A 1947 Volkswagen Beetle. Ferdinand Porsche produced ancestral KdF-wagen prototypes in 1935. Batches of pre-production versions followed, before manufacture began in 1939, adapted for military use. Adolf Hitler advised that the Volkswagen People's Car be streamlined to 'look like a beetle'. Post-war civilian production was under British military control until 1949, when it reverted to German charge. During the late 1960s the Beetle became a world car. In 1981 the 20 millionth unit was built, smashing the Ford Model T's record of around 15 million.