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On 17 February 1972, the Volkswagen Beetle became the best-selling car in history, surpassing the record previously held by Ford’s legendary Model T. The Beetle’s roots trace back to Nazi Germany, where Adolf Hitler commissioned an economical “people’s car.” However, it wasn’t until after World War II in 1945 that mass production commenced. Over the following decades, Volkswagen produced a staggering 21 million units, with the final Beetle exiting the assembly line in July 2003.