1967- A half century has passed since then. Children of yesteryear are 50 years young and most of the cars that populated the streets at that time are already disposed of. A few have survived and are lovingly cared for as young and old timers. The model car manufacturer Greenlight has put in a lot of love to converted the VW Beetle this year in the format 1:18 and reminisces with the colorful decoration in flower power look of the hippie movement. Hippies? Before our younger readers and model car fans have to ask the dictionary of foreign words, we summarize what there is to say about this term. Because: Service is our middle name! The hippies belonged to the countercultural youth movement, which originated in the US and had its heyday between 1965 and 1971. So our beetle model fits exactly in the middle.
Starting in San Francisco, the young people started questioning the middle-class ideals of prosperity that they thought were meaningless and wanted to break up bourgeois taboos. They thus linked the vision of a more human life and a more harmonious manners. Outwardly communicates with the buzzword Flower Power, so the power of flowers, which explains the exterior appearance of our colorful model car. The American poet Allen Ginsberg is considered the father of the term, which he is said to have coined in 1965. The hippies were considered to be shy of work, quite rightly so. The appearance of the long-haired women and men was also in stark contrast to the conservative appearance of the middle class at that time, which was still much more influenced by constraints, than our present day clothes.
Hand painting this time desired
Accordingly, the vehicles were also colorful, as our beetle shows. The model is authentic in decoration, but does not neglect the demands of today's collectors: the engine has been expertly scaled down; taillights and headlights, like the overall appearance, correspond to today's standard of model making. The dashboard is an eye-catcher, because the hand painting of the hippies was played with and therefore really authentic. Funny: The chrome hubcaps have survived every painting party. Thus, there is something bourgeois on the beetle again. For after all, the hippies remain the children of their parents. Anyway, the model car is a great reminder of this colorful time of free love and unforgotten Scott McKenzie songs.
Here: Click to the Flower Power Beetle in 1:18