Major Ivan Hirst ordered in 1946/47 the design of an aluminum promotional gift for visitors and valued workers at the VW factory. They used aluminum because there was no shortage of scrap aluminum from dismantled airplanes. The very first model was disapproved by major Hirst (see VOLKSWAGENWERK SPLIT VW V0). Thereafter they produced the well known post war VW promotional car; plain with wheels incorporated into the body (see VOLKSWAGENWERK SPLIT VW V1).
They also produced a very rare variation on the normally found aluminum promotional gift: a cast model with solid windows and wheels with rubber tires (actually gaskets!) on metal axles. Some had a hole in the front to allow to attach a string to the model so that children could play with it!
