Volkswagen at Techno Classica Essen

Volkswagen Techno-Classica Essen 2010
Volkswagen Off the Beaten Path
Volkswagen Techno-Classica Essen 2010

Volkswagen Off the Beaten Path
Notes:
You will find this press information and images for Techno-Classica on the Internet at: www.volkswagen-media-services.com. User-ID: vw-technoclassica | Password: 04-2010 TDI, TSI, DSG and Twincharger are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG or other companies of the Volkswagen Group in Germany and other countries. Equipment information and technical data apply to models offered in Germany. They may differ in other countries.
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Contents
To the Point
Brief summary Latest Craze: World premiere of Volkswagen Classic Ketchup 05 13
Key Aspects
Off-Road highlights by Volkswagen & Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles The Iltis 30 years: the all-wheel drive icon The 181 40 years of open-top classics Apal Buggy Beach cruiser Golf Country 20 years: Forerunner of todays SUVs Tarek Desert buggy T3 and its successors 25 years: All-wheel drive Bulli 40 years of front-wheel drive K70 Revolutionary advances in active safety Volkswagen Automuseum Foundation Anniversary 25 years of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation The Beetle VW 30 and 75th anniversary Beetle Classic Parts extends its product range Panamericana Beetle old car, new parts 151 143 135 103 19 35 45 59 69 79
Techno Classica / Off-Road Highlights / 40 Years of Front-Wheel Drive / 25 Years Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation
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Brief Overview
Techno Classica 2010:

Volkswagen is in Essen With a show that is off the beaten path
Iltis: All-wheel drive icon debuted 30 years ago Type 181: Open bucket has inspired individualists for 40 years Apal Buggy: Beach cruiser for Europe based on the Beetle Golf Country: Crossover trendsetter launched 20 years ago Tarek: Rear-wheel drive through the desert to Dakar T3 and its successors: 25 years of Bulli with front-wheel drive K70: The front-wheel drive era began 40 years ago AutoMuseum Foundation: Special exhibit marks 25th anniversary Classic Parts Center: New parts for legends with the VW label
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Volkswagen is welcoming visitors to Techno Classica 2010 with three special themes that will take them back through an exciting period of automotive history. First theme: Under the motto Volkswagens off the beaten path, Europes largest automobile producer has brought along a diverse collection of off-road highlights to the Ruhr region. They include the Dakar race vehicle, the Tarek, the legendary Iltis (winner of the 1980 Paris-Dakar), an Apal Buggy, the Type 181 (Kbel car), the Golf Country (crossover trendsetter) and the T3 syncro aka the Bulli. Second theme: Volkswagen celebrates 40 years of front-wheel drive. Background: The K70 debuted in 1970; this sedan took active safety to a new era. And of course that is why the K70 will be in Essen as well. Third theme: 25 years of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation. To commemorate its milestone
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anniversary, the museum has opened its treasure vaults wider than ever before: Along with a special anniversary Beetle (50 year old special edition) the VW 30 a 1937 prototype of the Beetle has been pulled out as well. A fitting way to celebrate the 75 th birthday of the Beetle in 2010. To mark the occasion, the Classic Parts Centre will be showing an air-cooled engine Beetle by the name of Erbse (English: Pea). This 57 year old Beetle travelled the Panamericana from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. And so, for Volkswagen fans and friends of the Dakar, the Techno Classica is a must see on this years event calendar. The 2009 World Car Show for Oldtimers, Classic & Vintage Automobiles, Motorsport, Motorcycles, Replacement Parts and Restoration, held from 7 to 11 April 2009, attracted nearly 170,000 visitors. The highlight last year: Volkswagen World. And that may very well be the case this year too. First, because the range of oldtimers and young-timers with the VW logo is unusually large. But also because Volkswagen Classic once again has a programme specially tailored to this car show. At our exhibit area, visitors can have their picture taken by a professional photographer in front of the classic of their choice. A front-runner for background car will be the spectacular Tarek. And since the way to auto mobile love is through the stomach too, Volkswagen will be presen ting a special premiere of Volkswagen Classic Ketchup, the recipe for which is a trade secret. So: taste it, take some, and fire up the barbecue grille In 2010, Volkswagen Classic will definitely be well represented at all key oldtimer and youngtimer events. Among other events, Volkswagen is the automotive partner of the Youngtimer Rallye Creme21 (15 to
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19 September) a role that is almost mandatory for a company that built cult car classics in the 1970s like the Golf GTI and Scirocco (and still builds them today). In addition, Volkswagen will once again be lead organiser for an event it initiated in 2009, the Schloss Bensberg Classics (10 to 12 September 2010). Held over a single weekend, it hosts a traditional Concours dElegance and a challenging conformity rally. There is not much time left until then. Because on 21 May, the icons from Volkswagen Classic will already be at the Sachs-Franken Classic. Afterwards, the events arrive in quick succession: On 26 May there is the Kitzbheler Alps Rallye, on 21 June the Donau Classic, on 8 July the Silvretta Classic and on 19 August the Sachsen Classic. And so, the Techno Classica will be the prelude to an extremely exciting oldtimer and youngtimer year. And that is how it should be. Lets get started...
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Volkswagen Classic Ketchup
Latest Craze:
World Premiere of Volkswagen Classic Ketchup
New Volkswagen Classic Ketchup debuts at the Techno Classica Visitors can get limited-edition ketchup at the Techno Classica
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Its well known that Volkswagen builds bestsellers. Automotive bestsellers. A less well known fact is that successful culinary recipes are advancing to become bestsellers in the Volkswagen World. Number 1 in this area is the coveted Volkswagen Ketchup. Back in the 1970s, it was developed with the ketchup specialist Kraft to complement the taste of the legendary Volkswagen curry sausage. Yes, it too is a bestseller at first it was only popular in the Volkswagen plant at Wolfsburg, but today it has long become part of the overall Volkswagen scene. Now, at the Techno Classica 2010 we are finally bringing together those things that belong together: Volkswagen Ketchup and the classic scene. Because the oldtimer and youngtimer specialists at Volkswagen Classic are introducing the new Volkswagen Classic Ketchup to the market in a world premiere in Essen. With a distinc tive taste, it is initially limited to 1,000 bottles. They have their own label. And it shows clearly a Beetle (from the 1950s). So, Volkswagen Classic Ketchup will be a souvenir of the culinary type; at the Techno Classica it can be purchased at a price of 3.00 Euros. In addition, Volkswagen will be offering the new ketchup at future classic events. Those visiting Wolfsburg can of course also purchase it at the Volkswagen Shop at Plant Gate 17 (near the Wolfsburg train station).
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Volkswagen spiced ketchup bottled since 1997

The career of Volkswagen Ketchup began, as mentioned, back in the 1970s. Volkswagen was looking for a ketchup that would har monise especially well with its own curry sausage production. So, its consistency has a thicker viscosity than conventional ketchup; in addition, its taste was tuned to the taste of Volkswagen curry sausage with spices that remain a strict trade secret even today. And with this sausage, a perfect taste unfolds. Volkswagen spiced ketchup has been offered in bottles since 1997. Proving that the new Volkswagen Classic Ketchup is anything but a late April Fools Day joke, are the statistics on how much Volkswagen spiced ketchup is enjoyed. In 1997, Volkswagen launched its ketchup with an annual volume of 20,000 bottles. From that point on, volumes rose year by year. In 2009, over 425,000 (!) bottles were sold. 100,000 bottles have already been sold in the first ten weeks of 2010. That leaves one question unanswered: How do Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup and Volkswagen Classic Ketchup differ in taste? Let us answer that with another question: How does a first generation Golf GTI differ from a sixth generation Golf GTI in handling and design? The answer: Give it a try!
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The successor to the DKW Munga and very similar in its outward appearance was the VW Iltis, an angular off-roader for the roughest trails. In 1980 a slightly modified version of the Iltis won the Paris-Dakar rally shown here is the original vehicle brilliantly driven by Freddy Kottulinsky.
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Off-Road /Iltis
The Iltis Legendary Ancestor of the Tiguan and Touareg

Angular off-roader impressed with rugged technology All-wheel drive icon followed in footsteps of the DKW Munga
Wolfsburg/ Essen, April 2010. With the unflappable Iltis, Volkswagen rang in the all-wheel drive epoch in November 1978 and presented its first genuine off-roader. As a rock-solid off-road vehicle, this original ancestor of the Tiguan and Touareg the Volkswagen SUVs of today had no fear of even the roughest of terrains. After 10,801 units were built, its production at Volkswagen was phased out in 1982 as planned. Today, the collectors favourite has long ranked as an icon of lightweight military vehicles, because the climbing abilities of the nimble four-door with the rag-top roof are legendary. In actuality, the Iltis that was developed for the German Armed Forces filled a glaring gap that had developed in 1976 after many years of fruitless negotiations for a multinational Euro Jeep in the Army transport fleet had ended, and the project was terminated. The fleet lacked an all-wheel drive off-road vehicle that could be used as a command and liaison vehicle as well as for ambulance and communications duty. As an interim solution, the rear-wheel drive Type 181 commonly known as the Kbel (English: Bucket) could and was intended to serve in just some of these capacities.
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Ingeniously simple construction, extremely competent off-road performance

By 1975, the debacle with the Euro-Jeep was already taking shape, and Volkswagen held its first discussions with the military on the subject. In May 1976, both parties agreed on the delivery of 10 prototypes, which were to be completed by November 1977 and then subjected to a full battery of field tests. An adopted child served as the foundation for the new off-road model: the DKW Munga. Its name comes from the German Multizweck-Universal Gelndewagen mit Allradantrieb (Multipurpose Universal Off-road Vehicle with All-Wheel Drive), and from 1956 to 1968 it was produced by the Auto Union in Ingolstadt the company that would later become the car producer Audi, which Volkswagen integrated in its corporate group in 1965. The decision to base the vehicle on the Munga immediately yielded a number of remarkable advantages: On the one hand, it shortened the development time for the new Iltis, and on the other, the German Army could continue to use its existing garage and maintenance equipment. Armament kits already procured for the Munga could also continue to be used. Forming the basis for development project EA110 was the Munga-8 utility truck with its load-bearing floor pan. The design of the fourdoor, all-steel body of the Iltis fully served its intended function with integrated fenders, reinforcement ribbing in the outer panels and tall sideliners. The entirely flat windscreen could be folded forward, the one-piece bumper in front was made of steel, and the removable folding top provided an astonishingly weather-tight seal. The characteris tic
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sailcloth doors with their plastic windows were easy to remove. For the safety of occupants during overly enthusiastic off-road drives, there was a three-part rollover bar near the B-pillars.
Modern engine and advanced all-wheel drive technology

