Sorry, Bumblebee. Sorry, Herbie. The classic German stylings of your adorable auto bodies are about to cease production. Via Autocar, Volkswagen R&D boss Frank Welsch, speaking at the Geneva auto show, has made the call that “two or three generations is enough now,” and when the current run of beetles is finished, that’s it. Deciding that the Bumblebee movie would be a period piece may be the most prescient call Paramount has made in years.

The classic bug, which was known to generations of little brothers as the indirect reason for getting punched in the arm constantly on long road trips, was designed in its first road-worthy form in 1938 by Ferdinand Porsche for the newly developed German Autobahn roads, and got makeovers in 1997 and again in 2011. The 1997 change was particularly controversial among some car fans, and one of those models was memorably a target of Tyler Durden onscreen in Fight Club, at the request of Edward Norton.

Volkswagen plans to put all the eggs in its metaphorical “heritage model” basket of the redesigned VW minibus, an update of the classic long vehicle beloved by hippies, surfers, and rock bands. Bumblebee in the movies has long since moved on to being a Camaro, but don’t be too surprised if Disney does a Herbie reboot at some point with a newer vehicle. It just won’t be quite the same. So if you own one that’s in good shape now, and plan on keeping it for the long haul, maybe stock up on extra parts while you still can.

Are you sorry to see a classic car bid farewell? Buzz down to comments and share your thoughts.

Image: Paramount

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