Weird And Wonderful VW's - The VW's That Never Made It

The VW Experimental Vehicles „ the 1980's to present You can also see earlier VW prototypes here After saving the company from probably bankruptcy in the 1970's, VW now had a range of best selling aircooled models to bring the form up to date, from dependable cars like the Passat and polo to the fist and hottest hatch on the market ? the Golf GTi. With a firm financial footing, Volkswagen began to look to the future and design many vehicles that were designed to extend the VW range or to experiment with up and coming technologies, many of which made it into production models, some ideas just went by the wayside. Most of these you would never had heard of or seen „ unless you visit the Wolfsburg museum, some paved the way for later models, many never made it into production, but they all show that VW never rested on its laurels and was always innovating. 1975 Volkswagen Chico The 1975 Chico Not to be confused with the Chico Golf „ the mark1 Golf still in production in South Africa, this Chico was VWs first attempt at a small city car „ a sub Polo (a four seater car a foot shorter than the Polo). The idea was never realised, but was the first of many sub Polo designs that were shelved, until the 1990's when VW's acquisition of SEAT gave it the tiny Arosa „ the basis for the modern Lupo. 1980 The VW ARVW Never intended as a production model (obviously) „ this was an experiment to break records for a turbo diesel powered car, taking advantage of maximum aerodynamics. Its 2.3cc diesel could propel the low bodied design to well over 200 KPH. 1981 The Auto 2000 The Auto 2000 The Volkswagen designers equipped the Golf platform with a lightweight body „ bringing the experimental vehicle down to 750 kilos. Powered by a 3 cylinder diesel engine, the Auto 2000 could reach 95 miles per hour, but at a more sedentary pace could achieve 60 miles per gallon. A more practical spin on Volkswagens long time advocacy of frugal diesel engines that survives unto this day. 1982 The Volkswagen Student Two views of the VW student -many students still drive VW's Aptly named the Student was Volkswagens second attempt at a sub Lupo budget city car. Powered by the Polo's 1.1 litre engine and drivetrain, this little car was shown off to the press but the idea was never realised 1986, The VW Scooter The Scooter - maybe they got cold feet after the Sinclair C5 A more ambitious attempt at a frugal city vehicle, and not dissimilar to the present VW concept 3 wheeler seen in this magazine „ the scooter was a future car with sporty performance and the coolest styling idea of the 1980's,  gull wing doors, as seen on the DeLorean. An idea that was not realised at the time- but is being revisited by Volkswagen today. 1986 The VW Orbit Styled by long time Volkswagen collaborators, Ital Design the orbit project was a styling idea that never made it on its own, but the general idea can be seen to heavily influence the third generation Passat that went into production years later. More prototypes

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Volkswagen's Experimental Designs

The Beetle itself was born out of persistent experimentation by the Porsche works, Volkswagenwerk produced a host of experimental test vehicles for the German Army during the war, but after the factory settled down to peacetime, Volkswagen settled into a record breaking production run of the Beetle and its derivatives. Yet despite its, to some observers at the time, surprising success, the company was constantly seeking to extend the range beyond the solid sales of the Bus and Bug.

From the 1950's onwards the firm sought in vain to produce a 'Beetle Killer'. Some saw the light of day. Both the Type 3 and Type 4 were intended to replace the company's reliance on the aircooled Beetle, both of these replacements never outlasted the good old Type 1.

By the 1970's sales of the Bug were still solid, but its design was showing its age, the Super Beetles (1302 and 1303) could not mask the fact that it was basically a pre war design and the type 1 was quickly becoming an albatross around VW's neck.

Not until the mid 1970's did the true successors arrive, the Golf, Polo and Passat (not forgetting the Ghia's replacement — the Scirocco) literally saved the company from being relegated to a carmaker that had its product lines in the past. Much loved as the bug is, and despite its long lived success, it was these watercooled models that brought the company into the last quarter of the last century.

But unless you visit the Wolfsburg museum you may not be aware of the many experimental designs that VW produced to extend its reach into the world auto markets. The Entwicklüngaufträg designation (EA) was given by the factory for these prototype models. Some never saw production, and others paved the way for later models, but they were the models that never made it.

The 1950's - the first steps

This decade saw the firm grow from strength to strength with ever growing sales of the Beetle and the introduction of the Type 2 in all its forms and the Italian styled Ghia as a sporty offering from the Beetle chassis. But steps were already being taken to add to the line up and even replace the Beetle itself. The eventual design to take over was released in 1961 — — the Type 3, which as we all know has a dedicated following today, was a great car — but never outlived the Bug. However — there were others€

The EA48

The EA48 was designed to slot below the Beetle in the line-up since the Beetle was solid, reliable but not always as cheap as some of it's competitors. A smaller car, it was powered by a 700cc two cylinder aircooled engine in the front of the car. The Beetles little cousin it may have been, but it was more advanced in one respect — it was the first VW to feature MacPherson strut suspension at the front, not added to the Beetle until 1971, and now the standard for modern cars, including the Golf. The only model now lives in Wolfsburg.

The EA97/1 - like a Beetle, but uglier

Perhaps the most surprising of my discoveries was the EA97/1, a project run from 1957 to 1963. A clear intention to replace and update the Beetle with a restyled but still rear engined aircooled model. However, the updated styling had lost the genius of Porsche's original, this 'New Beetle' was thankfully dropped in favour of the Type 3. Otherwise most of us might now be driving of these.

The Italian styling firm of Ghia was also working on a Beetle killer to present to the Volkswagen factory. With only a rear shot to look at we can only assume this boxy design (designated E53) was also rejected in favour of the Type 3. The type 3 itself was a better car than both of them — even if it didn't quite take over from the good old Bug.

Ghia's E53 Source: ltv-vwc.org.uk