A clear indication of the high level of development attained by the ingenious ly simple Iltis design lies in its powertrain design. In place of the maximum 1.0-litre two-stroke engine from the Munga, the engine under the Iltis engine bonnet was a 1.7-litre four-cylinder from Audi Service that was fed by a Solex carburettor; the only previous use of this type of engine had been in a South American version of the Passat. It developed 75 PS and so it delivered relatively lively per formance both on- and off-road, reflected in its top speed of 130 km/h, for example. The five-speed transmission came from the Audi 100, and the unsynchronised first gear was laid out as a long-ratio off-road gear. The Iltis impressive off-road qualities were primarily due to its standard all-wheel drive. While the rear wheels were permanently driven, the front wheels could be engaged even while performing at full driving capability. The lightweight Volkswagens produced in Ingolstadt weighing between 1.3 and 1.34 tonnes demonstrated superior abilities on hills, capable of handling climbing gradients of up to 50 percent, even with a full payload of 750 kilograms. Standard equipment on the German Army version also included two differential locks, which the driver could activate via a lever between
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the front seats. Constant forward propulsion could even be guaranteed when individual wheels had lost contact to the trail surface. With its short wheelbase of just 2,017 millimetres and the very small axle overhangs, the Iltis was an ideal vehicle for very rutted terrains too. Of course, it could also handle water crossings with fording depths of up to 60 centimetres.
Intelligent detailed solutions yield extremely rugged performance

The robust off-roaders clever detailed solutions attest to the depth of thought that went into its design. For example, the ventilated and waterproof design of the single-disc dry clutch prevents overheating, a vapour separator upstream of the down-draught carburettor ensured proper fuel flow even at high outdoor temperatures, the elaborately sealed drive shafts could withstand extreme loads, and a special baffle plate which normally covered the batteries under the rear seats was also used to protect the radiator grille during river fordings. On 30 November 1978, General Reichenberger, Inspector of the Army, took receipt of the first 200 units of the Iltis. By mid-1979, 2,000 vehicles were already in service in the German army. At about the same time, Volkswagen also introduced the civilian version, offered with options such as a carpet floor. The most significant difference, however, was the 12-Volt electrical system used in the passenger car the military variant utilised a 24-Volt system that is typical for trucks. In the summer of 1980, this was followed up by a somewhat more fashionable version with square-edged plastic wing extensions, an upgraded ins trument panel
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and dynamically styled Iltis signatures. Upon request, an at trac tive hardtop was available to convert the off-road vehicle into a prac tical two-door car. A total of about 300 Iltis vehicles found their way into the hands of private buyers. As laid down in its agreement, by the end of 1981 Volkswagen had delivered all 8,800 units ordered by the German Army. In the following year, production ended in Germany. However, the production lines were sold to the Canadian company Bombardier, which produced another 4,500 units of a slightly modified Iltis.
Race Iltis Paris-Dakar legend celebrated historic 1980 victory

Although the off-road vehicle hardly resembles a motorsport icon at first glance, the Wolfsburg brand wrote motorsport history with the Race Iltis, introducing a paradigm shift to rally sports. Finishing in 1 st, 2 nd and 4 th places in the Paris-Dakar rally of 1980, the second edition of the world-famous desert endurance race, it began a string of victories for all-wheel drive and it accomplished this despite the fact that develop ment discussions never envisioned later competitive use of the Iltis. The unyielding forward propulsion of the all-wheel drive Iltis quickly won over the hearts of engineers in winter test drives conducted by the Volkswagen Group. When the French military expressed interest in the rugged off-roader back in 1979, unconventional ways of putting its qualities to the test were also encouraged such as participation in
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the 2 nd Oasis Paris-Dakar rally in the year 1980. This endurance rally conceived by daring motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine in the previous year and immediately very popular in France offered the perfect stage with its thousands of desert kilometres.
Ruggedness of production equipment was key to success

With barely a half year remaining until the race start, preparations began under the leadership of test engineer Roland Gumpert. Modifications to the Race Iltis were fairly restrained: Engine power was increased to 110 PS by use of a two-barrel carburettor, which made the rally version capable of 130 km/h. The running gear was suitably reinforced and given a stiffer tuning. Typical rally features were also added, such as underbody protection, auxiliary instruments, rollover cage, sport seats, auxiliary headlights and a 90 litre reserve fuel tank. Otherwise, the Race Iltis benefited from the obvious advantages of the production model. From a technical perspective, they included the ventilated clutch, multi ple drive shaft seals, vapour separator in the fuel system and a centrifuge for the dry air filter that filtered out sand particles. Last but not least, there was of course the all-wheel drive system, which could be engaged on-the-fly via differential locks at both axles and a fullysynchronised four-speed gearbox with off-road reduction gearing.
Car ignited the success of all-wheel drive

As already mentioned, the Dakar campaign was an overwhelming success. Four Race Iltis cars went to the starting line on 1 January 1980
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in Paris, and all of them reached the finish after 22 days and 4,315 kilometres of tough special testing conditions. The victors were driver Freddy Graf Kottulinsky the Munich-born motorsport wonder with a Swedish passport and co-driver Gerd Lffelmann; they endured all of the adverse conditions North Africa could deliver. Second place went to their teammate Patrick Zaniroli who would later serve a 12-year stint as Paris-Dakar race director and co-driver Philippe Colesse. Jean Ragnotti/ Georges Vails came in fourth, and Roland Gumpert in the fleet service car even took ninth position together with Alois Eder. The victorious Race Iltis earned a place of honour in the Volkswagen Museum and in the annals of motorsport history. That is because it inspired Roland Gumpert, Jrg Bensinger testing director at the time and Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Pich then head of development at Audi to go forward with an all-wheel drive coupe that would revolutionise the worlds of production cars and rally racing: the Audi quattro. In the 21st century, Volkswagen has renewed its presence at the Dakar. The score sheet so far: A dual victory in 2009 in the style of the Race Iltis, and a triple victory in 2010 accomplished with the Race Touareg 2.
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The original roots of the VW Type 181 can be found in a hunting vehicle design from Australia. It became a cult ride of surfers and adventurers; for many years it was still being produced on Bali, for example. In Germany, it was known more as an official vehicle of the German army and postal service.
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Off-Road /Typ 181
Typ 181 Favourite of the Military and the Flower Power Generation
Australian Volkswagen engineers developed forerunner of the 181 For a long time, the Type 181 was the most affordable convertible on the market
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. From hunting and military vehicle to trendy ride: Over the course of its career now spanning over four deca des the Volkswagen 181 has undergone a truly astounding development cycle. While generations of armed services personnel got to know it as an army service vehicle, the spartan four-seater enjoyed growing popularity among students, alternative lifestyle and automotive individualists. An absolute accolade to the vehicle is the status it enjoyed in the United States of America and continues to enjoy: In the hip surfer and lifestyle scene in California, the 181 has simply been known endearingly as The Thing a name it still has today. In Germany, the Volkswagen 181 still goes by the unmodified nickname Kbel (English: bucket). No wonder, because it is the epitome of the Kbel seat car, i.e. the most typical representative of the open four-seater military vehicles with distinctively shaped bucket seats which are the source of its name. Volkswagen itself spoke it simply as a courier car or courier vehicle. A little known fact: The Type 181 is actually an Australian. Because that is where there was demand for an open hunting vehicle back in the 1960s. And that is what Australian Volkswagen engineers then created down under and specifically for use there. Nearly 1,000 units of the angular hunting car were built for use in the outback.
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Request for help by German Army marked time of birth

The starting gun for production development of the official Volkswagen 181 was sounded in the late 1960s. The German Army was urgently searching for a successor to the DKW Munga, whose production was terminated at the end of 1968. In response to the situation, Volkswagen adapted the Australian hunting vehicle concept to Europe and worked on further developing the outback model. And with success: The company was able to fulfil all specification requirements for the required command and liaison vehicle with the Type 181, with one exception: Instead of being driven via all four wheels, it only had rearwheel drive. The military accepted this interim solution, and between 1969 and 1979 a total of 15,275 units of the Type 181 were entered in the inventory lists of the armed forces as Car 0.4 t tmil 4x2 (car with 0.4 tonne payload, semi-militarised with two-wheel drive).
Short development time thanks to model toolkit principle

Production of the Volkswagen 181 already began back in 1968, and the open four-seater celebrated its official world premiere at the Inter national Motor Show in Frankfurt in September 1969. To mount the new model over its narrow 165 millimetre wheels, Wolfsburg engineers dug deep into the parts shelves. Serving as a chassis was the slightly modified platform of the Karmann Ghia Type 14; the powertrain, including the 44 PS boxer engine, originated from the Beetle 1500. The transmission and rear-driven axle were contributed by the Type 2 T1 that was produced until 1967. Except for smaller detail modifications,
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it held to these fundamental technical specifications right up to its produc tion phase-out in 1980. In total, 140,768 Volkswagen 181 vehicles had driven off the production lines by then. The civilian version of the 181 enjoyed great popularity, especially on the west coast in the USA. To serve the American market, between 1970 and 1971 Volkswagen initially exported so-called CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits across the Atlantic. This was done until Mexican production was launched in 1972 in the Puebla; about 80 percent of its production would be shipped to its neighbour to the north.
In its second career, bright colours instead of olive green

