German Méhari
With this beautiful summery weather, all leisure vehicles naturally reappear, and this Volkswagen Type 181 is a leisure vehicle par excellence. You shouldn’t expect much from the driving, but you can sit comfortably in the sun.
In the 70s, there were several nice and simple open cars with a simple technical basis for sale. The best-known example is of course the Citroën Méhari, which received competition from its own country in the form of the Renault Rodeo, and in the Volkswagen Type 181 had a German opponent. In contrast to the Méhari, the Volkswagen originated in military service. Like its predecessor, the Kübelwagen, it was basically intended to transport soldiers from A to B in a simple and reliable manner, but eventually it also became available to the general public.
You don’t have to be a seasoned car expert to know what the technical story of the Type 181 looks like. Here too, there is a rear-mounted boxer engine, which drives the rear wheels. The basis is not, as you might think, exactly the same as that of the Beetle. No, the Type 181 shared its bottom with the Karmann Ghia and is therefore just a bit wider than a Beetle. It is also better motorized than many Beetles, because the Type 181 had a 1.5 or 1.6-liter four-cylinder boxer engine.
It is a rather strange phenomenon and in that respect, we understand why the name ‘Thing’ was printed on it in the United States. How should you describe such a car? One thing is certain: you drive around in a striking way, nowadays even more than then. This example from 1973, spotted by AutoWeek forum member JFR, also has a striking color. This is probably only the first summer that it has brightened up the street scene here in the Netherlands, because the car was imported last fall. Herzlich willkommen!