Leave Chronology – Day Ten

Today was the day we did something that was my reason for going to Germany on leave in the first place. Besides the free trip courtesy of Uncle Sam, Germany is also home to Volkswagen, only the best and most awesome car manufacturer in the entire world. For those of you not in the know, Volkswagen Group is the manufacturer of such brands as Volkswagen (obviously), Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda. They have a super fancy facility in Wolfsburg called the Autostadt, and it was there that I fell back in love with VWs after a near five-year hiatus from my life.

Volkswagen Plant in Wolfsburg

 As you step off the train, you are immediately directed to walk across the little bridge to the Autostadt, as if it is the only thing to do while in Wolfsburg.

The visitor center and “museum” is like walking through European car history, and for someone who enjoys VWs as much as I do, it was truly car heaven.But beyond original VWs and Porsches, there are also many other “classic” cars on display, but I think I will show my pictures of the VWs and their ilk.

This “Porsche Typ 32” is from 1954, but as you can tell from the body style, it was definitely a precursor to the future VW Beetles that everyone worldwide came to love in the late ’60s. Many other early models maintained this body style, though the first “true” VW Beetle did appear the next year in 1955.

1955 VW Beetle 1200

1954 Porsche Typ 32

1974 Karmann Ghia

Volkswagen also entered the roadster market back in the day with the Karmann Ghia, which to this day is one of my favorite cars. They had many on display throughout the museum, but I think this one was probably my favorite, which was produced during the last production year of this wonderful car. I hope someday to own one of these cars.

2010 Audi R8 5.2 quattro

As mentioned before, VW also produces Audis, including the beautiful car below. While I do have a place in my heart for the Classic VWs, I still think that Audis probably are the better of the brands today, if not a bit more expensive. Others can have their BMWs; I would love to own one of these Audi R8s, although probably in blue.

The Autostadt was a great place to visit. If I ever do make it back to Germany, I think I will go back again. I also would like to someday in my life drive a brand new VW or Audi right out of the factory, which is something that they do from the Autostadt. There are two glass towers full of brand new cars waiting for their new owners to come pick them up. It really was an interesting experience.

After spending a good portion of the day in Wolfsburg at the Autostadt, we took the train back to Frankfurt and once again stopped by Pur Platinum. It was an okay way to end another day in Germany as we approached the date that we had to return to Iraq.