Above all, when the first German Army Kbel had been released from armed services duty and was increasingly finding its way into private hands, the Volkswagen 181 also developed into a sort of cult-mobile in this country. Appearing in university parking lots and in front of hip scene pubs were the most open of all convertibles not in olive green camouflage, but usually with colourful paint that harmonised with the personal tastes of its owners. The most fitting characterisation of the 181 was written up just recently by Alf Cremers in the automotive magazine Motor Klassik: Much later, it then showed its true personality as a fun car for late-era hippies. That is when it metamorphosed, entered the scene in red, yellow or orange, drove into the summer night full of passengers, the windscreen stayed down, and someone played guitar on the folding seat in the back. It was a buggy with four doors.
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Thanks to its simple rugged equipment, the Volkswagen 181 will be able to play this newer role sculpted on its distinctive body for many years to come.
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Concealed under the Apals outer plastic skin is a Beetle chassis: The Apal C was the epitome of the open-air fun car there never was and never will be a better way to enjoy the open sky than in these two seats.
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Off-Road/Apal Buggy
The Apal Buggy Flower Power with Charm and Plenty of Propulsion
Kit cars offered legendary driving fun at affordable prices Buggy enthusiasm from the USA overran Europe briefly but powerfully
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. California in the early 1960s, in the middle of the endless dune landscape of Pismo Beach, a small town about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles: Between two dune ridges, a bright red object is ploughing through the sand, whirling up a metre- high sand fountain. Short, wide, manoeuvrable, open, and there is the unmistakable sound of an air-cooled four-cylinder boxer from Volkswagen.
Buggy was invented by no surprise an American

Sitting at the wheel of the amusing ride is its inventor Bruce Meyers. As engineer, artist, boat builder and surfer, he embodied the perfect combination of professions and callings for creating a species of vehicle that would within a very brief period of time excite hundreds of thousands of people under the collective concept of the dune buggy or beach buggy. And its formula for success worked its way across the globe: Beetle chassis, plastic body open on all sides and two to four seats nothing more was needed for driving bliss. Indeed, young people had already conquered the long beaches of the Golden State in scrap saloons with stripped down bodies and ultrawide off-road tyres. However, by combining a glass-fibre body and
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Volkswagen technology, Meyers became the undisputed buggy pioneer and the initiator of an unanticipated boom. Quickly following in its footsteps were US offshoots like the Empi Sportster, the first production buggy kit. At the peak of the buggy boom in 1969 practically every boat builder and fibreglass shop in America was selling a dune buggy product. Some of the treasured approx. 300 body forms were genuine works of art, while others were copies of the original model, and some were downright ugly. One common denominator brought them all together, however: the technology from Volkswagen that was rugged, kit friendly and off-road capable right from the factory. Initially, the underbody structure, or at least the drivetrain, was often taken from the famous T1-Bully, but it was the Beetle chassis that was soon the almost exclusive platform of choice for the metal saws. That is because another modification was mandatory: shortening of the floor pan by at least 30 centimetres. Along with its cute look, the now nearly square wheelbase also improved manoeuvrability in deep sand. Off-road capabilities of the buggies with their spartan-like features or to be more accurate: no features at all were not however the reason for their enormous success. Rather, these joyful, fabulous creations fit in precisely with the spirit of the Hippy movement. The curvaceous, up lifting forms of the buggies embodied freedom, love of life and departure from conventions. With its trendy colours and gentle curves,
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it looked like a mobile Pril flower. The buggy resembled a caricature of a car, and so there was no concern that it took itself too seriously.
In Europe too, a phase of buggy mania

Although the numbers of sunny days, beach kilometres and flower children are significantly lower in Europe than they are in California, the Buggy Wave of 1968 washed over to Germany as well. The company Hamburger Rudolf Khn KG introduced the first German representative of this species with its HAZ Buggy, and shortly thereafter a large Volkswagen car dealership in Lower Saxony began to import the US model, the Empi Imp, which was offered not as a kit but as a regis tration-ready vehicle. Editors of the car magazine Gute Fahrt were also caught up in the excitement and put a bug in the ear of the Germans more precisely stated a sand bug. Because after a story on the buggy hype in the USA, then editor-in-chief Hermann Rest euphorically announced that a German buggy named after the magazine would be built. The editors actually did put a prototype on wheels; however, production and sales were then handled by Karmann a Volkswagen partner of many years. The underbody of the Beetle was shortened by nearly 38 centimetres (!). With a wheelbase of just 2,127 millimetres, the Karmann GF guaranteed driving fun as well as a look that was rugged and at the same time harmless and happy.
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About a dozen European manufacturers designed kits and (more rarely) finished vehicles for the market. And together with their imagina tive customers they kept coming up with even crazier creations. Special effect paints with up to 20 layers, chrome add-ons as well as amusing seat covers metamorphosed the buggies into choppers on four wheels.
Apal was one of the most successful buggy builders in Europe

One of the most frequently encountered models to follow in the wind slot of the Karmann GF in Germany was the Belgian Apal. Volkswagen Classic is presenting an example of this version at this years Techno Classica in Essen. Since 1961, the Apal company had been building small race cars with plastic bodies based on its specialised Application Polyester Arm de Lige method, but its first services to the Volkswagen brand came in an entirely different form. In 1965, Apal introduced the first European Formula V race car in Zandvoort, and it brought the offshoot race series class extremely popular in the USA to Europe. In 1969, the Apal C appeared (C stands for the French word court or short in English), a buggy based on a Beetle chassis shortened by 27.3 centimetres. A distinctive characteristic: the radically retracted side skirts, which formed a gentle arc from the front to the rear wheels. A solid firewall to the engine compartment let the Belgian buggy builders accommodate four seats in the short fun-mobile. The sur prisingly weather- tight soft top with button-on fabric doors even makes it possible to use the Apal C as an everyday vehicle.
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With about 5,500 units built, the short Type C which was in the model programme until 1981 represented a commercial breakthrough for Apal. The Apal C in the Volkswagen Classic collection is from the year 1973. Its boxer engine has a modest power of 25 kW (34 PS) and 1,184 cubic centimetres of displacement. Since all Beetle engines up to 1.6 litre were legally permitted in the buggy, many open air vehicle fans chose the more powerful versions. It would have been technically feasible to use the more powerful engines from the VW 411/412, and very daring and gifted craftsmen even reached for a six cylinder from the Porsche shelf now and then. However, fast driving was never the buggys strong suit. On the motor way, the fun is spoiled by intense vibrations and mediocre straight-line stability. But with a kerb weight of only about 600 kilograms, even the smallest engines in the Volkswagen programme guaranteed sprinting fun that was difficult to match. Since not everyone who enjoyed these flower power mobiles was a skilled welder and mechanic, Apal also introduced the Type L as a kit in 1969. L stands for the French longue (English: long), and the vehicle fitted on an unchopped Beetle frame. Apal had apparently found a market niche, because the Apal L nearly identical to the Apal C in its design, but more elegant sold an additional 5,000 units by 1981. The enthusiasm for buggies also spawned a wonderfully large variety of models in Europe: elegant cruisers like the extended Deserter GT, cuddly charmers like the Ruska with its Beetle headlights pulled far
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inward that seem to gaze upward in astonishment, or low-crouching sport vehicles like the Apal Jet. The all-too-open nature of some of the buggies proved to be a vehicle registration barrier in Germany. Frequently, inspectors complained that cut-outs in the front wings were too extreme. That is why body producers offered additional body panels for the German market which, however, were happily forgotten after the inspection was over in favour of the more radical look. Yet, even these wild times settled down; in the 1980s the torquey, colour ful home-built cars were no longer in demand. For some time now in Germany practically no new buggies are being registered even as single-owner registrations and many have long been de-registered, because crash safety regulations and plastic are a poor fit. And so today, from a collectors perspective the buggies are as much a closed case as postage stamps from the DDR but they are clearly more fun. The few remaining enthusiasts are all the more devoted to their historical pieces of automotive fantasy. Preferably, at full speed, enjoying the sun, wind and boxer engine sound. As inexpensive as the buggies were in their time, the fun of driving them is simply priceless right up to today.
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Higher ride height, syncro all-wheel drive, 1.8-litre four cylinder and spare wheel outside at the rear: Altogether about 7,735 units of the first Volkswagen Crossover were built.
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Off-Road/Golf Country
The Golf Country Crossover Movement Celebrates 20-Year Anniversary

