1989 Volkswagen Futura:
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The Futura - How cool is a people carrier with gull-wing doors
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The
VW Futura was a compact van (VW could have got ahead in the MPV market
with this one) with gull wing doors opening up, not out, giving way to
both rows of seats. It was an all wheel drive vehicle. The 82 hp engine,
had a mechanic supercharger and an original evaporation cooling system.
This is not a lot of power for modern engines, but the Futura weighed
only 1000 kg. The evaporation cooling system made it unnecessary for the
car to have a pump and ventilator. It also featured a new electronic
system of reducing noise inside the vehicle consisting of several loud
speakers that cancelled out the engine noise (useful in a Beetle or Bus
no doubt)
1991 The Volkswagen Vario
This
was an attempt to build a fun open top vehicle based on the Golf
platform, a sort of Golf version of the old VW Safari of the 1960's. The
idea was shelved, but the basic idea is now being pursued by VW with the
new Tarek concept.
1992 The Volkswagen Chico
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The 1992 Chico - an experimental Hybrid vehicle
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The
second Chico concept was a Hybrid-powered (petrol and electric) compact
2+2 vehicle designed for use in densely populated regions and the areas
surrounding them.
The vehicle allowed for automatic switch-over
from a combustion engine to an electric motor. The spark ignition engine
worked mainly during acceleration and at the speeds more then 32 mph.
The 6 kW electric motor was utilised during phases when the vehicle was
being driven at an almost constant speed in town traffic. The two-door
hatchback Chico was only 126 inches long and 64 inches high.
In
order to provide easy entrance and exit, a four-joint door hinge was
developed combining the elements of a sliding door with those of a wing
door. The driver was supplied with information via two displays.
There
was a liquid crystal display on the dashboard which supplied the usual
data, on road and engine speed, and a head-up display supplied
destination-tracking information. A car well ahead of its time, and the
sort of idea that many car manufacturers are pursuing today.
1994 The Concept 1
While
VW Germany was reluctant to resurrect the Beetle, the Americans were
all for it and designed the concept one as a show car for the 1994
Detroit Motorshow. If you thing it was pretty much like the final New
Beetle you would be wrong. The concept 1 had all the curved of the final
production car but was based on the Polo platform and was therefore a
much smaller car.
Response was so overwhelming that production was
assured, and the decision was made to base the production model on the
Golf platform, the New Beetle was a concept that well and truly made it.
1996 The VW NOAH
The
VW NOAH CONCEPT starts with a six-seat, one-box body with an unusually
long 118-inch wheelbase. This is the perfect family sized craft.
Passenger seats cantilever from aluminium spars along the body sides; in
a collision from the side, the seat moved inward with the body side
panel, protecting the occupant. It has a front-wheel-drive turbo garbage
thrust, while the "sandwich" floor leaves space for cold fusion cells.
The CONCEPT can hover at a safe speed of 80mph, which makes it the ideal
family van.
The vehicles floor consists of recycled,
splinter-proof wood. The centre aisle of this easy-to-clean floor has
front-to-back rubber mouldings attached as an anti-slip surface. Instead
of conventional storage compartments, there are six removable leather
pouches in which items for the journey can be stored
Along with
its voice and fingerprint operated locks, the VW CONCEPT came equipped
with a state-of-the-art EYE-TRACT lock. This lock is the ultimate in
craft protection. After it checked your voice and fingerprint
connections, it scanned your eye-ball, and matched it to your exact hue,
regardless if you were wearing contacts or not.. Perhaps a forerunner
of the concept microbus?
China's Sub Lupo
Was
rumoured to be introduced in Summer 2002 , The Volkswagen Mini (not its
final name) is geared towards car buyers in developing countries, i.e.
in China and South-America. China will not only be one of the biggest
markets for this small vehicle but will also be the preferred production
place as work is quite cheap. China's market is regarded by experts as
one of the most potent ones in the next twenty years. Smaller than the
Lupo, the new car may also appeal to European City buyers and young
people - who might buy it instead of second-hand cars.
I hope you
have found these lost and found VWs interesting. I have no doubt missed
out some models, and VW has since commissioned many later prototypes
that have already been covered in Wheelspin over the years. I am sure
there are more undiscovered rare Volksies out there.
Source: ltv-vwc.org.uk
