Volkswagen Type 4
The Volkswagen Type 4 was a mid-sized 2 or 4-door saloon or 2-door estate built by Volkswagen (VW) of Germany. It was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October 1968[3] and withdrawn from sale in 1974.
The Type 4 was larger than the Volkswagen Type 3 and had a more powerful engine (1.7 - 1.8 litres, as opposed to 1.5 - 1.6 for the Type 3). The Type 3 and Type 4 were the last of the company's air-cooled models apart from the vanagon Type 2 bus range which continued until 1983 (and had an updated version of the type 4 fuel injected engine), and followed on from the Volkswagen Type 1 ("Beetle"). They were succeeded by the massively successful Golf/Rabbit and Dasher/Passat.
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Features
1971 Volkswagen 411LE.The Type 4 introduced many firsts to the Volkswagen range. These included: unibody construction, MacPherson strut front suspension, rear suspension with coil springs and trailing wishbones, a hydraulic clutch (for models equipped with a manual transmission), and one of the first fully automatic transmissions (the first was in the 1969 Type 3 models) in a Volkswagen. (Previous cars had used an automatic (vacuum-actuated) clutch, but gears still had to be changed manually.) The Type 4 was also Volkswagen's first 4-door car. The MacPherson strut front suspension was later successfully employed in the 1302/1303 ("Super Beetle").
The Type 4's battery was located under the driver's seat. In the rear of the car was located a gasoline-operated heater (an Eberspächer BA4) that was fired by a glow plug accessible from a hidden rear window deck plate.
Models
1968 Volkswagen 411 4-door saloon. 1968 models, without fuel injected motors, are distinguished by their unusually shaped single headlamp covers.The Type 4 was marketed as the Volkswagen 411, produced from 1968 to 1972, and, modestly improved, as the 412 from 1972 till 1974. Both ranges included a fastback saloon and an estate version. The car at launch came with a 1679 cc twin carburettor engine: just one year later, in 1969, this was replaced with a fuel injected unit, increasing claimed power output from 68 to 80 bhp (60 kW), and making this one of the first mass production vehicles to include the feature — along with the Volkswagen Type 3, which also had received electronic fuel injection in 1968. Fuel injection was indicated by the suffix letter 'E' (for Einspritzung) in the model's name: the 411E's 80 bhp (60 kW) engine was shared with the mid-engined Porsche 914 also launched in 1969. The most obvious visual change in 1969 was the replacement of single rectangular headlights, behind windcheating covers, with uncovered twin headlights
1974 Volkswagen 412 estate.The Volkswagen 412, featuring a slightly larger, 1795 cc engine, replaced the 411 in August 1972[4] in Germany, and was subsequently rolled out to export markets. Fuel feed reverted to a twin carburettor system.[1] Halogen lights were fitted[4], the headlight surround was reshaped and the nose panels were redesigned, to give the car a slightly less bland look.
The design of the Volkswagen 412 Variant was followed when the Volkswagen Brasilia was produced in Brazil, primarily for the Latin American markets.
Sales and marketing
Even after five years of disappointing sales, no attempt was made to have the car compete on price, suggesting that the Type 4 was probably not particularly cheap to produce. In February 1974 on the domestic market the 4-door 412L was priced at DM 10,995 (DM 11,145 for the 412 LS).[1] The price setter in the sector was probably the Opel Rekord which was offered in 1700 cc guise for DM 10,823, itself fractionally undercut by the Ford Consul 1700 at DM 10,740.[1] The West German government was at this time cultivating currency stability, and from across the Upper Rhine the 1800 cc Peugeot 504 L was offered at a challenging DM 10,195.[1] Unfortunately, however, even in its home country, the verdict of the market place did not support Volkswagen's evident belief that the 412 deserved to command a price premium on account of its Volkswagen qualities.
During a six year production span, just 367,728 Type 4s were produced. That was better than the 210,082 achieved by the contemporary Volkswagen K70 (which effectively had only a four year model life). Nevertheless, Type 4 sales levels must have been disappointing when set against the volumes achieved by the Type 1 (Beetle) and Type 3 models. The domestic market dominance of GM's Opel Rekord, its production running at about 300,000 cars annually, was not seriously threatened by Volkswagen's 411/412 in the family sedan sector.
