Lot 474: Volkswagen Type 181

The Type 181 is a direct descendant of Ferdinand Porsche's Type 82 K�belwagen, which was developed in the late 1930s as a military version of the original Volkswagen. During World War 2 the K�belwagen did sterling military service, its robust air-cooled four-cylinder horizontally opposed engine requiring minimal maintenance. Introduced in 1969, Type 181 was developed for the German Army along K�belwagen lines, featuring a rear-mounted air-cooled engine of l,584cc driving the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox. The coachwork was strictly utilitarian with the roof, windows and windscreen folding down and the spare wheel carried on the bonnet in early Land Rover style. Despite lacking four-wheel drive, the Type 181 was nevertheless classed as a Mehrzweckwagen (multi-purpose vehicle) and sold to various European armies as well as that of Morocco. A little over 15,000 military Type 181s were produced while a civilianised version  marketed as 'The Thing'  was built in Mexico primarily for the United States market. An original German border patrol vehicle, this Type 181 has been dry stored for many years and is presented in outstanding condition, displaying no signs of welding or rust. The vehicle comes with its original first aid kit, cranking handle, jack and Jerry cans, and has been modified to incorporate wartime Type 82 wings and headlights. Described by the vendor as a very reliable and useable classic, it is offered with a quantity of expired MoT certificates and tax discs (12 in number), current road fund licence, MoT to May 2010 and Swansea V5.