“Wild Thing” — The VW Thing
Originally published on October 21, 2024. Photography by John Lamm, Pat Ganahl, Mike Parris, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
The first thing one might ask about this car is, “What is it?” The simple answer is, “It’s a Thing.” This was only true in the United States and Europe, however. In Mexico and South America, the simply shaped vehicle was known as the Safari, and in the UK, it was sold as the Trekker. It was marketed in Italy as the Pescaccia (“beastly fish”).
Before it became a Thing, however, the vehicle was called the Type 181. The multi-purpose–car?–was developed for the West German military in the late 1960s based on the Type 182 Kübelwagen used during World War II. In the fall of 1969, Volkswagen began selling the Type 181 to civilians in Europe. Though the 181 was available as a consumer car, a large portion of the vehicles were–perhaps unsurprisingly–purchased by military forces, in particular, NATO (that stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Volkswagen would later transfer production of the 181 from Germany to Mexico.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Volkswagen unleashed the 181 as “The Thing” into the United States in 1973, the same year that the Arab Oil Embargo began. During this time, OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) banned oil exports to the United States and countries that supported Israel during the Arab-Israeli War. As the United States imported much of its oil from the Middle East at the time, the embargo caused nationwide fuel shortages.
Foreshadowing the energy crisis of the 2000s, oil prices spiraled up quickly, doubling and eventually quadrupling in price. Gas was rationed. My parents, like many others, remember waiting for hours in line at the gas station, which they were only allowed to visit on certain days. To counteract this, the US government instituted regulations to reduce fuel consumption. As part of these regulations, automotive manufacturers began to work on designing vehicles that used less fuel. Just look at the later Ford Probe concept series. Sleek. Aerodynamic. Elegant.
The Thing was none of these things.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Its sloping hood was not shaped by the desire to funnel air with as little disruption as possible over the top of the car, but by the need to see over hilltops when climbing steep terrain. Its corrugated sides were designed to strengthen the bodywork against errant projectiles. Its doors and top were removable. And if one wanted to make goggles and a helmet mandatory driving attire, the Thing’s windshield folded down.
The average Thing was available in three colors, Pumpkin Orange, Sunshine Yellow, or Blizzard White. Just in case you couldn’t figure out what type of vehicle this was, an optional “The Thing” decal was also available. The Basic Thing came equipped with many things, including rugged commercial-style suspension, a “12-volt electrical tap,” and a front that looked disconcertingly like a back.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
This might have been because the Thing, like the VW Beetle, had a rear-mounted engine. This made it able to store essential items like a spare tire, the gas tank, and the Thing’s removable side curtains.
Like many other cars, the Thing had a steering wheel, a shifter, and a glovebox. The Thing’s glovebox, however, did not have a door. On the dashboard, there was little located next to the 12-volt electric plug. Only a radio was mounted to the right of the steering wheel.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Photograph by Pat Ganahl, Mike Parris, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
The heart of the beast was a 1.58-liter 46-hp four-cylinder engine from a Volkswagen Beetle. The Thing’s transmission was also from a Beetle. So was the chassis.
In an era of plush pickups, metal-flaked customs, and shag-carpeted vans, the Thing offered intrepid owners a special kind of Spartan style. It was a hard vehicle to define.
Photograph by John Lamm, courtesy of MotorTrend Group.
Like the Jeep or Land Rover, the Thing could be driven on the street and through the brush. Like a corrugated-metal dune buggy, the Thing could slide through the sand. It could be a roadster or converted to a hard-top SUV. It could be a Wild Thing or a Mild Thing. But the next time someone asks you what this car really is, you can say that it was just the Thing.
