Ever see one of these??

[Rick]

1972 VW 411. I used to have one in light blue. I haven't seen one on the road in over 20 years.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I've never seen one of them. How many years did you have it, and do you have any pictures of it? I assume that it was a 4 cylinder diesel or was it like a Beatle? I think that they had a 3 cylinder, but VW's aren't my specialty, so I'm not familiar with them.

 

[Turdle]

Wasn't it also known as a Dasher?

My H.S. English teacher drove one--Mr Klipner

 

[Rick]

It had a rear mounted air cooled 4 cylinder just like the Bugs. It used a gasoline fired heater system that actually used a 5th spark plug to ignite the "furnace", worked HORRIBLY in Chicago winters. I used to drive in a down jacket and occasionally used a heavy blanket on top of that

I owned it for 2 or 3 years. It was my "winter beater". Something to drive while my Dart was safe from the elements in my parents garage.

 

[Rick]

Wasn't it also known as a Dasher?

Nope. The Dasher was a different design.

 

[Rick]

Just checked, the Dasher used a front engine front wheel drive design.

 

[BobWiersema]

You are showing your age with a rarrie (is that a word?) like that from the 70's.
I had a Math Professor in 75 that drove a VW "Thing".
That "Thing" was probably the first SUV type vehicle I ever saw.
Luckily I thing it rusted away the first time it rained.

 

[BrooklynBay]

So it used regular gasoline, and not diesel fuel? Was it fuel efficient?

 

[J.A.F.E.]

Yes, I remember them well. Most of the type IV's I've seen were the station wagon or four door sedan. The two door like your photo were not common IIRC. Most of them were gold like your photo I don't remember ever seeing a light blue one. Also I believe all that were officially imported to the U.S. were automatics. Flat opposed four cylinder (now called a "boxster") engine that were also used in the Porsche 914 with the four cylinder engines.

These turn up occasionally in the pick a part yards here. Once in a while I'll see one on the streets.

 

[dogfriend]

A VW 411. A coworker from long ago used to have one (although his might have been a 412). It caught on fire one day as he was driving home on the San Mateo bridge. He thought it was funny, but the other commuters probably didn't see the humor; they shut down the bridge in both directions while they were putting it out.

 

[BrooklynBay]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Type_4

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

was it a diesel or gas

 

[Rick]

Also I believe all that were officially imported to the U.S. were automatics.

Wow, I guess mine really was rare. It had a 4 speed manual. In fact it's the car I learned to drive a stick on.

The thing was terribly rusty when I got it. I did quite a bit of bodywork to keep it on the road even only 8 or so years old.

To those who asked, it was a gas engine.

 

[FROADER]

There is a light blue one around here that I've seen a few times.

 

[cybergasm]

was it a diesel or gas

Gas, the VW Diesel's did'nt come out until the mid 80's

 

[solitary ogre]

i dated a babe that had one back in the late '70s. it had an auto tranny and was pitifully slow. it was likely the only vehicle that a VW van could beat in a drag race. lol

 

[Donner]

I'm sorry, but the front end looks like a BMW, and rest looks like a stretch Pinto... I don't recall ever seeing one of these.

 

[dogfriend]

Some one at my high school had one of these

I think they are even more rare than the 411/412.

I also remember someone had a VW Thing back in HS.

 

[FROADER]

That notch back is nice. I saw taht at the Irvine show (where that pic is from). I've been looking for one of those I could afford for a while.

 

[Rick]

Things I remember about the car include what I considered a refined interior compared to the small American cars of the time. The battery was under the driver seat, and the car had Bosch fuel injection. Because of that the car started up in the coldest Chicago winters on days when my fathers new Oldsmobile and my moms Chevy Impala wouldn't fire up. Trouble is once it started you had to sit and let the transmission warm up for about 5 minutes before you could even think of putting it in gear.

The car had deadly under steer. Try to push it hard into a turn and the front end would just plow.

It was one of the more fun cars that I've driven. Probably because of all it's quirks and peculiarities