Golf Country considered forerunner of the crossover segment Golf II in off-road look debuted with permanent all-wheel drive
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Some revolutionary ideas only come into their own after a certain time delay and they celebrate their successes when the actual trendsetters are no longer in a position to benefit from them. A good example is the Golf Country presented in 1990. In this offroad capable version of the Golf 2, Volkswagen wrote a surprise ending to its bestselling model, built from 1983 to 1992. It created a bold variant that not only conquered new trails with its permanent all-wheel drive, adventurous off-road design and increased ground clearance. The true significance of this car very unconventional in its time does not really sink in until it is looked at in a retrospective context. Twenty years ago, as the original ancestor of all crossover models, the Country defined a completely new market segment that is still booming in all of its forms today. In fact, over its short life production at Austrian specialist SteyrDaimler-Puch ended in December 1991 after a short 18 months the Golf Country remained a car for connoisseurs and customers such as foresters, hunters or Alpine residents who had a specific need for such a vehicle. With just 7,735 vehicles sold, this model missed its original sales target of 15,000 units by at least half. As a trendsetter, however, it has earned a special place in automotive history. In short: It was simply a decade ahead of its time.
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Ahead of its time, in 1990, the Golf Country featured precisely the hallmarks of ruggedness that mark todays many successful crossover models from its solid wing and side skirt extensions to the sturdy protective frame in front of the radiator grille, stone screens for the headlights and the expedition-capable auxiliary and fog lights, and the folding tube frame in the rear that holds the spare wheel outside of the tailgate. Any remaining doubts about the off-road talents of this unique Golf are answered by the ground clearance of the long-legged Country which was increased by over 60 millimetres and the massive underbody pan beneath the engine. The latter was anything other than a visual gag, since it consisted of genuine steel and could protect the engine unit from precarious ground contacts in very rough terrain that would otherwise have tragic consequences for the oil pan. The promise made by the Golf Countrys extroverted appearance was delivered on the technical side by its drivetrain. In principle, the offroad variant was based on the conventional Golf CL syncro, and it also shared the 72 kW / 98 PS, 1.8-litre four cylinder engine with that model. In normal on-road driving, power was directed primarily to the front wheels. Only when speed differences occurred between the front and rear axles would a portion of the torque be directed to the rear wheels as a function of slip a contemporary solution that is even considered modern today and combines a high degree of traction with efficient energy management. Differential locks were never planned a detail that made this model different from genuine off-roaders.
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Officially, this engine-drivetrain combination was the only one offered over the Golf Countrys short production life. In fact, however, there was also the so-called Wolfsburg Edition a special edition limited to 50 units with a 79 kW / 107 PS, 1.8-litre four cylinder engine from the Golf GTI. This limited edition was exclusively sold to company employees and so these vehicles are very much in demand on the collectors market today. At first, the standard features of the Country aside the approximately 94 model-specific modifications made by Steyr-Daimler-Puch matched those of the normal Golf CL. In July 1990, Volkswagen worked in the more cost-effective All-Round version, which emphasised functionality over comfort. This was expressed, for example, in the artificial leather for the interior upholstery, ordinary wheels and the uniform paint colour Forest Green. In early 1991, a third variant followed, the more elegantly equipped Chrome Edition. Its trademark: black leather interior, black roof rails and numerous accents in chrome. This version, in particular, can be considered the big bang that set off the SUV movements wave of success which was very slowly beginning to gather momentum at the time Twenty years later, 2010: The seed that Volkswagen planted with the Golf Country has sprouted luxuriant growth. For one, it prepared the way for the all-wheel drive Volkswagens, the Tiguan and Touareg, and it also produced contemporary offspring known as the Cross Polo, Cross Golf and CrossTouran top model variants in terms of customer appeal. The Golf Country has, without a doubt, made the automotive world more
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colourful and rich in variety. And these results alone suggest that this courageous experiment was a worthwhile endeavour. Because the Golf Country blazed a trail and opened up a new land. Its reward for this pioneering effort? An unshakeable place in automotive history!
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No other than Giorgio Giugiaro gave shape to the VW Tarek, an uncompromising race buggy with forward-opening wing doors. In January 2003, three of these vehicles went to the starting line of the Paris-Dakar the vehicle shown here was driven by Jutta Kleinschmidt.
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Off-Road /Tarek
The Tarek Transitional Solution Proves to be a Complete Success

Tarek was first Dakar success story of the Volkswagen brand Real-wheel driven buggy won its class in 2003 and 6th place in the overall classification
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Whenever Volkswagen and the rally in Dakar comes up in conversation, the first thing people think of is the Race Touareg. After two victories in a row, the all-wheel drive prototype is considered the absolute standard when it comes to the toughest desert rally in the world. Insiders will also recall another all-wheel drive race car, the Race Iltis, with which the brand celebrated a historical triumph in 1980. However, Volkswagens genealogy at the Dakar rally includes yet another, a third noteworthy desert racer: the Tarek. The origins of the Tarek can be traced back to the summer of 2002. Volkswagen had just announced its entry into off-road rally racing, had signed on Dakar legend Jutta Kleinschmidt and was constructing an all-wheel drive prototype based on the new Touareg SUV model. However, before the Race Touareg completely developed in-house would experience its baptism by fire, Volkswagen Motorsport wanted its factory team to gain some experience in the largely unfamiliar world of the desert rally. For its off-road debut, the new team led by Kleinschmidt explored the alternatives. After a test drive, Volkswagen decided against starting in a rebuilt World Rally Car based on the SEAT Cordoba with a TDI diesel engine, although Spaniard Fernando Gil had driven this diesel to a stage
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victory at Dakar 2002. The car had good systems, but it was not a car originally designed for endurance rally racing, recalls Kleinschmidt. Instead, Volkswagen relied on a vehicle equipped with the right pedigree for the wild ride through the Sahara: a two-wheel drive desert buggy. The vehicles long spring displacements, weight of just 1,160 kilo grams and 1.89 metre track width over 60 cm more than on the earlier Iltis were intended to deliver the right forward propulsion, even in the soft desert sand. While the centrepiece of the desert racer a 1.9-litre TDI diesel engine with four cylinders and 218 PS was produced in Wolfsburg, Volkswagen sourced the remaining components from experienced specialists. Suspen sions and the steel profile frame chassis came from the USA, while Giorgetto Giugiaro and his company Italdesign were responsible for designing the carbon-fibre body and shell. The Italians had already designed the Supersportler W12 for Volkswagen, which had achieved 10 record-setting performances on the high-speed race track at Nardo. Giugiaros signature could also be seen in the desert buggys appealing image especially in the similarity of its headlights. As further tribute to the 12 cylinder, Volkswagen initially registered its three desert buggies for Dakar 2003 under the name Desert Nardo. It was renamed Tarek when it was officially presented to the public at the Essen Motor Show in November 2002. After only seven months preparation time, Volkswagen brought three Tareks to the Dakar start in Marseille on 1 January 2003. In addition to
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Jutta Kleinschmidt, the trio of drivers was completed by the Belgian buggy expert Stphane Henrard and experienced German rally pro fes sional Dieter Depping. While Depping had to concede the race pre maturely after a rollover on the fifth of 17 stages, his teammates posted impressive fast times. After 10 days, Kleinschmidt had advanced to a sensational fourth place position right among the experienced all-wheel drive competitors from Mitsubishi and Nissan. If he had not experienced engine problems on the following day, Kleinschmidt could certainly have expected a podium position, but a sheared toothed belt forced the fast-driving lady to stop for repairs in the desert. Despite the loss of four hours time, the Volkswagen factory team driver was able to regain eighth place. After 8,552 kilometres of driving across the Sahara, her teammate Henrard was now even further out in front. The Belgians Tarek crossed the finish line in sixth place as the top buggy and top diesel vehicle. The Belgian also made the overall best time for the longest stage of 828 kilometres. This performance has exceeded all of our expectations, beamed Rudolf Helmut Strozyk, Director of Volkswagen Racing at the time. Not all of our competitors took us seriously at the beginning, but by the time we reached Africa the critics had become noticeably quiet. After Dakar, just two other events remained on the Tareks racing schedule: At the Baja Germany and the Baja Italy, Henrard reinforced the potential of the 216 PS buggy with two fourth place finishes. In Italy,
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Kleinschmidt finished in seventh place, and she crowned the Tareks farewell performance with a podium finish in the Lausitzer Tagebau region. In the period of one year, the high-tech buggy had impressively proven that it was more than just a transitional solution for Volkswagen. The Tarek laid the foundation for todays successes in the Volkswagen Race Touareg. The name Tarek is Arabic for the way. This lightweight diesel buggy continues to find its way into the hands of private drivers today. Stphane Henrard has since remained loyal to the TDI desert racer and demonstrated that the rear-wheel drive vehicle had not become scrap iron. At the Dakar 2010, the Belgian took 21st place in the overall classifica tion and a victory in the class of diesel buggies.
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Off-Road/ T3 and Its Successors
The T3 25 Years of All-Wheel Drive Competence at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

New globetrotter 1985 marks start of the all-wheel drive Bulli era Legendary T3 syncro makes many off-roaders in the field look old
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Actually, a monument should be erected for Mr. Gustav Mayer. Who owes a debt of gratitude to this gentleman? All of those thousands of globetrotters, desert foxes, safari heroes and all-wheel drive adventurers. Gustav Mayer literally opened up new vistas for them, gave them the means to take their cult vehicle, the Bulli, and penetrate into regions that were previously off limits to a VW bus: off-road terrain. Engine in the rear, transmission in the rear, drivetrain in the rear. From 1949 to the mid-1980s, this typified the powertrain layout of the Type 2 exclusively. For millions of people, the Bulli not only handled practical transport tasks, but also served as a bus, construction site vehicle, camper, family people mover and recreational vehicle. But never with all-wheel drive. How can that be? There simply were none. This would have certainly continued for many more years, had Gustav Mayer not got stuck in the sand on a number of occasions in his T2 on his numerous Sahara journeys. The Transporter development chief at Volkswagen at the time assembled a handful of engineers into a team in the early 1970s and began to develop an all-wheel drive van, essentially as a secret project.
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From existing parts, Mayer and his people assembled the first allwheel drive van based on the T2, which had been in production since 1967. Repeated tests some of them even back in the Sahara yielded promising results. The Bulli blazed its own trail, scrambled up inclines, burrowed through loose sand and was unstoppable in the most difficult of terrains. Nonetheless, it would take another three years until the Board of Management would give the green light. In 1978, five test vehicles were finally built with switchable front-wheel drive. Mayers team needed to improvise on the vehicles components. Numerous modifications had to be made to the Bulli, in its sheetmetal and in its mechanical systems. New wheel housings and a modified underbody were needed to accommodate wheels up to 16 inches in size, and space had to be created for the drivetrain. Although the standard transmission was kept at first, a drive-through coupler was still needed to connect to the drive shaft leading forward. The front axle required structural changes as well. It had to be modified to accept a differential and final drive shafts. In addition, Mayer decided to incorporate locks at both axles for even better off-road performance. The test vehicles had a mechanical four-speed gearbox with upstream torque con verter based on the example of the Beetles semi-automatic transmission. This meant that the car could start off without depressing the clutch pedal. It only needed to be pressed when shifting gears. The all-wheel drive Bulli is exceptionally agile off-road. Despite its kerb weight of 1,900 kilograms, it can still conquer gradients of up to 94 percent, an angle of over 40 degrees. To adequately protect all of the
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equipment, the entire underbody area was provided with protective steel pans and metal sliding skids. All of the test vehicles mastered their tasks. Mayer and all of his engineers gave a thumbs up.
The angular one arrives

