75 years ago, the first Volkswagen assembled outside of Germany, a Beetle Type 1, rolled off the assembly line on the Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin in 1950.
This very Beetle, with its almond green colour, later became known as the iconic ‘Ballsbridge Beetle’, symbolising the birth of the Volkswagen brand in Ireland.
The Beetles assembled in Ballsbridge went on to achieve phenomenal success in Ireland. Retailing for IR£465 in 1950, they featured a four-cylinder, air-cooled,1,100cc, 25hp engine and a top speed of 100kph, offering Irish people a means of affordable, reliable mobility.
The ‘Ballsbridge Beetle’ is still in its original form, apart from slight modifications such as the addition of indicators, and normally resides in the Zeithaus museum at Autostadt GmbH, the headquarters of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen Ireland are delighted to mark this significant chapter of 75 years in Ireland, by bringing the ‘Ballsbridge Beetle’ back home to Dublin for a short period of time.
The ‘Ballsbridge Beetle’ will be proudly exhibited at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, on the first Saturday across summer months, June (7th), July (5th) and August (2nd).
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