1974 Volkswagen Type 181 Thing Cabriolet

The Volkswagen Thing was built from 1968 through 1983 and was called several names in various regions including Kurierwagen in West Germany, the Trekker in the United Kingdom, the Safari in Mexico and South America, and Pescaccia in Italy. The Thing shared mechanical components with many of its stablemates including the Type 1 Beetle, the Microbus, and the Karmann Ghia.

In similar fashion to the Fiat Jolly, Volkswagen offered the Acapulco Edition, which was built from May through July of 1974 with around 400 of these examples built. All examples were built in blue and white configuration, had black running boards and unique mounting plates inside the fenders. They were given a two-tone stripped vinyl seat motif and a surrey top.

This particular example is a Acapulco Edition. It has received a full pan-off restoration returning it to 'like-new' condition. It has a DuPont base coat/clear coat, a rebuilt motor, the signature surrey top, and new upholstery. The engine is a 96.7 cubic-inch overhead valve opposed four-cylinder engine offering 46 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2017