In parallel, preparations were already being made for a later production use in the T3 generation of Transporters. The new model debuted in 1979. The T3 also represented a conceptual shift from previous models. It was no longer based on Beetle technology, rather it exhibited independent running gear including front double wishbone suspensions and helical springs that gave it very comfortable, nearly saloon-like driving behaviour for those times. In the rear, there was a new semi-trailing link suspension, also combined with helical springs. The T3 posted top values in the safety area too, passing testing for the very strict US accident scenarios of the time, which included a frontal crash into a stationary car at 64 km/h. A spectacular test from the year 1984 proves the excellent safety concept of the T3 Transporter compared to other forward control designs. In terms of its performance, the two air-cooled boxer engines which develo ped 37 kW / 50 PS from 1.6 litres displacement and 51 kW / 70 PS from 2.0 litres displacement built upon the previous models capabili ties. But it did not end there. Just two years after its debut, a water-cooled diesel engine would operate at the rear of the T3 for the first time, with a power of 37 kW / 50 PS and in-line cylinders.
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This was a minor revolution and one that produced unanticipa ted success. The diesel quickly became the most frequently ordered engine in this vehicle class. Following just one year later, in 1982, was a watercooled petrol boxer engine developed especially for the bus. From 1984, its power ranged up to 82 kW / 112 PS, and it would replace the air-cooled boxer. Right from the start, the T3s underbody structure provided space for a drive shaft and front differential. Yet, another six years would pass, until 1985, before the first Transporter and the Caravelle with all-wheel drive would appear in Volkswagen price lists. The 4x4 models bore the name syncro. The Wolfsburgers have a joint venture with Steyr-Daimler-Puch for the development and construction of syncro variants. The Austrian company is considered highly competent in the industry, and it has many years of experience in the construction of off-road vehicles. Final assembly of the T3 syncro was performed in Graz with parts supplied by Volkswagen. In contrast to the first test vehicles, instead of the switchable solution the production version has a permanent all-wheel drive system, which is in keeping with the current trend. In everyday life, the customer certainly wants to feel how good the vehicle handles in tough terrain, but does not really want to have anything to do with the powertrain technology directly. The viscous coupling is nearly ideal here. It is very rugged and is well-suited for practically all conditions. In addition, its
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technology is simple and does its job with significantly fewer parts and lighter components. Certainly, the greatest advantage of the viscous coupling, is that its mode of operation eliminates the need for a centre differential, which is otherwise commonly used. It normally equalises speeds between the front and rear axles. In the T3 syncro, Steyr installs a transmission that offers along with the four normal driving gears an extra short first off-road gear a concept that already proved advantageous on the Volkswagen Iltis. The extra gear is located in the same plane as the reverse gear and it has the same gear ratio. This eliminated the need for an additional gearing reduc tion (crawler gear). The Graz-based specialists dug deep into their bag of tricks for other features as well. The syncros front axle was replaced by an in-house design and was mounted on a suspension subframe. Spring displacements were increased, and stiffer dampers were installed. The front stabiliser was given a stronger design. Metal guards under the front end and under the engine and transmission offer protection on stony terrain. Raising the ride height by a total of 60 millimetres increased ground clearance to 210 millimetres in front, and 200 in the rear impressive valued even today. Noteworthy: The T3 syncro attained this ground clearance on standard 14-inch tyres. For those drivers wanting to cover even more difficult terrain, Volkswagen offered a version with 16-inch wheels as well. Key features distinguishing this version from the normal syncro were modifications to the running gear and body, larger brakes, stronger drive shafts and suspension links and a rear differential lock. In
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this confi guration, ground clearance was increased by an additional 25 milli metres. Reinforcements also increased its off-road payload to one tonne. Only 800 kilograms payload was permitted on the normal version, because the entire all-wheel drive system increased the syncros kerb weight by about 140 kilograms. Of the total of 45,478 T3 syncro vehicles produced, 2,138 left the Graz plant as 16-inch versions. One of these units put its qualities to the test back in 1985. The drivers behind the steering wheel were Gerhard Plattner and Rudi Lins. These Austrian record-setting drivers not only circled the globe in 51 days in the heavy-duty syncro, they also drove the Volkswagen along the full length of the Panamericana highway, from Alaska through the Amazon region to Tierra del Fuego. Completely different variants have shown the enormous versatility of the new Transporter series. For example, elegant concepts and special models have been created based on the dual cab, such as the Magma syncro and the TriStar syncro, multipurpose pickups functional, chic and luxurious at the same time.
T4 the technical revolution

When the T4 the fourth Transporter generation from Volkswagen rolled off the assembly line and onto the market in 1991, an internal technical revolution had taken place. No stone was left unturned. New styling, new drivetrain, new engines, new concept. The boxer engine was retired. In its place there were modern, water-cooled four and five
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cylinder engines that were no longer located in the rear, rather in the front. And they drove the front wheels with advantages for the entire line-up. The bootspace in the T4 is lower and easier to access. The seats are now located behind the front axle, and the steering wheel position is similar to that in a passenger car. Naturally, this also applied to the Syncro that appeared in 1993. However, some hardcore offroaders lament the fact that the T4 all-wheel drive had lost some of its manoeuvrability due to its longer wheelbase and was no longer as offroad capable due to the lack of a creep gear. Yet, in everyday operation the driver hardly notices the 4x4 drive until traction is needed. In 1996, Volkswagen surprised the public with another techno logical highlight. In the T4, a 2.5-litre diesel engine went to work that offered impressive torque with low fuel consumption. The efficient diesel was also in demand with syncro customers, because this engine let them plan and approach their recreational and adventure trips economically too. In 1999, this was proven out by Matthias Gttenauer and Andreas Renz. In a T4 TDI syncro, they covered the route from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in just 15 days and 14 hours, securing a place in the Guinness book of records for themselves and their rugged Volkswagen. After 13 years of production, the T4 era ended. And so did the era of the syncro. Yet the history of Transporter models with all-wheel drive continues
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T5 from viscous to Haldex, from syncro to 4MOTION

More powerful engines, and above all the ESP electronic stabilisation programme, required new technology for all-wheel drive systems. It is good that Volkswagen already had a number of passenger car models with all-wheel drive in its product line-up. This meant that engineers could take proven components from the parts shelf. When the new T5 Transporter generation celebrated its debut in March 2003, the previous viscous coupling gave way to the technically superior Haldex coupling. By the mid-1990s, powertrain engineers at Volkswagen were already looking for more intelligent control of their all-wheel drive systems. They found a solution at the Swedish company Haldex. The core techno logy is a multi-disc coupling that is pressed together axially and operates in an oil bath. Oil pressure is generated by two pumps, which are only active when the input and output shaft are not running at exac tly the same speed. Otherwise, torque distribution would be unneces sary. The more pressure that is applied to the discs, the greater the torque that is transmitted. A significant advantage of the Haldex coupling lies in its extraordinarily short reaction times. Technicians at Volkswagen put it in the same place the viscous coupling had been located in front of the rear axle. The Haldex coupling is driven by the drive shaft. When this new component was introduced, all-wheel driven Volkswagens got the additional designation 4MOTION.
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Normally, with the Haldex coupling 90 percent of tractive force is directed to the front and only 10 percent is directed to the rear wheels. If more traction is needed in the rear, the systems fully electronic control can route up to 60 percent of the force to this axle. Since the new Transporter rides on standard 16-inch wheels and is equipped with a six-speed gearbox, its rough terrain capabilities are approxi mately as good as those of its ancestor, the T3. Together with the Seikel company and the internal Volkswagen department for Special Vehicles, components were created for increased ride height and for different gear ratios. Thus equipped, the T5 attains ground clearances of up to 223 millimetres. Seikel went one step further and modified the wheel housings. Larger tyre combinations that are now possible have increased ground clearance to 238 millimetres, positioning these vehicles on nearly the same level as off-road vehicles. As a final durability test before production launch, Gerhard Plattner took a seat once again in the T5 4MOTION in an attempt to traverse in the shortest time possible all climate and weather zones and nearly all terrain obstacles that an all-wheel drive vehicle can run up against. His endurance trip began in Hammerfest, Norway, with a destination of Dakar in Senegal. Lying between these two points are expanses of ice and snow, cold and heat, sand and gravel. Stephane Henrards Belgian Dakar team subjected two 4MOTION Transporters to even tougher ordeals. The T5s not only needed to travel as supply vehicles for two race buggies (Tarek), but they also had to
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arrive ahead of them at each evenings destination. Normally, only pure off-road vehicles and trucks are allowed to serve in this role, but the two T5s were approved as exceptions and they completed their tasks exceptionally well.
4MOTION and DSG A dream team

In March 2010, the new edition of the T5 introduced early this year became available with a 4MOTION variant. The developers made changes to the already excellent all-wheel drive, because engineers would not be engineers if they were always satisfied with technical solu tions. In the Haldex coupling, they even considered a minimal devia tion of less than 20 angular degrees in wheel speed to represent too much of a reaction time until the force was metered precisely to the relevant wheels. So, in the fourth generation of the Haldex coupler a small electronically controlled high-pressure pump is now used, which continually supplies an oil pressure of 30 bar in a reservoir. Wheel slip at the front axle is no longer required to convince the rear wheels to start working too. The high-pressure pump gets early information from the ESP sensors when the wheels are just beginning to diverge in speed. Within a hundredth of a second less than the blink of an eye power is available at the wheels that need it. This is currently the shortest reaction time among comparable drive systems, and it takes place so un spectacularly that the driver does not even notice it. In addition, 4MOTION handles practical ly all vehicle states with superior performance. Even zero
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percent tractive force at the front axle, with 100 percent at the rear axle, is no problem for the new generation Haldex system. Just as feasible is a power distribution of 50:50 or any ratios in between. The vehicle is propelled forward even if one wheel is suspended in the air. In this case, the optional rear differential lock that is available is helpful. The new generation of this bestseller that has sold in the millions offers other technological highlights as well. The seven-speed Direct Shift Gearbox is unique, for example. It may be paired with a 4MOTION drive in the new T5 with 132 kW / 180 PS common rail TDI. No other vehicle manufacturer offers such a range of all-wheel drive transmissions.
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40 years of front-wheel drive at Volkswagen, 40 years of the K70: The saloon with its timeless styling was originally developed by NSU and then brought to production maturity at Volkswagen.
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40 Years of Front-Wheel Drive /K70
The K70 Front-Wheel Drive Saloon Revolutionised Active Safety

