp 1192cc engine, this limited edition had the following special features. Externally, it sported sparkling diamond-silver metallic paintwork, a round '20 millionen' commemorative badge on the deck-lid and black side stripes with âSilver Bug' at the bottom of the rear quarter panels, while the standard size wheels wrapped with radial tyres were fitted with special chrome wheel-trim rings.

Inside, the upholstery of the Silver Bug was the standard black cloth with a white tartan design, used on standard models at the time, and a Blaupunkt Braunschweig FM/AM radio fitted. The design of the â20 millionen' plaque was also repeated on the top of the gear knob and a heated rear window was included as part of the special edition package.

A '20 Millones versi"n especial' was produced for domestic consumption in Mexico, and apart from not having the Special Bug logo on each side, it was virtually identical to the âexport' version.

The Silver Bug that came off the line on that amazing day was immediately shipped to Germany for display in the Volkswagen AutoMuseum in Wolfsburg, where it can still be seen today. This very special Beetle has the chassis number BM 013350.

For the general public, the Silver Bug was made available in Germany as a limited edition (as well as a few other European countries) and retailed at DM 9,380. As Beetle sales here had ended in 1978, a handful of examples were purchased by British enthusiasts, shipped across the English Channel and personally imported into the UK.

Although a rare sight these days, very occasionally a Silver Bug can be seen on the street or at a VW show here or in continental Europe. The first one I saw was in September 1981 at VW Action and it attracted a great deal of attention.

Two items of Silver Bug memorabilia that purchasers of the car received at the time of the launch were a commemorative leather key fob featuring a metal '20 millionen' roundel, and a very special 20 million Beetle presentation pack. The latter item is now very collectible and comprises of a letter-sized booklet in âlandscape' layout with a red cover and over 30 pages (the one I have is in English text) dedicated to the history of the Beetle from its inception in 1934 by Ferdinand Porsche. At the front is a sleeve containing a portfolio of twenty-three 9" x 7" black & white photographs illustrating the development of the Beetle and its derivatives from the first prototypes, all with accompanying captions in English, German and French. The last few prints show press shots of the Silver Bug. One is shown next to the VW museum's 1938 split-window Beetle and another shows the car beside a Model T Ford.

The Beetle is no stranger to setting production records. It first became World Champion way back in 1972 when on February 15, the 15,007,034 example came off the line in Germany. Up until that time, Ford with its Model T that had been built from 1908 to 1927 had held the record. More recently, in June 1992, the 21 millionth Beetle was produced in Mexico amid much jubilation from the workforce. However, there is always one pretender to the throne, and in this case it's Toyota. The company is always quick to boast that their Corolla model is the world's best selling car, but since it's appearance in the 1960s this model has simply been a collection of totally different vehicles that share the same name. For that reason, the Guinness Book of Records recognise only the Beetle as the undisputed world's number one best selling car.

The Silver Bug may be twenty years old now, but in a few years time yet another special edition milestone will be celebrated at VW de México - The 22 millionth classic air-cooled Beetle. Watch this space!

Pete Frost is president of The Mexican & Brazilian Beetle Register