Just like Jeep, Mercedes-Benz and other car manufacturers out there, Volkswagen had a military vehicle developed to be used pretty much anywhere.
It stayed in production between 1968 and 1983, during which just a little over 90,000 units were made, including nearly 2,000 for civilian use.
In Germany, it was known as the Type 181, whereas in the UK it was named the Trekker. In Indonesia, it was baptized the Camat, in Mexico it was referred to as the Safari, and in the United States, it was simply called… ‘the Thing’.
All versions of the Volkswagen military vehicle had the aerodynamics of a brick and the comfort of a wooden plank. And that’s okay, because they weren’t meant to be used in the French Riviera, but rather on arduous terrains. So, whenever something went wrong, they were supposed to be fixed on the spot with basic tools and spare parts.
Power came from a flat-four engine mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, although some owners swapped it for a more potent lump – and some have even went as far as installing new suspension, brakes and so on.
As for this particular 1974 Volkswagen Thing, well, most of it appears to be original. There’s some rust here and there, and purists probably won’t appreciate the slammed body and different wheels, but it would be the perfect restoration project for someone willing to bid for it at the RMSothebys auction.
It will go under the hammer in Arizona on January 17-18, 2019, and so far the auction house hasn’t released a pricing estimate. It will be interesting to see how much it will eventually fetch, nicht war?