K70 marks beginning of front-wheel drive era at Volkswagen in 1970 NSU development was further refined at Volkswagen
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Forty years ago, the K70 initiated the end of the Beetle-defined technology era at Volkswagen it was the first model without an air-cooled boxer engine or rear-wheel drive. The glacier in the North is beginning to melt, was auto motor und sport magazines comment on the paradigm shift in Wolfsburg. First conceptualised at NSU, beginning in 1965, Volkswagen acquired the K70 as a sort of side benefit with its takeover of the tradition-rich company based in Neckarsulm in March 1969. After building a new plant in Salzgitter and making many design improvements, Volkswagen launched the car on the market in the Autumn of 1970 under its own name. With uncomplicated styling, an extremely good package, advanced chassis design and in-line, front-mounted water-cooled engines, the inherited product from Neckarsulmer would ideally bridge the time gap until the appearance of the first in-house front-wheel drive vehicles the Passat, Scirocco and Golf. The gift horse could not have found a better stall, commented Fritz B. Busch in STERN magazine and he was right: Because the young brother to the Ro80 not only looked incredibly modern, it also scored excellent marks in individual and comparative tests by the automotive press. Finally, it would even be a commercial success: When production was phased out in late Autumn 1974, the K70 had found 211,127 customers which is 170,000 more than NSU had once planned. At the same time,
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it initiated a technological re-alignment that would pave the way for the Passat in 1973, the Golf and Scirocco in 1974 and the Polo in 1975.
A failed premiere at Lac Lman in Geneva

International Geneva Motor Show, 13 March 1969. The day actually scheduled for the world premiere of the NSU K70 at Lac Lman was cancelled at the last second by the products new owner, Volkswagen all of the press materials that had already been printed were turned to pulp again. At the NSU booth, there is a large gaping hole, because the anticipated Superstar was missing. An extensive organisational apparatus from the brochure printer to the man with the feather duster was suddenly still, is how one observer described the ghostly scene. This was the beginning of a complicated genesis which would fortunately end on a conciliatory note. Initially, however, it seemed that events could not have taken a worse turn. What had happened? Among other things, the company NSU Motorenwerke AG, suffering from financial backing that had grown too thin, was taken over by the Volkswagen Group on 10 March 1969. Retroactive to 1 January of that year it was integrated in the new corporate entity Audi NSU Auto Union AG with headquarters in Neckarsulm.
Journalists already write obituaries

As an inheritance, the Wolfsburg company got a launch-ready NSU K70, of which preliminary photos and information had already made their
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way to the press prior to the Geneva Motor Show. The results: Never before had a car experienced such encouraging advance reporting and then not even appeared on stage. At the same time, the anticipation had aroused the hopes of German car drivers. Now, journalists were already writing their first obituaries for the K70, complaining bitterly about its still birth. But they hammered away at their typewriters a bit too prematurely Because although it was competing against the Audi 100 and internal to the brand the VW 411 (with rear-wheel drive), Volkswagen quickly recognised the valuable treasure they had in the K70. Although its own front-wheel drive models were already in planning, they would not be production ready for another four to five years. The K70 was very attrac tive as a model that could cost-effectively bridge the time gap until their market launch. We were all curious about the car, but we were also aware that this would only be a transitional solution, recalls Peter Frber, a Volkswagen engineer on the project and witness to that time period.
New plant for a new automobile

What was missing, above all, was a production facility. Volkswagen had 18 months to stamp out a completely new plant in Salzgitter. And to teach the adopted son all of its bundled know-how of internal pro duc tion technology. The employees that were needed were recruited from the plants in Hanover, Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, recalled Dieter Korff
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in 2010; he was the first plant director in Salzgitter. The primary reason for building the Salzgitter plant, however, was the transition to watercooled engines. We needed a new production site for them, because Hanovers production capacity was being fully utilised for air-cooled engines. An amusing anecdote: When the very first K70 finally drove off the assembly line, we actually forgot to fill its radiator with coolant! says Korff with astonishment even today. Old habits die hard. But there were other reasons for the delayed birth of the new baby as well. Before the Board of Management would give the green light, the team led by development chief Hans-Gerd Wenderoth, who had transferred over to Volkswagen from NSU, had to work through a long list of modification jobs. The original split cylinder head was rejected as were the aluminium brake drums that tended to develop cracks. In addition, Volkswagen indulged the K70 with larger wheels (14 instead of 13 inch), a new steering column and reinforced transmission supports and engine mounts to name just a few of the most important items on the long job list.
September 1970 the K70 line starts up

In September 1970, the time had finally come: Production of the step-child code named the Type 48 began, and sales at dealerships followed in November. From that point forward, the Volkswagen 411, a sort of Super-Beetle with an air-cooled rear-mount engine, and the somewhat more expensive and compact K70 would court customers,
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side by side, in the showrooms. In its first K70 test in October 1970, the magazine auto motor und sport would express its high satisfaction with the cars quality: There is a bit of Mercedes in the quiet closing of the doors. Grinning, Dieter Korff comments in retrospect: We had strict orders from the Board of Management not to change anything on the NSU-developed car. But, naturally, that did not last very long
A refreshingly modern styling

Except for the VW logo placed at the centre of the black plastic radiator grille, the Wolfsburg designers left the styling of the K70 untouched. And that was a good thing. Because the saloon an estate version sketched by NSU never went into production distinctively stood out on the streets in the early 1970s. While the K70s styling evoked the image of a modern Bauhaus design, the style of the competition still suffered from the vestiges of Gelsenkirch Baroque. Even when it was standing still, the K70 came across as dynamic, adventurous and even bold. NSU chief designer Claus Luthe, who in the Ro80 had already shown his talent for designing forms that were simultaneously both elegant and restrained, succeeded in designing another round success. Actually, with more corners and edges than round curves. He even gave it hints of Ro80 in the slender roof pillars and third side window. That is how Fritz B. Busch saw it too: This car is undeniably the young vivacious sister of the Ro80. A VW 411 could experience no worse misfortune than to have its attractive step-sister stand next to it.
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And colleague Dieter Korp had this to add in auto motor und sport: The K70 gets its special pizazz from the lateral hip-line that is pulled down low, and which supported by a seam runs a straight line from front to rear and avoids the somewhat unnatural hip-line sweep of the Ro80. The long wheelbase even makes the rather compact car appear large, or at least effectively extended. The short rear section truncated without any knapsack effect is reminiscent of classic sport car styles. The large, broad snout geometrically nearly a rectangle makes the car appear hungry like a mid-size predator. Only the chrome polishers were disappointed: As noted, the radiator grille consisted of black plastic, and the plain window frames were made of rust-free steel. Only the tops of the bumpers could be polished.
Balanced proportions with short body overhangs

The K70s spatial economy today we would call it the package was unbeatable. It utilises the space that it takes away from the road systematically. (Busch). And despite its rather tall bonnet and transverse engine configuration, its styling was pleasing due to the uncom plicated lines and clearly organised surfaces. The cars frontwheel drive enabled a long wheelbase of 2.69 metres which was significantly longer than the 2.50 metres of the 411 or even the 2.67 metres of the significantly longer Opel Rekord. Short body overhangs a design virtue still emphasised in practice today were already reality on the K70. It consistently banished the wheel housings from the interior, and the rear doors were nearly as wide as the front doors.
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The level bootspace, upholstered with needle felt, had a capacity of 700 litres (ball measurement) or 600 litres (according to the VDA block measurement method). Volkswagen even designed a pass-through opening to the interior: After loosening two screws, the rear seatback could be disassembled, and the seat itself was folded forward. This produced a wonderfully level cargo floor.
Excellent all-around visibility simplified parking

All around visibility was excellent thanks to the generously dimensioned glass cabin and roof supports that were so slender they appeared to be nearly decorative. Parking was an easy task, because the seat position was somewhat higher than the average saloon in those days. And its heating was considerably more effective than on cars with air-cooled boxer engines whose heating systems were known to be very dependent on the weather and engine speed. The K70 seats were evaluated as not entirely optimal by testers such as Busch. Yet, they were wide and conformed well to the body, they had individually adjustable seatbacks and in the L and LS versions had pockets on the seatbacks as well as an optional mechanism for full reclining that proved popular. The one-piece rear bench seat offered space for three persons and had (on the L and LS) a fold-out centre armrest. The rear seats were located so far forward of the rear wheels that entry into the vehicle was not restricted by the wheel housings. This also gave designer Luthe an opportunity to add a third side window like on the Ro80.
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Analogue clock and a tachometer for the high-powered models

Very uncluttered and clearly structured for the early 1970s: the instrument panel. The classic round instruments were brought together under one cover, and in the models with 90 PS and (from 1973) 100 PS, there was a factory installed tachometer. A standard feature shared by all K70s: an analogue clock. Storage bins on the drivers side and on the centre console as well as a large illuminated glove box (lockable on the K70 L and LS) could handle all of the small items of daily life. Six air outlets for ventilation and heating of the interior and a gear shift lever integrated on the steering wheel were not commonplace features in those times. Neither was the overall technical concept of the K70 itself.
Fuel station attendants quickly recognised the Prinz engine

Consider the engines: Those who still had a hard time following the convoluted genesis of the K70, would finally have a moment of keen recognition when they glanced at the engine. Any fuel station attendant could quickly identify the engine as a Prinz engine by its characteristic inspection covers and tensioning brackets over the rocker arm (the NSU jargon for this was roof gable construction). For cost reasons, Volkswagen did not even consider a complete re-design here after all, the NSU estate managers had provided a very exciting technical solution.
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The longitudinally mounted engine initially followed the NSU doctrine for its own (air-cooled) reciprocating piston engines: An overhead camshaft driven by dual chain belts, inclined valves with inlets and outlets on different sides of the cylinder head, hemispherical combustion chambers and crankshaft with five bearing sets.
Two-level construction shifts the engine over the front axle

