I should kick today off with a gear head antidote. The other day I went into the big city (Denver) on some official business and I was out getting lunch when I discovered not one but two Volkswagen "Things" parked together. These are relics from a bygone era of laissez-faire free wheeling automobile safety standards. I'm a bit familiar with these boxy automobiles as I had the opportunity to acquire one a few years back. It was near the end of my last year of high school and I was without a car, the one I had at the time, my first car was an old tuna boat and had suffered some catastrophic engine damage and I debated scrapping it in favor of the "Thing". The thing went up for sale by a local farmer and I had the chance to look it over and test drive it. It was a mellow beige/tan or yellow color, had some minor rust and usual wear and tear but at the time was in overall decent condition and seemed to scream at me "I'm the car you want for your college years, I'll get you anywhere, let you go camping, go off road and even take a beating around town!" I must admit I was very interested as I've seen a few others in the area, it was certainly in shape for an oldie- a 1973 VW Thing. One aspect that drew me to this car was the pure utilitarianism of it. It was a vehicle that could morph form. You could have the convertible top up, you could have it down. You have the windshield folded up or down. Heck I even think you could elect to take the doors off if you so chose. If memory serves me right, the seats folded too. It was a car that could become an open flatbed sort of truck or it could be a convertible to cruise around town or dismantle the whole thing for totally open air back country trekking on a warm summer day. The owner cautioned me however of the major drawback or at least one that would be for some but not me at the time. The drawback being that the car would not go much above 65 MPH on the highways making it a real risk on the interstate where traffic is usually 75 MPH (speed limit) and many times in wide open stretches people like to push it in some cases well past 80 MPH making this "Thing" a sitting duck and an impediment to the flow of traffic. This did not bother me too much as I rarely if ever ventured onto the highway back then, the boat I had was already somewhat sluggish and highway speeds were a bigger drain on it's already horrific fuel economy, at the time I knew many back roads and slower roads to avoid the interstate. Seeing that the "Thing" was what I wanted, relatives worried about me climbing behind the wheel of the "Thing" consulted a longtime family friend and car salesman who strongly cautioned me against it, citing mechanical and safety concerns. The need for a car went away when I later found the required components to repair the badly damaged engine on my old tuna boat, it was expensive and required locating a parts donor car but in the end was less money than what it would have been to acquire a VW "Thing".
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| The pair of VW Things parked at the restaurant sporting some wicked old school style, violet & yellow color schemes. |
In retrospect I suppose this was alright, it'd probably would not have been for the better. I also did my research and came to understand it was one of many cars scrutinized in the late 1960's early 1970's during a movement towards "consumer protection" in the United States. The car was deemed "Unsafe" by people influenced by the movement's leader Ralph Nader and inspired by the 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed" which led to reform in auto industry safety standards. The VW "Thing" had a very short stint on the US market being only sold for two model years, 1973 and 1974 before being cut out by tightening US safety standards. The "Thing" went by other model names in other countries such as the "The Trekker", "Camat" and "Safari". It had a much longer life outside of the US. If your familiar with military auto history you might recognize this as the descendant of the German army Kubelwagon, a WWII era German counter part to the American Jeep. The VW 181 (Thing) as it's official designation was based on a Beetle platform and like the Beetle had a simple four cylinder rear engine making it simple and easy to maintain, that was one other appeal this "Thing" had to me. Yet at the same time if a car is considered "easy" or "simple" regarding ease of access for maintenance it could also be a double entendre implying that it's a fix or repair daily type of car hence needing to keep it simple and easy for engine access/maintenance. I've heard all too much, the horror stories of engine swaps and constant need for attention to every issue from veteran VW owners who had them back in the day but I've also heard some were very reliable - I suppose it's what you make of it. It's a neat car but it was one that got away from me and perhaps for better as I'm not so sure a 35 year old (at the time) Volkswagen would have kept up with my increasingly mobile lifestyle. I'm glad I never ended up with one, better things (no pun intended) lie down the road but I don't mind when I see one of these Things as it's like any other old car a, welcome sight and reprieve from the all too similar modern automobiles I see driving around. The thing I'll give the "Thing"- it stands out from the crowd. I still like 'em but it's just not for me. They are sort of an ugly but where some might employ the adjective a "cute" car sporting a face that only a mother could love.
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