The Volkswagen Type 181 "Kurierwagen", popularly known in the United States as the Thing and in Mexico as the Safari, was a small military vehicle produced by Volkswagen from 1969 to 1983, although civilian sales stopped in 1980. It was based in part on Volkswagen's Beetle Type I and was an evolution of the Kübelwagen, which had been used by the German military during World War II.
[] History
Volkswagen Type 181
Manufacturer: Volkswagen
Class: Military vehicle, Compact car
Drivetrain: Rear engined
Production: 1969 – 1980 for civilian use, through 1983 for Military use
Predecessor: Volkswagen Kübelwagen
Successor: Volkswagen Iltis
Body Styles: Coupe
Cabriolet
Engines: 1.6 L flat-4
During the 1960s, several European governments began cooperating on development of a vehicle known as the Europa Jeep, a lightweight, amphibious four wheel drive vehicle that could be mass produced for use by various national military and government groups. However, development of the vehicle proved time consuming and the German government was in need of a limited number of light, inexpensive, durable transport vehicles that could fulfill their basic needs while the Europa Jeep was being developed and put into production.
Although Volkswagen had been approached during the 1950s about building such a vehicle and had subsequently passed on the proposition, the then-current management of the company saw the project as having some amount of potential as a consumer vehicle; Mexican customers were asking for something that could better handle rural roads than the Beetle, which was a large seller in Mexico at the time, and the popularity of VW based dune buggies within the U.S. made executives think that a durable, fun, off-road capable vehicle would become attractive to many buyers. By using existing parts, the company could keep cost to a minimum and thus maximize profitability.
Like the World War II era Type 82 Kubelwagen, the Type 181 used mechanicals and a rear-engined platform derived from that of the Type I Beetle. The floorpans came from the Karmann Ghia, which itself was based on the Type I, and reduction gearing from the VW Bus was used through 1973 when platform upgrades eliminated that setup in favor of revised parts.
Civilian sales began in Europe and Mexico during 1971 and in the U.S. in 1972, but the model was dropped from the American lineup in 1974 after it failed to meet stricter new safety standards (Type 181s were classed as passenger vehicles, not light trucks as with the case of the modern-day Chrysler PT Cruiser). By 1976 the Europa Jeep project had fallen apart completely and was abandoned, and the German government began supplementing their consumption of 181's with a newer variant called the Type 183 Iltis, which featured four-wheel-drive.
Despite the German government's switch to the Type 183, European and Mexican sales of the civilian 181 continued through 1980, and several organizations including NATO continued to purchase military-spec units through 1983, finding their reliability and low purchase and maintenance costs attractive.
[] Variants
Several region specific variants of the 181 were produced during the vehicles lifetime, including an Acapulco Thing, originally designed for the Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco. Running boards, special upholstery and paint schemes and a surrey top were standard features. The Acapulcos are most easily identified by their striped paint scheme and were offered in orange and white, yellow and white, green and white, or blue and white.
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