1956 Volkswagen 113 Sedan Deluxe (Beetle)

Engine: Horizontally opposed, 4-cylinder, air-cooled
Displacement: 1.6 L (97 ci)
Bore and Stroke: 86 x 69 mm (3.4 x 2.7 in)
Power: 29.8 kW (40 hp)
Transmission: 4-forward, 1-reverse, manual
Weight: 740 kg (1631.4 lb)
Capacity: 4 passengers
Original Cost: C $2183 (estimate)

No single car, with the possible exception of the Model T, has played such a major role in shaping automotive history as the “Beetle.” The "peoples' car” (a direct translation of Volkswagen) paved the way for the import invasion of the 1960s, and has affected the types of cars that Detroit has produced ever since. This black 1956 Volkswagen Deluxe Beetle was purchased out of California and includes the factory options of whitewall tires, laminated glass windscreen, lockable rear flap handle, ram protection, and M.P.H. speedometer. This car does not have an external fuel filler spout or an in-dash fuel gauge. The hood must be opened to check the gas level (by dipstick) and to fill the fuel tank.

This Beetle is from the era of VW production post-1953, when the split rear window and post-war styling were seen, but prior to the VW overhaul of all major body elements and styling in 1967. 

The Beetle followed a very utilitarian design that featured a spartan interior and iconic curved exterior. The four-cylinder, air-cooled engine could be changed out in less than an hour with a minimal amount of tools and knowledge.

The Beetle and its variants, including the popular Cabriolet, were built from 1946 to 2003. More than 21.5 million units were produced. This surpassed even the Ford Model T. The last Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico in June 2003.

Chronology:

1933 - Ferdinand Porsche designs and builds a prototype car called the Volksauto.
1934 - Hitler becomes involved in car manufacturing - wanting every German family to have a car they can afford.
1937 - The German Labour Front founds the Volkswagen Company - Volkswagen meaning "The People's Car".
1938 - VW Beetle first offered to the public but it could only be bough through a subscription plan of German RM 5 a month.  Many Germans signed up for the plan.
1939 - The Second World War breaks out and none of the participants who had signed up for vehicles in 1938 received a car.
1940 - First car to leave the factory but between 1940-1944 only 630 cars were produced due to majority of production was for military projects.
1945 - British soldiers took over operations of factory and scantioned the production of Volkwagen saloon.
1946 - First year of publicly available Beetle.
1946-1947 - Due to incredible response to the Beetle, exports to other countries began.
1950 - 100,000th car delivered.
1951 - VW exporting to 29 countries.
1955 - 1 millionth car delivered.
1956 - Karmann Ghia introduced and produced until 1974.
1961 - VW introduces the 1500.
1965 - Beetle production exceeding 1,000,000 cars a year.
1972 - The Beetle beats the long-standing record held by Ford's Model T for the highest production of a single vehicle model, reaching 15,007,034 Beetles produced.
1973 - VW Passat introduced.
1974 - VW Golf introduced as a successor to the Beetle. In the US and Canadian markets it was called the Rabbit.
1978 - Last Beetle produced at German factory but still being produced in some countries up to 2003.
1980 - Jetta is introduced.
1997 - After unveiling a concept car in 1994, the New Beetle is avaialble to consumers in 1997.
1999 - VW built their 61 millionth car.
2008 - The Beetle was donated to the Reynolds Museum.
2015 - The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) served VW with a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act because VW had intentionally programmed their TDI Diesel engines to activate emissions controls only during emissions testing. Vehicles would meet standars in required testing but in regular driving situations, the vehicles were emitting forty times more emissions than allowed. VW had deployed this software on about 11 million cars worldwide from 2009-2015.
2017 - VW starts focusing almost completely on electric vehicle and AI vehicle development and production.
2017 - Introduced Sedric, a fully autonomous prototype vehicle.