To avoid having to mount the engine too far forward in the new K70, its technical fathers decided on a two-level construction approach. In the interest of a low centre of gravity, the engine canted at an angle of 32 degrees was located on a second level above the transmission and differential, precisely over the front axle. Along with better weight distribution which was even better in a loaded vehicle this compact construction method had another practical advantage: The clutch located right behind the differential and the three-shaft transmission coupled to it could be replaced individually without needing to disassemble the engine. Volkswagen initially offered the K70 with two engines derived from the NSU 1200. They were enlarged to the maximum possible 1.6 litre displacement for this vehicle type and were converted to liquid cooling. The base engine with 75 PS used regular grade petrol and accelerated the 1,050 kilogram K70 from 0 to 100 km/h in 16.0 seconds. The cars top speed of 148 km/h was a clear indication that the Cd value was only mediocre a result of the tall and hardly aerodynamic design of the front end.
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The more powerful 90 PS engine needed super grade petrol and handled the standard sprint in 13.9 seconds. Aerodynamics limited its potential top speed too it topped out at 158 km/h. Combined fuel consumption values ranged between 12.5 and 13.5 l/100 km. The engines were supplied with fuel via a two-barrel side-draft carburettor from Solex; starting in July 1972 an automatic choke replaced the manual choke that had been usual until then.
Inboard disc brakes like those on the Lotus Formula 1

What in 1970 was considered the latest and greatest in Formula 1, on the famous Lotus 72 of Colin Chapman, also found its way into the K70: inboard front disc brakes, supported by flange shafts on the final drive. This was an intelligent way for Volkswagen to reduce unsprung masses although it complicated maintenance somewhat. At the rear axle, drum brakes were used with radial ribs for heat rejection. The K70 engineers adopted the running gear largely from the NSU Ro80 and that too was anything but simple. The front axle was designed for low weight, low unsprung masses and a minimum of required space. Wishbones, together with strut-type suspensions, guaranteed precise wheel location under all driving conditions.
Comfort on the highest level

But not just in front at the rear too the engineers insisted on independent wheel suspensions. The semi-trailing link rear suspension
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implemented in tubular construction would even be considered extravagant today. For a front-wheel drive car, Volkswagen went to great lengths here, which however paid off in a maximum of driving stability, stoic lane-keeping ability and above average driving comfort. Fritz B. Busch noted almost euphorically: The car glides over the worst offroad trails as if floating. auto motor und sport magazine concurred with this assessment: The comfort of the spring suspension is one of the chocolatey aspects of the K70. In the way it irons out rough trails, it concedes very little to the Audi 100 or the good French cars. Front and rear transverse stabilisers were an attempt to keep body roll within reasonable limits which however succeeded insufficiently starting at a certain vehicle speed this was due to the still very long spring displacements of those times. Yet, what was spectacular for the photographer and magazine readers was harmless for the passengers. After all, even on the first Golf, an (unloaded) rear wheel at the inside of a curve still liked to lift up for a time. Definitely more important to Volkswagen was what the rear-end metres of the hardened testers at auto motor und sport had to report. And their comments sounded positive all-around: Relative to other frontwheel drive cars, the K70 is more manageable; compared to a car like the Audi 100 the Volkswagen is more manoeuvrable and sportier, and in every phase it is more of a drivers car that makes driving fun. Both the engine and chassis offer a hint of what one would look for in a BMW or an Alfa Romeo, wrote the Stuttgarter Blatt newspaper.
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New focus on active and passive safety

By the early 1970s the topic of safety had gained significantly in importance. For example, placement of the 52 litre petrol fuel tank in the impact-protected zone in front of the rear axle was exemplary; the rack and pinion steering behind the front axle got a bent-over safety steering box output shaft, so that it would not penetrate into the interior in a crash. Unfortunately, what the car lacked toward the end of its production life was power steering which testers always complained about. A dual-circuit braking system ensured that even if one of the braking circuits were to fail, at least the front disc brakes would still remain active. The rest of the system was also designed to be very durable: It had twin fixed callipers (four pistons each), a tandem master cylinder with brake booster and load-dependent braking force control for the rear axle. The development of safety belts was still in its infancy in those days yet they were available on the K70, although initially at extra cost. Screw fasteners, on the other hand, were always standard. The engine bonnet was hinged in front to improve crash safety. As Fritz B. Busch noted, it latches securely in the open position all by itself what an act of kindness in a time when the engine bonnets of 10,000-Mark cars need to be laboriously propped up with an iron rod!
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Model improvements usually limited to just the most essential

Compared to later models, Volkswagen limited its efforts on the Type 48 to rather modest model upgrades the K70 was after all still only a step child, albeit a very successful one. An automatic trans mission, petrol direct injection instead of a carburettor and the already mentioned power steering were denied K70 right to the end. Starting in August 1971, the K70 got the more durable bumpers of the Audi 100 for the first time, which wrapped around the sides of the car and were easy to recognise by their rubber covers. Also added were a cushioned steering wheel and a central plug in the engine compartment for computer diagnostics. Starting in August 1972, a larger air deflector under the front bumper provided for more efficient brake cooling. At the same time, a furrowed engine bonnet that dropped down toward the front improved the cars Cd value. Starting with the L version, Volkswagen introduced considerably more powerful halogen dual headlights instead of the boxy full-spectrum headlights of earlier models. In May 1973, a Volkswagen optimised 1.8-litre engine with 100 PS appeared. It was initially offered in a special edition car with black side trim stripes that was limited to 4,000 units. Volkswagen offered this visually most distinctive K70 of all times in just two colours: Marathon Metallic and Sun Yellow. And as an option with wheels in Fox design, produced by Kolbenschmidt.
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100 PS engine replaces 90 PS unit starting in August 1973

Starting in August 1973, the new engine also replaced the 90 PS engine in regular models as the K70 S/LS. Its maximum torque was 152 Nm at 3,750 rpm compared to 134 Nm at 4,000 rpm on the previous model. Yet, how was engine displacement increased without changing the cars outer dimensions? To obtain meat for the bores that had been in creased by five millimetres to 87 mm, powertrain engineers eliminated coolant passages between the individual cylinders and cast a new block with a coolant jacket circulating around all four cylinders. A larger coolant system and fan with five blades were designed to provide further thermal relief yet some of the cylinder head gaskets still encountered their limits in harsh endurance conditions. In any case, the ten extra PS certainly had a perceptible impact on clocked performance: from 0 to 100 km/h in 13 seconds nearly one second less than on the 90 PS version. No big performance gains were realised at top speed at 162 km/h this K70 also appeared to run into an invisible air wall.
Mission accomplished the K70 as technological vanguard

Overall, the K70 fulfilled its mission to full satisfaction, despite the some what step-motherly treatment of the car in the end. It served as the appetiser for front-wheel drive cars that would introduce a new technological epoch between 1973 and 1975 as the Passat, Golf, Scirocco and Polo.
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The K70 K for Kolben (piston) or reciprocating engine, in contrast to Ro for rotary engine which at NSU was intended to serve as the mid-size car that would save the company as a replacement for the Ro80 that had grown too large and exotic, was the first Volkswagen not to have an air-cooled rear engine. This was a car that unified apparent contradictions such as compact construction yet large interior space, and comfort yet sporty and safe driving. At the same time it was a car with all of the advantages of a Volkswagen: Quality, reliability, economy, good price/performance ratio and easy service. And this made the K70 a technological pioneer that paved the way for models that launched the companys sustained success right up to today models that have sold in the millions of units. Initial concerns that there was no place for the car in the Volkswagen/Audi world were unfounded: Its character is so different that it represents an interesting alternative to both the VW 411 and the Audi 100, was the finding of auto motor und sport in its in-depth individual car test of the year 1970. P.S. A K70 in well preserved condition with H (historical vehicle) registration, two years TV certification and an odometer reading of 70,000 kilometres is quite affordable as a youngtimer. With 3,000 to 3,500 Euros, enthusiasts can purchase an example of this model that played such a key role in the history of Volkswagen.
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Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation/ 25 Years
A Quarter Century of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum

Special exhibition celebrates 25th anniversary in Wolfsburg Extended opening hours for the duration of exhibition
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. This month on 25 April 2010 the Volkswagen AutoMuseum will be a quarter of a century old. To mark the occasion, the museum will be hosting a special exhibition 25 years of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum from 25 April 1985 to 25 April 2010. This exhibition at the AutoMuseum covers the evolution of Volkswagen cars and focuses on examples from the years 1985 and 2010. The exhibition will be open to the public from 23 April to 19 September 2010. The automobile not only signifies mobility on three or four wheels. At the same time, the automobile embodies economical, technological, cultural and social aspects. The new special exhibition covers these aspects over the past 25 years. It focuses on the years 1985 and 2010. The side-by-side exhibition of 25 select examples from yesteryear and today clearly shows how rapidly technology has advanced over the last quarter century, and how society has changed with it. The immen se advances made in innovative technology are shown in comparisons of components from yesteryear and today, e.g. in components that remain hidden from the eye of the observer in the vehicle a window lift, for example. Still available with a hand crank mechanism in 1985, by the year 2010 modern electronics had its say in the area of window lifts too.
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Numerous other attractions are planned for this anniversary year as well: The AutoMuseum will be extending its opening hours beginning with the special exhibition. From 23 April 2010, the treasure vault of the Volkswagen brand will be open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. On Sunday, 25 April 2010, i.e. on the actual anniversary of the AutoMuseum, there will another open house. It will be supported by selected Volkswagen Clubs that will make presentations to guests on the anniversary day. In past years, these open house days have been extremely successful. Teams from Volkswagen Classic, the Volkswagen Classic Parts Centre and Oldtimer Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will also be on hand to answer questions. Entry to the museum and the club presentation is free-of-charge. Even more: Every museum visitor whose birthday is 25 April and who comes to the AutoMuseum on this day will receive a small birthday present as a thank you. Model car collectors will have reason to celebrate: An especially interesting piece from the Wiking company will be available in a limited edition of 500 units: The anniversary Beetle 50 years of the Beetle from the year 1985 with signatures on the engine bonnet of key people who worked at the plant and on the car in Volkswagens early years. The original car can be viewed in the AutoMuseum; it carries the signa tures of high profile guests such as Mr. Ivan Hirst, who was appointed plant manager by the British after 1945 with the goal of reviving Volkswagens carmaking business.
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Naturally, there will also be now almost a tradition the ever popular guide book to the special exhibition in which visitors can review images of the exhibited cars as they evolved over the past 25 years.
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Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation / Beetle
World Success: Beetle

