A few of the World Famous Cars and Coffee Folsom regulars decided to drop in to last Saturday’s Caffeine and Octane meet up at Bill’s Donuts, in Granite Bay, including myself. About 60 cars showed up, to what proved to be a very pleasant morning; the weather was very favorable, and everyone kept their social distances. Alas, there were a couple of “show offs” revving and peeling out on their departures 👿. So, here we have Roy’s 1974 Volkswagen Thing. He is the third owner and has had it for at least 10 years. The Volkswagen, Type 181 and 182, known as the Thing, in the United States, was manufactured and marketed from 1968 to 1983. It was originally developed for the West German Army, and eventually entered the civilian market. There were only two years of production for the Thing in the United States – 1973 and 1974. Global civilian production ended in 1980. These vehicles were only produced in West Germany, Mexico, and Jakarta, Indonesia. They went by several names: Camat (Indonesia), Trekker (UK), Safari (Mexico), and of course, Thing (US), to name a few. Production for the Mexico market ran from 1970-1980. The difference between the ’73 and the ’74 Thing? The ’73 had rear quarter panel “shark fins” as opposed to the ’74’s “air scoops” (shown here). Ralph Nader hated these Things (pun intended) because he considered them to be very unsafe. The windshield collapses and folds in half, they have no locking Nader pins in the doors, the doors were/are removable, and Nader didn’t like the idea that the doors were made to come off. The fuel tanks were prone to leaking, thereby creating a serious fire hazard. In 1974, Nader introduced a vehicle safety bill to Congress that the Thing would not pass. Congress passed the bill, which resulted in the Thing being withdrawn from the US market. Total production, worldwide, was 90,883 units, with about 50,000 being sold to NATO countries. Their service as DPV’s (Desert Patrol Vehicles) continued into Operation Desert Storm, for use in patrolling behind enemy lines. Sticker price for these Things, in the day, ranged from $2,700- $2,900; only slightly less than a water-cooled vehicle. Today Things fetch a pretty good price because they are so easy to maintain and most parts are readily available and interchangeable with the Volkswagen Beetle. Roy’s Thing (if you’ll pardon the expression) is all stock; powered by a 1600 cc engine, the same as a VW bug. Notice the removable teak floor boards, or duckboards – also a stock feature. There are drain holes in the floor for the purpose of hosing down after a day of being on the beach. Most Things came with an under-dash tray, but Roy’s Thing has a full-on glove box, as well as a tachometer, which is also unusual. The Thing has a 4-speed transmission and boasts a top speed of 64 MPH. It goes off road just like a Jeep except that it won’t do the heavy duty 4-wheel drives that a Jeep will handle. The IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) makes it easier to drive on the road, but it is also great for going uphill, due to its low end engine torque. Yellow is not a very common color for these vehicles. Most of the Mexico Things came in blue – Baja Blue, and red was also a common color Stateside. Thank you, Roy, for taking the time out to share your story with me and for being such a good sport about the innuendo talking about your Thing entails.😆 Photos and story by Carol Marcopulos