In the United States, where the Type 4 was on sale for four seasons, it was regarded as too underpowered. The Type 4 was in fact a sales disaster in the U.S., selling only 117,110 units over a four-year-period.
Popular perception
In contemporary German vernacular, the 411 was called "Nasenbär" ("coati") or "Vier Türen elf Jahre zu spät", meaning "four doors coming eleven years too late" because it was Volkswagen's first 4-door sedan. [citation needed]. (The Opel Rekord had been offered with four doors only since 1959 while its Vauxhall counterparts were always four-door-only, and starting in 1957 Auto Union had offered a four door version of their small family sedan.)
The powerplant lived on
Main article: Volkswagen air cooled engineWhile the Type 4 was discontinued in 1974 when sales dropped, its engine became the power plant for Volkswagen Type 2s ("Kombis") produced from 1972 to 1979: it continued in modified form in the later "Vanagon" which was air-cooled from 1980 until mid-1983. The engine that superseded the Type 4 engine in late 1983 retained Volkswagen Type 1 architecture, yet featured water-cooled cylinder heads and cylinder jackets. The Wasserboxer, VW speak for a water-cooled, opposed-cylinder (flat or boxer engine), did not enjoy the reputation for longevity that the original air-cooled design had forged. From the very start, the engine suffered cylinder-to-head sealing problems, mostly due to galvanic corrosion, often a result of slack maintenance schedules. Volkswagen discontinued the engine in 1992, upon the introduction of the Eurovan.
Data
Technical data Volkswagen Type 4 [5] (Manufacturer's figures except where stated)| Volkswagen 411 / 412 | 411 2 or 4-door saloon | 411 E/ LE 2 or 4-door saloon Variant (3-door estate) | 412 E/LE 2 or 4-door saloon Variant (3-door estate) | 412 2 or 4-door saloon Variant (3-door estate) | 412 S 2 or 4-door saloon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produced: | 1968•1969 | 1969•1972 | 1972•1973 | 1973•1974 | 1973•1974 | |
| Engine: | Four stroke 4 cylinder boxer motor, rear-mounted | |||||
| Displacement: | 1679 cc | 1679 cc | 1679 cc | 1795 cc | 1795 cc | |
| Bore x Stroke: | 90 x 66 | 90 x 66 | 90 x 66 | 93 x 66 | 93 x 66 | |
| Max. Power @ rpm: | 68 hp (51 kW) @ 4500 | 80 hp (60 kW) @ 4900 | 80 hp (60 kW) @ 4900 | 75 hp (56 kW) @ 5000 | 85 hp (63 kW) @ 5000 | |
| Max. Torque @ rpm: | 124 N•m (91 lb•ft) @ 2800 | 132 N•m (97 lb•ft) @ 2700 | 132 N•m (97 lb•ft) @ 2700 | 129 N•m (95 lb•ft) @ 3400 | 135 N•m (100 lb•ft) @ 3400 | |
| Compression Ratio: | 7.8 : 1 | 8.2 : 1 | 8.2 : 1 | - | - | |
| Fuel feed: | Twin carburettors Solex 34 PDSIT | Electronic Fuel Injection Bosch D-Jetronic | Twin carburettors Solex 40 PDSIT | |||
| Fuel tank capacity: | 50 L (13.2 US gal; 11.0 imp gal) | |||||
| Valvetrain: | ||||||
| Cooling: | Air | |||||
| Gearbox: | 4-speed all-synchromesh manual with floor mounted lever control & rear wheel drive Optional 3-speed automatic | |||||
| Electrical system: | 12 volt | |||||
| Front suspension: | Independent. MacPherson Struts | |||||
| Rear suspension:: | Independent. Semi-trailing arms with double joint axles and coil springs | |||||
| Brakes: | From discs / rear drums: Optional power assistance | |||||
| Steering: | Recirculating ball | |||||
| Body structure: | Monocoque | |||||
| Dry weight: | 1,020 kg (2,200 lb) - 1,080 kg (2,400 lb) ( 2-door) 1,040 kg (2,300 lb) - 1,100 kg (2,400 lb) ( 4-door) 1,120 kg (2,500 lb) ( Variant) | 1,080 kg (2,400 lb) ( 2-door) 1,100 kg (2,400 lb) ( 4-door) 1,120 kg (2,500 lb) ( Variant) | ||||
| Track front/ rear: | 1,376 mm (54.2 in) 1,342 mm (52.8 in) | 1,376 mm (54.2 in) 1,342 mm (52.8 in) | 1,386 mm (54.6 in) 1,350 mm (53 in) | 1,386 mm (54.6 in) 1,350 mm (53 in) | 1,386 mm (54.6 in) 1,350 mm (53 in) | |
| Wheelbase: | 2,500 mm (98 in) | |||||
| Length: | 4,553 mm (179.3 in) Saloon 4,525 mm (178.1 in) Variant | 4,583 mm (180.4 in) Saloon 4,555 mm (179.3 in) Variant | ||||