AutoMuseum presents two model series icons in Essen
VW 30: Second prototype series of the Beetle created in 1937 Anniversary Beetle: Special model built for 50th birthday
Wolfsburg /Essen, April 2010. The Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation is turning 25. And that is why the museum is also presenting two icons from its treasure vault of historical automobiles at the Techno Classica: the VW 30 a prototype of the Beetle and the Beetle anniversary model produced for the 50th birthday of the world success.
VW 30 in detail
Commissioned by the Federal Association of the German Automobile Industry (RDA), the company Dr.Ing.h.c.F.Porsche GmbH in Stuttgart developed the first prototype for a Volkswagen (peoples car) that would be affordable for everyone; it was created in 1935. Serving as the foundation for this prototype was the expos Concerning the Construction of a German Peoples Car that Ferdinand Porsche had already submitted to the German Transportation Ministry in 1934. In this report, the designer defined a car for personal use with normal dimensions but relatively low weight. The first prototype series consisted of three vehicles, which were given the name V3 and whose test drives led to a recommendation to continue the project. And so, a second prototype series code named the VW 30 was built in February 1937. The 30 prototypes were produced under Porsches supervision at Daimler Benz in Stuttgart.
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Visually, one characteristic distinguishing the VW 30 from the first prototype series was the reduced size of the side windows in favour of a larger door. A technical decision was finally made for an air-cooled four cylinder boxer engine mounted in the rear, independent wheel suspension and a torsion-bar springing. Altogether, the prototypes successfully completed over 2.4 million kilometres of test driving. After the test drives, all of the prototypes were destroyed out of fear of industrial espionage. Development of the car was resumed, and in 1938/39 the Volkswagen was given its typical round shape with the pretzel windows characteristic of the early years. The VW 30 on exhibit is a reconstruction that is true to the details of the original. Its construction was commissioned by Volkswagen AG in 1999/2000, and today it is part of the ZeitHaus collection of the Autostadt in Wolfsburg.
The 50th Anniversary Beetle

In 1985, the Beetle turned 50 years old. This was also the year in which imports of the Beetle to Europe ended. The Beetle would be built for another approximately 20 years in Puebla, Mexico, but it was officially only sold on the South American continent. By then, the great successes of the Beetle of the 1950s and 1960s were long a phenomenon of the past. Even though the car still has a large fan community today, new water-cooled models with front mounted engines, above all the Golf, proved to be worthy successor models for everyday driving.
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When Beetle sales ended in Europe, a production run of 2,400 units was made of the 50th Anniversary Beetle. The car on exhibit in Essen is the last of this series, and as part of festivities at the 50th Beetle anniversary it was hand signed by a number of people whose services in production and design of the car, starting in the mid-1940s, were especially esteemed. One guest of honour who signed the car was Major. Ivan Hirst, who was appointed plant manager by the British in 1945 to revive Volkswagens carmaking business. Another characteristic feature of the AutoMuseum anniversary Beetle is its original body paint in Tin Grey Metallic. It had the good fortune of making the trip to Germany in a closed container. The remaining 2,399 vehicles of this special series suffered hail damage after being unloaded in Emden and had to be repainted.
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Classic Parts Center/ Panamericana Beetle
One Car Unites the World With the Beetle from Alaska to Argentina
Erbse is a 57 year old Beetle that drove the Panamericana Classic Parts Centre now offers 48,000 different replacement parts
Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. The Volkswagen Classic Parts Centre is presenting a genuine globetrotter at the Techno Classica 2010 in Essen. A visitor to the booth of the Classic Parts Centre in Hall 7 is the Erbse (English: Pea), a green pretzel Beetle from 1952. With the support of the Classic Parts Centre, this Beetle travelled the full length of the American continents, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Its owner was underway on the legendary Panamericana highway for 16 months and over 50,000 kilometres, and will now be reporting on his adventurefilled journey at the most important Oldtimer Exhibition in the world.
Replacement part premieres at the Techno Classica

In parallel, the Classic Parts Centre will, as usual, be presenting a cross-section of its wide assortment of replacement parts for historical Volkswagens, which today covers about 48,000 different items from A to Z. Traditionally, a highlight for owners of classic Volkswagens is the presentation of new replacement part products that are in high demand. Naturally, the Classic Parts Centre will continue that tradition this year too at the Techno Classica: dampers and helical springs for the Golf Country, a water-cooled boxer thermostat housing for the T3 as well as seals and special screws for many other Volkswagen youngtimers and oldtimers are just some of the treats that oldtimer fans can
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view at the show. In addition, replacement part experts will be on hand at the Classic Parts Centre booth to discuss technical issues and field inquiries from interested visitors.
Underway on the Panamericana with the Erbse

From Holstein to Honduras, from Elmshorn to Ecuador departing its home in Northern Germany, this Volkswagen Beetle set off to cross the Atlantic. From Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, it travelled the lengths of the American continents, always following the famous Panamericana highway. This is one of the last great adventures for any of todays vehicles, let alone what was essentially a stock pretzel Beetle from 1952! Yet, Torsten Schmitz and Dirk Dahmer were not worried. They were both familiar with the reliability of a Volkswagen, because the Erbse had already proven its mettle in everyday life for many years before the long journey. So what could be more natural than to fulfil a shared dream and embark on this trip, driving the legendary Panamericana in a historical Volkswagen with its 30 PS? Before departing in the Spring of 2008, Schmitz and Dahmer took their Beetle and visited the Volkswagen Classic Parts Centre in Wolfsburg. Together with CPC experts, they put together a replacement part package for the long journey. That was no problem, because the Classic Parts Centre has access to an inventory of about five million parts, and of course it also has numerous replacement parts in its programme for the pretzel Beetle. So, parts such as V-belts, sparkplugs, clutch and
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accelerator cables were stowed in the Beetle, so that the Erbse could be repaired underway if necessary. Visitors to the website www.volkswagen-classic-parts.de could follow the trip in virtual space on a special page. In addition, Schmitz and Dahmer posted trip reports on their website www.panamericanaim-alten-vw.de with detailed texts and memorable photos of their experiences. Everywhere it went, the Erbse brought smiles to faces and reliably carried both of its drivers through North, Central and South America. The gruelling tour was often made easier by the Beetle as an international symbol of friendship and by Volkswagen fans who were eager to help wherever they went leaving Schmitz and Dahmer with many unforgettable experiences.
Beetle is still most popular oldtimer in Germany

In keeping with the anniversary spirit the Beetle is celebrating its 75 th birthday this year the trip with the Erbse is further proof of the legen dary reliability of the Beetle. With nearly 50,000 registered vehicles, it is still the most popular oldtimer in Germany, and of course the Volkswagen Classic Parts Centre holds the car especially dear as well. Replacement parts from the Classic Parts Centre ensure that everywhere in the world the Beetle will keep running and running and running Sometimes even off the beaten track!
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Image Credits
www.volkswagen-media-services.com: 02/03, 04, 10/11, 12, 18, 34, 42/43, 58, 66/67, 102, 132/133, 134, 140/141, 142 Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft: 04, 16/17, 32/33, 56/57, 76/77, 78, 100/101 Volkswagen-Audi Classic Parts Center / Dirk Dahmer: 148/149, 150, 156/157
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Volkswagen at Techno Classica Essen

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Volkswagen at Techno Classica Essen

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Volkswagen Techno-Classica Essen 2010

Volkswagen Off the Beaten Path

Volkswagen Techno-Classica Essen 2010

Techno Classica 2010:

Volkswagen Classic Ketchup

Volkswagen spiced ketchup bottled since 1997

The Iltis Legendary Ancestor of the Tiguan and Touareg

Ingeniously simple construction, extremely competent off-road performance

Modern engine and advanced all-wheel drive technology

Intelligent detailed solutions yield extremely rugged performance

Race Iltis Paris-Dakar legend celebrated historic 1980 victory

Ruggedness of production equipment was key to success

Car ignited the success of all-wheel drive

Off-Road /Typ 181

Request for help by German Army marked time of birth

Short development time thanks to model toolkit principle

In its second career, bright colours instead of olive green

Buggy was invented by no surprise an American

In Europe too, a phase of buggy mania

Apal was one of the most successful buggy builders in Europe

The Golf Country Crossover Movement Celebrates 20-Year Anniversary

The Tarek Transitional Solution Proves to be a Complete Success

Off-Road/ T3 and Its Successors

The T3 25 Years of All-Wheel Drive Competence at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

The angular one arrives

T4 the technical revolution

T5 from viscous to Haldex, from syncro to 4MOTION

4MOTION and DSG A dream team

40 Years of Front-Wheel Drive /K70

The K70 Front-Wheel Drive Saloon Revolutionised Active Safety

A failed premiere at Lac Lman in Geneva

Journalists already write obituaries

New plant for a new automobile

September 1970 the K70 line starts up

A refreshingly modern styling

Balanced proportions with short body overhangs

Excellent all-around visibility simplified parking

Analogue clock and a tachometer for the high-powered models

Fuel station attendants quickly recognised the Prinz engine

Two-level construction shifts the engine over the front axle

Inboard disc brakes like those on the Lotus Formula 1

Comfort on the highest level

New focus on active and passive safety

Model improvements usually limited to just the most essential

100 PS engine replaces 90 PS unit starting in August 1973

Mission accomplished the K70 as technological vanguard

Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation/ 25 Years

A Quarter Century of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum

Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation / Beetle

World Success: Beetle

The 50th Anniversary Beetle

Classic Parts Center/ Panamericana Beetle

Replacement part premieres at the Techno Classica

Underway on the Panamericana with the Erbse

Beetle is still most popular oldtimer in Germany

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