1973 Volkswagen 412

The Volkswagen Type 4 was produced from 1968 to 1974 in several different body styles including a two- and four-door sedan, and a two-door station wagon. The first generation was known as the 411 and was built from 1968 to 1972 when it was replaced by the 412, lasting until 1974.

The Volkswagen 411 Type 4 was created under the direction of Heinrich Nordhoff, wearing a design by Carrozzeria Pininfarina, and introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October 1968. Power was from an air-cooled, boxer engine placed in the back helping the car achieve a 45/55 percent weight distribution. It used unibody construction, a MacPherson strut front suspension, and a coil spring rear setup with trailing wishbones.

The engine in the 411 displaced 1679cc and initially used twin carburetors. In 1969, it was updated with Bosch D-Jetronic electronic fuel injection that helped increase power from 68 to 80 bhp. In 1969, the single oval headlights were replaced by twin round headlights, and various other design and mechanical modifications were made throughout its production history.

In August of 1972, the Volkswagen 412 was introduced as a replacement to the 411, with styling by designer Brooks Stevens. Among the changes were a reshaped headlight surround with Halogen lights and redesigned nose panels. By August of 1974, engine displacement had grown to 1,795cc, and fuel management reverted to a twin carburetor setup. The 1,679cc unit used in the 1972 and 1973 412 offered 80 horsepower. The 1,795cc version delivered 75 horsepower in the base models and 85 horsepower in the 412 S versions. The engine was backed by a four-speed all-synchromesh manual with floor-mounted lever control or an optional three-speed automatic gearbox.

During the six-year production run, a total of 367,728 examples of the Type 4 models were built. Volkswagen sold 117,110 Type 4 models from 1971 to July 1974.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020

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