| Width: | 1,636 mm (64.4 in) | |||||
| Height: | 1,486 mm (58.5 in) | |||||
| Top Speeds ........Manual: ....Automatic: | 145 km/h (90 mph) 142 km/h (88 mph) | 155 km/h (96 mph) 152 km/h (94 mph) | 155 km/h (96 mph) 152 km/h (94 mph) | 150 km/h (93 mph) 147 km/h (91 mph) | 158 km/h (98 mph) 155 km/h (96 mph) | |
| Acceleration 0 • 100 km/h (0 - 62 mph) ........Manual: ....Automatic: | 18.0 s 21.0 s | 17.0 s 20.0 s | 17.0 s 20.0 s | 16.5 s 20.0 s | 14.5 s 17.5 s | |
Sources and further reading
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Test VW 412 LS". Auto Motor u. Sport Heft 3 1974: Seite 40•48. date 2 Februar 1974.
- ^ Daily Express Motor Show Review 1969 on 1970 Cars (London: Daily Express Newspaper): Page 59 (VW 411E). October 1969.
- ^ "News and Views: What's new at Paris". Autocar 129 (nbr 3790): page 59. date 3 October 1968.
- ^ a b "Neues vom Markt: Neuer 412: Sicherer, schoener und komfortabler". Auto Zeitung Nbr 17 1972: Seite 4. date 12 August 1972.
- ^ Oswald, Werner (2003). Deutsche Autos 1945-1975, Band 4. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-613-02116-1, Pages. 62-65..
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Volkswagen Type 4 |
| v • d • Volkswagen Passenger Cars timeline, European market, 1950•1979 — a marque of the Volkswagen Group — next » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| type / class | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| economy car | . . . Beetle (Type 1) . . . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| supermini | Polo Mk1 . . . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Derby Mk1 . . . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| small family car | Type 3 | Golf Mk1 . . . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| large family car | Type 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| K70 (NSU) | Passat Mk1 . . . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| coupé | Karmann Ghia | Scirocco I . . . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type 34 Karmann Ghia | VW-Porsche 914 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| utility vehicle | Type 181 Kurierwagen/Trekker . . . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| founder: Deutsche Arbeitsfront • Volkswagen corporate website • A marque of the Volkswagen Group | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v • d • Volkswagen Passenger Cars timeline, North American market, 1950•1979 — a marque of the Volkswagen Group — next » | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type / class | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| economy | Beetle (Type 1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| compact | Fastback / Squareback (Type 3) | Rabbit I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dasher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| mid-size | Type 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| K70 (NSU) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| coupé | Karmann Ghia | Scirocco I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| convertible | Beetle Convertible | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Karmann Ghia Convertible | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| van | Microbus (Type 2 - T1) | Microbus (Type 2 - T2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| utility | 181 Thing / Safari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| founder: Deutsche Arbeitsfront • Volkswagen corporate website • A marque of the Volkswagen Group • Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. • Volkswagen Group of America corporate website • North American Volkswagen engines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Categories: Volkswagen vehicles | Vehicles with boxer engines | Vehicles introduced in 1968
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