OK, so the folks over at Pickuptruck.com (yes, there actually is such a site) have interesting renderings about the supposed, rumored, and (some say) hoped-for VW pick up.

VW used to make a pick up truck based on the Rabbit back in the early 80s. For a while they were real popular with tuners and engine swappers - bone stock PU bodies with blown GTi motors under the hood.

Not sure if that’s the future VW has in mind, but it looks like they’re seriously considering bringing the truck to the North American market. Which makes sense, from a profit margin point of view (e.g. trucks have higher profits than, say, sedans).

Or as Pickuptruck.com says:

“Volkswagen of America denies plans to sell this truck in the US, but then again, the US market is still the largest and most lucrative (ask the Japanese!), something VW is very aware of.”

There’s a picture of the (supposed) real deal testing in the arctic after the jump.

Continue Reading…

It must have been when, on a whim of sorts, I bought a 1977 VW Bus from an impound lot in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that I first got my taste of “German Engineering”. Well, I got it running, but I think it needed a lot of work and I just sold it off for a profit. But in the meantime, I took it apart and marveled at the hand-welded unibody, the general build quality of such a very foreign machine to me at the time. The doors closed so perfectly. Not so for my 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix. The windows rolled up with ease. Not so for a Dodge Omni. The funny, foreign symbolism was everywhere on the dash for lights, defrost, etc. That kind of symbolism is commonplace nowadays, but then, it was all new to me. And naturally, this silly flat-four engine all stuffed in the lower backside. The infamous “pancake” motor. I didn’t know at the time how valuable the 2.0 L Porsche four cylinder was. Maybe that’s why I made any money on it at all. Alas, the seed had been planted.

A few years later, I found a 1971 VW Campmobile abandoned in a Mancelona field (way up North). It had a pristine interior, all the camping goodies. And the roof-it popped up! I was so amazed. I had to have it. I still do, as a matter of fact. It’s got over 300,000 miles on it and I lived in it with my wife for a year as we traveled the country. The only way to go.

I’ve had the motor out at least five times. It’s no biggie pulling out an upright 1600 cc motor from a Bus. You can do it in about 2 hours (maybe less if you want to impress yourself) with just a floor jack. The simplicity is magnificent. Well, those days are long gone, my friend. I just did a water pump/timing belt on a 1996 VW Jetta 2.0L 4 cylinder. The job was typical, like any 4 cylinder. However, I see that VW has gone away from 4 cylinder motors altogether. All their motors are at least 5 cylinders, as far as their current U.S. models go. Continue Reading…

Looks like VW is trying to keep up with Mercedes (and possibly BMW if they build their show car, and Aston Martin, if they build that delicious Rapide).

There have been rumors afoot for some time that VW is working on a four door coupe version of their Passat sedan, and now, uncamo-ed spy shots are hitting the web.

Although it seems that Mercedes’ entry into this territory has been well received (enough, at least to have BMW make a show car), it remains to be seen how well VW’s take on the subject will go over.

The Phaeton sounded like a good idea to me (at the time), but it didn’t go over so well the buying public.

Here’s the second part of the 2007 Chicago Auto Show Update. Be sure and view Part 1 if you haven’t yet. Continuing on, here is an overview of the Auto Show. Don’t worry, only the coolest cars are listed here, nothing boring In Part 1, I went over some of the major concepts and unveilings that the manufacturers had for us. In Part 2 I would like to continue on, starting with this beautiful concept:

Mazda didn’t do much at this years show, other than showing off the Ryuga Concept at their display.

The Ryuga is really cool looking in person, but it’s really hard to see it’s nice curves in photos. The Ryuga is simply a design concept, meant to show you the direction Mazda is facing in the design of its new vehicles. The Ryuga shows this well with its curvy, nature-inspired lines.

Keep reading for more cars. Continue Reading…