Volkswagen People's Car project

Germany wanted a small car close to the price of a motorcycle. When it became apparent that it wasn’t possible, the German State stepped in. Adolf Hitler sponsored a savings scheme involving German workers to pay "five marks a week" to get a car. Workers were also promised a vacation at a luxury resort, gym and club memberships, and even food perks. This plan sounded amazing to Germans who were used to hyperinflation and really couldn’t afford a car. 336,000 German workers entered into the savings program. In the end, very few got their cars, and the luxury resort was later turned into housing for the slave laborers who were used to build the V2 rocket. Rest of the money was used for the war effort. The Russians took the remaining savings at the end of the war.