Otto Explains — Iconic Cars
10 Iconic Cars From Volkswagen
Short Answer
Otto’s ten iconic Volkswagens are the Karmann Ghia, the first Scirocco, the first Golf GTI, the Corrado, the New Beetle, the Lupo 3L TDI, the Golf R32, the Phaeton, the XL1 and the Polo R WRC. Together they cover six decades of coupés, performance cars, record-breaking economy cars, a luxury saloon and a world-championship rally car, and each is remembered for a first, a record or a design of its own.
How did Otto choose these ten cars?
Each car on the list is a model in its own right with a documented distinction behind it, whether a first, a record, an unusual design or a racing title, and together they run from the Karmann Ghia of 1955 to the XL1, hand-built from 2014, across stylish coupés, sporty hatchbacks, economy record-holders, a luxury saloon and a rally car. The cars that changed Volkswagen as a company, the Beetle (Type 1), the Transporter (Type 2), the Passat, the Golf, the Tiguan and the electric ID.3, have their own article on the legendary cars that defined Volkswagen, so this list looks further. The order is chronological, not a ranking.
Why is the Karmann Ghia remembered?
The Karmann Ghia Type 14 put an elegant coupé body, designed by the Italian studio Ghia, on the dependable technology of the Beetle. The coachbuilder Karmann built it in Osnabrück from August 1955, and 362,601 coupés had been made when production ended in 1974 and the Scirocco took its place.
What made the first Scirocco special?
The Scirocco was unveiled in February 1974, three months before the Golf whose technology it shared, so Volkswagen’s new generation reached the public first as a sports coupé. Karmann developed it and Giorgetto Giugiaro styled it, and Karmann built 504,153 of the first generation between 4 February 1974 and February 1981.
Why does the first Golf GTI still matter?
Unveiled at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1975 and on sale from June 1976, the Golf GTI put a 1.6-litre fuel-injected engine with 81 kW (110 PS) into a compact family hatchback. Volkswagen planned 5,000 cars; 461,690 of the first generation were built between 1976 and 1983, and GTI production passed one million in November 1990. The three letters have since moved on to electric cars, with the ID. Polo GTI as the first all-electric GTI.
What made the Corrado different?
The Corrado, unveiled in autumn 1988, was a compact coupé built by Karmann on Golf II technology that Volkswagen placed above the Scirocco. It launched with a 1.8-litre G60 engine boosted by Volkswagen’s G-Lader, a belt-driven supercharger, and its rear spoiler extended automatically at 120 km/h in Germany. Production ended on 6 July 1995 after 98,000 cars.
Why was the New Beetle such a success?
The New Beetle began as the Concept 1 study of 1994. It went into production in Puebla, Mexico, on 1 October 1997 and premiered in Detroit on 5 January 1998. Its shape recalled the original Beetle, but underneath it shared its platform with the Golf IV, with water-cooled engines at the front driving the front wheels. Almost 1.2 million were built by July 2010.
What did the Lupo 3L TDI achieve?
The Lupo 3L TDI of 1999 was the first production car in the world with standard fuel consumption under three litres per 100 km: 2.99 litres of diesel. Volkswagen reached the figure with lightweight construction, including aluminium parts, and an automated manual gearbox.
Why is the Golf R32 remembered?
The Golf IV R32 of 2002 was the fastest and most powerful Golf to that date: a 3.2-litre VR6 engine with 177 kW (241 PS), 4MOTION all-wheel drive and a top speed of 247 km/h. In 2003 it became the first Volkswagen offered with the DSG dual-clutch gearbox. Volkswagen planned 5,000 and built 12,000, and the car marked the start of Volkswagen R.
What made the Phaeton unusual?
The Phaeton was Volkswagen’s first entry into the luxury car class. It premiered in Geneva on 6 March 2002 and was handcrafted in the Transparent Factory in Dresden, with engines up to a V10 TDI and a W12 petrol engine with 331 kW (450 PS). When production ended on 18 March 2016, 84,235 had been built.
What was the XL1?
Volkswagen calls the XL1 its first one-litre car. Its teardrop-shaped body had a drag coefficient of only 0.186, and its plug-in hybrid drive combined a 0.8-litre two-cylinder TDI with 35 kW (48 PS), a 20 kW electric motor and a 7-speed DSG, enough for 50 kilometres on electric power alone. Only 200 were hand-built in Osnabrück from March 2014.
Why is the Polo R WRC on the list?
The Polo R WRC gave Volkswagen four World Rally Championship constructors’ titles between 2013 and 2016, with 43 wins from 52 rallies, and Sébastien Ogier won four drivers’ titles in a row with it. A road version, the Polo R WRC Street, was limited to 2,500 cars.
Common Questions
- Why isn’t the Beetle among Otto’s ten iconic Volkswagens? Because it belongs with the cars that changed the company: series production began on 27 December 1945, and 21,529,464 had been built when it ended in 2003. Otto covers it, with the Transporter, Passat, Golf, Tiguan and ID.3, in the article on Volkswagen’s legendary cars.
- Who designed the first Golf and Scirocco? Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign styled both. The Scirocco was unveiled in February 1974, and Golf production began on 29 March 1974.
- How many first-generation Golf GTIs were built? 461,690 between 1976 and 1983, against the 5,000 that Volkswagen had first planned.
- Was the Karmann Ghia built by Volkswagen? It was built for Volkswagen by the coachbuilder Karmann in Osnabrück, with a body designed by the Italian studio Ghia and the technology of the Beetle. Production ran from August 1955 to 1974.
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