The Type 181, or better known as the Thing, is a small four-door convertible car produced by Volkswagen from 1968 to 1983. Production in the US was ended in 1975 due to stricter safety standards. The Thing was developed as a temporary lightweight and inexpensive transport vehicle while waiting in conjunction with other European countries on a new lightweight jeep-like vehicle to be used for military and government purposes. After that vehicle production fell through, Volkswagen continued to produce the Thing due to its low costs and reliability – mainly in Europe and Mexico. All four doors can be removed, the windshield folded flat, and the convertible roof removed. It came with a simple, easy to maintain and clean interior. The engine was a small flat four cylinder with a four-speed manual transmission.
See Conceptcarz.com for production numbers and valuations. For a five-year sales history see Classic.com. See Collectorcarmarket.com for current market values. For some fun history reading on the Thing, see these articles on Motortrend.com, Hemmings.com, Hotcars.com, and Hagerty.com.
Nadaguides.com – Average Price: $25,600
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- Image credit – Wikipedia.org
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