Volkswagen at Techno Classica Essen

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Volkswagen

Techno-Classica Essen 2010

Volkswagen Off the Beaten Path


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EN

Notes:

You wi ll fi nd th is press in format ion and ima ges 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.

Volkswagen

Techno-Classica Essen 2010

Volkswagen Off the Beaten Path


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Techno Classica / Off-Road Highlights / 40 Years of Front-Wheel Drive / 25 Years Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation

Contents

To the Point

Brief summary 05

Latest Craze: World premiere of Volkswagen Classic Ketchup 13

Key Aspects

Off-Road highlights by Volkswagen

& Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

The Iltis 30 years: the all-wheel drive icon 19

The 181 40 years of open-top classics 35

Apal Buggy Beach cruiser 45

Golf Country 20 years: Forerunner of todays SUVs 59

Tarek Desert buggy 69

T3 and its successors 25 years: All-wheel drive Bulli 79

40 years of front-wheel drive

K70 Revolutionary advances in active safety 103

Volkswagen Automuseum Foundation

Anniversary 25 years of the 135

Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation

The Beetle VW 30 and 75th anniversary Beetle 143

Classic Parts extends its product range

Panamericana Beetle old car, new parts 151


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03Techno Classica / Off-Road Highlights / 40 Years of Front-Wheel Drive / 25 Years Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation


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Brief Overview

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

Techno Classica 2010:

Volkswagen is in Essen With a show that is off the beaten path

Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. Volkswagen is welcoming visitors toTechno 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 trend-

setter) 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 75th 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 automobile love

is through the stomach too, Volkswagen will be presenting 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 ConcoursdElegance 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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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 theVolkswagen 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 distinctive 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).

New Volkswagen Classic Ketchup debuts at the Techno Classica

Visitors can get limited-edition ketchup at the Techno Classica

Latest Craze:

World Premiere of Volkswagen Classic Ketchup

Volkswagen Classic Ketchup


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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 harmonise

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 spicesthat 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 yearby 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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Angular off-roader impressed with rugged technology

All-wheel drive icon followed in footsteps of the DKW Munga

The Iltis

Legendary Ancestor of the Tiguan and Touareg

Off-Road/Iltis

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 originalancestor 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 light-

weight 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 Forcesfilled 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 perfor-

mance

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 fullbattery 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 four-

door, 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 characteristic


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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 theingeniously 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 performance

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 over-

hangs, 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 instrument panel


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and dynamically styled Iltis signatures. Upon request, an attractive

hardtop was available to convert the off-road vehicle into a practical

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 followingyear, 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 withthe Race Iltis, introducing a paradigm shift to rally sports. Finishing

in 1st, 2nd and 4th 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 development discussions never envisioned later competitive use

of the Iltis.

The unyielding forward propulsion of the all-wheel drive Iltis quicklywon 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 2nd 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,

multiple 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 fully-

synchronised 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 kilo-

metres 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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Wolfsburg / Essen, April 2010. From hunting and military vehicle to

trendy ride: Over the course of its career now spanning over four

decades the Volkswagen 181 has undergone a truly astoundingdevelopment 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 auto-

motive 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.

Australian Volkswagen engineers developed forerunner of the 181

For a long time, the Type 181 was the most affordable convertible on the market

Typ 181

Favourite of the Military and the Flower Power Generation

Off-Road/Typ 181


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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 andworked 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 rear-

wheel 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

International 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 power-

train, 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

production 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 (CompletelyKnocked 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 privatehands, 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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Kit cars offered legendary driving fun at affordable prices

Buggy enthusiasm from the USA overran Europe briefly but powerfully

The Apal Buggy

Flower Power with Charm and Plenty of Propulsion

Off-Road/Apal Buggy

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 duneridges, 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 ultra-

wide 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 treasuredapprox. 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 wassoon 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 fitin precisely with the spirit of the Hippy movement. The curvaceous,

uplifting 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 represen-

tative 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

registration-ready vehicle.

Editors of the car magazine Gute Fahrt were also caught up in theexcitement 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 edi-

tors 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 centi-

metres (!). 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

imaginative 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 surprisingly

weather-tight soft top with button-on fabric doors even makes it pos-

sible 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

motorway, the fun is spoiled by intense vibrations and mediocre

straight-line stability. But with a kerb weight of only about 600 kilo-

grams, even the smallest engines in the Volkswagen programme

guaranteed sprinting fun that was difficult to match. Since not every-

one 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,

colourful 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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Golf Country considered forerunner of the crossover segment

Golf II in off-road look debuted with permanent all-wheel drive

The Golf Country

Crossover Movement Celebrates 20-Year Anniversary

Off-Road/Golf Country

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 fromthem. A good example is the Golf Country presented in 1990. In this off-

road 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 Steyr-

Daimler-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 mil limetres 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 off-

road 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 trade-

mark: 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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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

The Tarek

Transitional Solution Proves to be a Complete Success

Off-Road/Tarek

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 prototypeis 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 thealternatives. 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 kilograms

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.

Suspensions and the steel profile frame chassis came from the USA,

while Giorgetto Giugiaro and his company Italdesign were responsiblefor 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. Itwas 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

professional Dieter Depping. While Depping had to concede the race

prematurely 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 teammateHenrard 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

classification and a victory in the class of diesel buggies.


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New globetrotter 1985 marks start of the all-wheel drive Bulli era

Legendary T3 syncro makes many off-roaders in the field look old

The T3

25 Years of All-Wheel Drive Competence at VolkswagenCommercial Vehicles

Off-Road/T3 and Its Successors

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 all-

wheel 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 converter

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 productionuse 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 indepen-

dent 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 developed 37 kW/50 PS from 1.6 litres displacement and51 kW/70 PS from 2.0 litres displacement built upon the previous

models capabilities. 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 unanticipated

success. The diesel quickly became the most frequently ordered engine

in this vehicle class. Following just one year later, in 1982, was a water-

cooled 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 Austriancompany 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 customercertainly 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 withthe 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

reduction (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 stan-

dard 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, stron-

ger drive shafts and suspension links and a rear differential lock. In


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this configuration, ground clearance was increased by an additional

25 millimetres. 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 Grazplant 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 ofthe 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 off-

roaders 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 off-

road 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 technological

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 T5Transporter generation celebrated its debut in March 2003, the pre-

vious 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

technology is a multi-disc coupling that is pressed together axiallyand 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 exactly the same speed. Otherwise, torque distribution would be

unnecessary.

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 Volkswagenput 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 areapproximately 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

solutions. In the Haldex coupling, they even considered a minimal

deviation 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 unspectacularly that

the driver does not even notice it. In addition, 4MOTION handles

practically 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 offersother 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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K70 marks beginning of front-wheel drive era at Volkswagen in 1970

NSU development was further refined at Volkswagen

The K70

Front-Wheel Drive Saloon Revolutionised Active Safety

40 Years of Front-Wheel Drive/K70

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 Salz-

gitter 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 wascancelled 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 Motoren-

werke 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

attractive 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 duction

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 water-

cooled 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

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Volkswagen at Techno Classica Essen

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