Volkswagen history similar to Moto Guzzi until 2015

[willowstreetguzziguy]

I found this video very interesting in the way VW built a cult following of enthusiastic fans, similar to Moto Guzzi, since the air cooled engines of the ‘50’s, 60’s and early 70’s. Water cooled engines came in around 1975 and they hired a famous Italian designer to design the Rabbit, Scirocco and other body styles of that era. And it really took off with the GTI. The People’s Car was loved and everyone either had a VW or knew someone who had one and many tales were told.

It was a reciprocating love…. Until “Dieselgate” happened in 2015 and that ended the love affair from VW to its fan base. They ended up paying $30 Billion and their image was tarnished but not to loyal VW fans. VW needed $$$ and they needed it fast! They needed to sell a bunch of cars and appeal to the masses. They abandoned their base and began building generic looking SUV’s (like the Atlas that looks like all other suvs) and cars that didn’t appeal to the enthusiasts. They even dropped the stick shift from the GTI!

As a VW owner and enthusiast, I said the similarities with Moto Guzzi ended in 2015 on VW’s part. Thankfully, Moto Guzzi hasn’t abandoned us. Let’s hope they never do?

Interesting YouTube video to watch…”Volkswagen Turned Their Back on Us” https://youtu.be/3QUTcJwO140

[SIR REAL ED]

This could be a very interesting discussion. I expected this video to contain a lot more content which might require an hour or more in length.
Could it be as simple as a company that once valued function, changed it's focus to form and thus abandoned the very essence of it's success?
Or, like many celebrities, did VW fall victim to audience capture?
A path to self-destruction that more than a few companies and individuals have followed.
Purists often destroy the entities they claim to idolize.

[Frenchfrog]

VW , just like BMW and perhaps Guzzi now are just moving with the times.Sometimes that works, sometimes not.
Diesel-gate had nothing whatsoever to do with that...it was simply cheating and deceiving.They were not the only company to do it either, they just got caught !!:grin:

[willowstreetguzziguy]

BMW back in the 60’s -80’s was very much an enthusiast car. Maybe it still is in some small way but not like it was back then. Not anything unique when you see them everywhere and in 100 varieties.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

VW , just like BMW and perhaps Guzzi now are just moving with the times.Sometimes that works, sometimes not.
Diesel-gate had nothing whatsoever to do with that...it was simply cheating and deceiving.They were not the only company to do it either, they just got caught !!:grin:

…but they had to come up with BILLIONS of $$$ which meant selling a ton of cars to the masses. Or go out of business.

[SIR REAL ED]

I suspect that more than anything else, VW just became a victim of the times.  The Beetle and the Rabbit were simple, functional cars, that were popular when people wanted simple, functional transportation.

The Beetle's air cooled motor could not meet emissions regulations, the car did not have air conditioning, and the heater defroster was almost completely useless after a couple winters in the Rust Belt.

I suspect the original Rabbit was simply abandoned by a customer base that became more prosperous.  My sister in law and my wife both drove a Rabbit for over 10 years.  Then one bought a Honda and the other bought a Toyota.

A builder I knew used a diesel Rabbit pickup to haul around 1200 lbs of tools for about 10 years in the mid 70's-80's. 

A friend bought a diesel Golf GTI back in 2002.  It was a brilliant car.  IIRC, 180 horsepower and 45 mpg. She is from France and was disappointed that she could not get a higher horsepower version that is available in Europe.  Apparently, US diesel fuel will not work in the higher output engine.  I think she had at least 200,000 miles on it and people were always asking her if she wanted to sell it.  I drove that car and it was fantastic!!  Tractor like torque from idle and surprisingly FAST!

I was unaware of the Golf cult like following.  She said in Europe, people her age were known as the "Golf Generation."

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

The Beetle's air cooled motor could not meet emissions regulations, the car did not have air conditioning

A builder I knew used a diesel Rabbit pickup to haul around 1200 lbs of tools for about 10 years in the mid 70's-80's. 

A friend bought a diesel Golf GTI back in 2002.  It was a brilliant car.  IIRC, 180 horsepower and 45 mpg.

The last of the original Beetles had fuel injection and a cat con, so did indeed meet emissions standards at the time. They also had air conditioning.

The VW Pickup wasn't available until 1980 and was sold in the US until 1983. I bought one new in '82 and a GTi in '83.

GTIs were never available with a diesel in the US, you must mean in Europe? Even there, the 4th generation GTI w/TDI was only putting out 150 hp.

[SIR REAL ED]

The last of the original Beetles had fuel injection and a cat con, so did indeed meet emissions standards at the time. They also had air conditioning.

The VW Pickup wasn't available until 1980 and was sold in the US until 1983. I bought one new in '82 and a GTi in '83.

GTIs were never available with a diesel in the US, you must mean in Europe? Even there, the 4th generation GTI w/TDI was only putting out 150 hp.

I stand corrected on a few facts and dates.  I guess the contractor had the VW pickup in the mid 80's-90's.

I lost interest in Beetles when the Rabbit came out.  It seemed like the future.  I think the popularity of the Rabbit put more than a few nails in the coffin of the Beetle.

Perhaps my friends car was a Golf but not a GTI.  This was back in 2002.  I seem to remember her claiming 140 was the highest horsepower version diesel available in the US.  She claimed she had to special order it & that the VW salesman at the dealership was clueless that engine was available as an option.  My memory is she claimed that 180 horsepower diesels were available in Europe.

It was a very fast car, so the claim of 140 horsepower or more was easily believable.  It was a very impressive package.

[Dharma Bum]

Which leads to an interesting question. How many of us learned our DIY mechanical skills from John Muir's book?

[SIR REAL ED]

Which leads to an interesting question. How many of us learned our DIY mechanical skills from John Muir's book?

I have never heard of him or his book.

[Dharma Bum]

It was called the Volkswagen Manual for Complete Idiots, all down home wrenching and interesting graphics.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/366432320918





He also wrote or published several other books. https://bookscouter.com/publisher/john-muir-publications