Volkswagen 181 a.k.a. The Thing Turns 50

As the iconic Beetle prepares to bow out, the lesser-known Volkswagen 181 celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Using the original Beetle platform and mechanical components, production started in 1969. Enjoy this photo gallery that will tell you the unique story of this four-door cabriolet.

Derived from a military vehicle called Kübelwagen that was used by the Germans during World War II, the Volkswagen 181 was sold to the public as the Kurierwagen (“courier car”) in West Germany, the Trekker in the U.K., the Thing in the U.S., the Safari in Mexico and South America, and the Pescaccia in Italy.

The 181 is topped by a corrugated steel body that sure didn’t look as cool as the Microbus, but was generally considered to be indestructible and easy to repair.

The Volkswagen 181 features a PVC top that’s easy to fold back, plus four windows that can be removed from their mounts and stowed behind the two synthetic leather front seats.

The 1.6-litre flat-four engine mounted in the rear churns out a modest 44 horsepower through a four-speed manual transmission. Its official top speed is around 115 km/h.

Approximately 140,000 Volkswagen 181s were built over the years at plants in Wolfsburg and Hannover, Germany; Puebla, Mexico; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Civilian sales ended after the 1980 model year, but several organizations, including NATO, continued to purchase military-spec units through 1983, finding their reliability and low purchase and maintenance costs attractive.

Nowadays, the 181 is still on duty as a colourful shuttle for tourists in countries like Indonesia. In North America, it is rarely seen outside the sunny states of Florida and California, but those who spot it give it a thumbs-up or call out its American nickname, the Thing.