Volkswagen Thing Repair North West
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If you own a Volkswagen Thing and you need it servicing or repairing in the North West give our team a call today. We offer a wide range of services and repairs for VW Things. We can collect your VW Thing from across the North West. In fact, we have seen VW things come to us from across the UK. Based on the classic Volkswagen Beetle the Thing has a true place in Volkswagen iconic history.
History of the VW Thing
The Volkswagen thing is so much bigger than the North West... in fact its world wide! The Volkswagen 181 (its production name) was introduced by VW in 1968, as a European riff on the Jeep, a vehicle partially credited for the United States’ land prowess in World War II. Originally developed for the West German Army, the 181 was built with the mechanics of the Type 1 (Beetle), and early Type 2 (Microbus). The concept for the 181 came from the Kübelwagen, a German military vehicle used during World War II.
The civilian version of the Type 181 was known as the VW Kurierwagen in home country, Germany. As is common with Volkswagen models to this day, it was known by many names the world over. In England, they called it the VW Trekker. Mexico and South America had the VW Safari. It was known as the VW Pescaccia (beastly fish) in Italy.
The most memorable name for the 181, however, was arguably its most appropriate. Either understanding the American fascination for directness, or having just given up on more elaborate names, Volkswagen called the 181 the VW Thing upon its 1973 release to the North American market. A cult following was born that day.
Full of interesting quirks (46-hp engine, separate heater, swappable doors, no glovebox lid, and a folding windshield among them), the Thing was especially popular among youth, despite its relatively high price tag ($20,000 in 2017 money, compared to Beetle at $14,500 in 2017 money). Its inability to meet safety standards led Ralph Nader, and auto-regulation activists, to lobby the federal government to ban the importation of the Thing.
Their efforts were successful and the Thing survived for only two model years in the US Market (1973 and 1974). By the end of the model’s run in the United States, approximately 25,000 were imported. Already popular, their scarcity has madem them a high-value collectors item.
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