Best-Known Car in History....

[Superman]

....is the air-cooled Porsche 911:

1) Simple design - to be maintained by the owner
2) Elegant, reliable German design
3) Favorite car of engineers
4) Beloved/Interesting
5) Factory manual is about 15" of binders
6) Technical bulletins

There just is nothing whatsoever about these cars that is not fully studied to death. And again, compared to other cars, they are built with WAY less parts.

Change my mind.

[RNajarian]

. . . or the original VW bug? More owners over the years.

[wildcat077]

I would say the VW bug !
Although i own a 911 and race a 944 , one of these days i'm going to pick up an old Beetle and restore it to a reasonable driving condition.There's a nice yellow one in my neighborhood during the Summer, but the guy says he'll never get rid of it !

[winders]

Ford Model T.

/thread

[wdfifteen]

I'm going with VW bug.

Phil said, "one of these days i'm going to pick up an old Beetle and restore it to a reasonable driving condition."
I did, and I recommend it. It's as fun as the 911 in its own way (something about "more fun to drive a slow car fast than ..."). It's big plus that my AMEX card doesn't smoke after I buy parts for it. There is a thread about it over on The Samba. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=715530&highlight=new+to+me

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Hey Patrick WELCOME BACK! You have been missed!!!

Beetle. Definitely Beetle.

[KNS]

VW Beetle or Ford Model T...

However the Beetle can be driven right now with reasonable comfort and speed on contemporary highways.

The Beetle.

[rumlyne]

I'd vote Beetle.
I'm 70. when I was 16 my father and I built a Meyers Manx. It was my first car.
Part of me would like to have a nice one, but I realize a Harley is probably safer.

[porsche930dude]

Its hard to say from a non car person perspective. Every county is different. Twice as many f-150 and corollas have been sold. In england it would be the mini or land rover. In italy the fiat 500 or vespa? In russia it would probably be the lada. The middle east the land cruiser. The bettle has been sold in big number all over the world and everyone who sees it wants to know what it is so you may be right

[tdw28210]

USA? Model T
Global? Bug

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by winders

Ford Model T.

/thread

Yep

[group911@aol.co]

Model T or A- Nope. Anyone who remembers them is either dead or soon will be.

[RobFrost]

VW Golf, mini, or Toyota Corolla.

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

Model T or A- Nope. Anyone who remembers them is either dead or soon will be.

Funny but true. Most millennials would have absolutely no way of distinguishing a model T from any other car of that era. I vote Bug.

[MichaelSJackson]

Da-Bug

[Superman]

A gazillion Beetles were sold, but it is in fourth place for sales history. Still, Beetle is a logical pick dues to its simplicity and tendency for being owner-maintained. Nevertheless, I'll continue to play Devil's Advocate. Even if it's a losing battle.

Beetle owners are "ordinary Joe" folks who just want it to start when they hit the key and stop when they hit the brakes. 911 owners are engineers, or people who think like engineers, and their goal in learning about those cars is far more detailed than peoples' curiosity about Beetles. Down to a silly level of performance minutia. I know, for example, that the longer-duration cams have a pronounced performance improvements on the narrow-intake-runner engine compared to the ones with fatter intake runners. Because of the higher velocity of intake air in the former. Performance chips for Carrera EFI systems were perfected decades ago. Oil pressure starvation problems in early SC cars suggests first looking at the sump plate to ensure it was not reinstalled backwards. Worldwide, people have purchased more Toyota Corollas than any other car. And yet, the Porsche 911 has been studied to DEATH compared to the Corolla. No car has been more thoroughly studied in such detail, I think.

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by Superman

A gazillion Beetles were sold, but it is in fourth place for sales history. Still, Beetle is a logical pick dues to its simplicity and tendency for being owner-maintained. Nevertheless, I'll continue to play Devil's Advocate. Even if it's a losing battle.

Beetle owners are "ordinary Joe" folks who just want it to start when they hit the key and stop when they hit the brakes. 911 owners are engineers, or people who think like engineers, and their goal in learning about those cars is far more detailed than peoples' curiosity about Beetles. Down to a silly level of performance minutia. I know, for example, that the longer-duration cams have a pronounced performance improvements on the narrow-intake-runner engine compared to the ones with fatter intake runners. Because of the higher velocity of intake air in the former. Performance chips for Carrera EFI systems were perfected decades ago. Oil pressure starvation problems in early SC cars suggests first looking at the sump plate to ensure it was not reinstalled backwards. Worldwide, people have purchased more Toyota Corollas than any other car. And yet, the Porsche 911 has been studied to DEATH compared to the Corolla. No car has been more thoroughly studied in such detail, I think.

Maybe the title is misleading. It sounded like you were asking which was the most "well known car" but if you mean most studied car, I agree that its probably the 911.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

Model T or A- Nope. Anyone who remembers them is either dead or soon will be.

I'll grant you that I have more of my life behind me than ahead, but I hope to have a few good years left.

Model T is definitely out based on Supe's original 6 criteria, though it might possibly be the "best known." The Model A comes closer to meeting the criteria, but an air cooled VW bug hits all but #5. I've driven all three and the VW is the only one that comes close to being comfortable.
If you want to ask what is the "Best Loved" car of all time, the VW wins hands down.

[Superman]

Yes, I guess I was thinking "most studied."

I too am quite fond of the Beetle. A 1969 was my first vehicle with four wheels. The air-cooled 911 is, basically, a racing Beetle. Way more power with better braking and handling. And yet, I am unsure which is really the most fun to drive.

And yes, those old Beetles with the oddly simple seats, are among the most comfortable cars to drive.

[Larmo63]

I love my bug and I love my 911 Carrera.