The Cornerstone Ceremony for the KdF Wagen factory held in Stadt des KdF~Wagens was dedicated in May of 1938. This was the basis for the Company Fr. VOLK to produce a miniature KdF Wagen to promote or celebrate the fact that they were contracted to produce the tooling to make the KdF Wagen body parts. Probably around 1939, VOLK made a steel stamped body with solid windows, basic body details and door seams, windows, hubcaps and headlights sometimes painted silver, white or grey to represent a KdF Wagen. This 1st version may not have the front window embossed. The next version had a steel stamped chassis with solid steel wheels attached to the body and an embossed front window. Various special promotional paint schemes with inscriptions or lettering and custom license plate numbers. The VOLK KdF Wagen is usually found with no bumpers but some models exists with bumpers riveted onto the body.
As an example, one VOLK KdF Wagen has a red body and hubcaps, black fenders, front and rear apron, running boards and the windows & headlights are gold. It also has front and rear number plates SS001. The baseplate bears the inscription Tag der Wehrmacht-L bei der Waffen SS, 19.3.44.
Also a variation exists with a VOLK KdF Wagen mounted on a wooden platform with an electric light also attached to the wooden platform. Some models exist with an embossed raised circle with the Fr. VOLK ESEM insignia on the door. Some early versions had the chassis marked with "Fr. VOLK ESEM". Also a Volk with bumpers that was used as a coinbox; unclear whether this was a later modification though. See pictures.
As for the stamped body panels there is evidence they were already available by March 1939. The company of Friedrich Volk ESEM (Erzgebirgische Schnittwerkzeug- und Maschinenfabrik) from Schwarzenberg presented a full size body mock-up assembled from stamped panels at the Leipzig Trade Fair held between 5th and 13th March 1939. The company was very proud of being selected to produce the press tools and first panels for the new Volkswagen. This coincides with the production of the last of the VW38s in mid-1939. There is a series of photos taken at the Reutter company workshop showing the construction of the late model VW38 bodies and the VW39 ones. It is clear from the photos that these bodies were made up of fully stamped panels. It has been suggested that Friedrich Volk ESEM produced the body panels for roughly the first 100 KdF Wagens before stamping presses at Fallersleben were installed and functional.
Volk went in the late 1930's to exhibitions to market their company and products. They used cardboard displayboards with a picture of their machinery and KdF Volkswagen bodypanels. See enclosed picture.
There is also a VOLK model with the DUX insignia painted on the baseplate. This however is a mystery and further information is requested.
The VOLK KdF Wagen steel body was later used as a basis for an aluminum casting. See VOLKSWAGENWERK SPLIT VW V0 on this site.
