To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The Taj Ma
Garaj Collection event, 28 September 2019.
Estimate:
$25,000 - $35,000
- Built for the Mexican market in 1973
- Dubbed the Safari in Mexico; known in the U.S. as the
Thing
- Showing just 4,556 miles; exceptionally well-preserved
example
- Original sales receipt included
Echoing the original rush to build a multi-capable military vehicle
that spawned the original jeep during World War II, European
governments in the 1960s tasked automakers with building an
off-roader that could handle a number of tasks. Volkswagen's effort
was called the Type 181, and while the government project was
eventually abandoned, the automaker's executives thought that a
low-cost runabout would be especially appealing in the U.S. and
Mexico, where dune buggies based on its Beetle had become
popular.
The Type 181 employed the automaker's air-cooled flat-four and
four-speed manual transmission. Though the basic, open-top vehicle
was rear-wheel drive, it had plenty of ground clearance, thanks to
portal axles that worked as a reduction gear for low-speed
cruising. The open-top car is unabashedly simple, with its
windshield that folds flat to its unadorned interior, and space for
five passengers and a surprising amount of luggage.
The vehicle was introduced to Mexico, where it was called the
Safari. Pontiac held the rights to the name in the U.S., so the car
was cleverly renamed the "Thing" for its brief, two-year appearance
before federal rules curtailed its sales. Relatively lax
importation rules in the 1970s meant that some models built at the
Puebla assembly plant in Mexico made their way across the Rio
Grande.
This yellow example was built for the Mexican market and was sold
through Albert Berry Motors in Houston to Texas oilman Frank W.
Michaux. Though it's not clear how Michaux used the VW�perhaps on
his ranch in Salado, north of Austin, or even as a commuter to his
office at One Shell Plaza in downtown Houston�he was enthused with
his purchase. In 1973 he wrote to Albert Berry and said he was
"very impressed with it." The Safari is fitted with steel front
bumpers with additional bars for added protection, and it rides on
chrome wheels with dog-dish-style hubcaps.
This delightful Safari shows little evidence of use and retains its
wood "duckboards" that allow easy drainage in wet conditions. Just
4,556 miles are shown on its VDO odometer, and it is ready to be
both preserved and enjoyed by its next owner. Few examples of the
Type 181 survived after being used the way VW intended, which makes
this exceptionally preserved example especially desirable.To view
this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please
visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/tg19.
