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VW 1500 Variant on Europe's highest pass - the somewhat different vehicle test

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Created on August 1, 1962

Reading time 5min

Written by:

Hugo Schöttle

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Archiv

11

Archiv

11

VW 1500 Variant (1962) - mit etwas Brot lassen sich die Tiere von der Strasse locken - weiter geht die Fahrt

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VW 1500 Variant (1962) - auf der Passhöhe

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VW 1500 Variant (1962) - vollgepackt und vollgetankt

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VW 1500 Variant (1962) - auf anspruchsvoller Testfahrt

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VW 1500 Variant (1962) - am Camp Restefond - auf 2'800 Metern

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VW 1500 S Variant (1964) - die Kombiversion im Profil

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VW 1500 Variant (1961) - Kombiheck beim Variant

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VW 1500 S Variant (1964) - Familienauto

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VW 1500 Variant (1963) - praktische Vorteile des Kombihecks

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VW 1500 Variant (1963) - die Kombiversion am Genfer Automobilsalon

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VW 1500 Variant (1962) - Schnittmodell - gezeigt am Genfer Automobilsalon

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Summary

Driving over mountain passes was still a real adventure in the 1960s and a dreaded ordeal for many a vehicle. No wonder the 'hobby' makers came up with the idea of combining the ascent of the Col de la Bonette with a car test. The VW 1500 Variant was put through its paces. This article reproduces the original wording of the test and adventure report of the time and supplements the magazine illustrations with factory photos from the period.

This article contains the following chapters

Economical use of gasoline
All solidly built
Too little ground clearance?
Full steam ahead - Porsche with rucksack
Brakes and heating at their best
Test results

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The night is not just for sleeping! From St. Mark's Church in Stuttgart, ten muffled chimes ring through the city, which is just going to sleep. But we are in the process of loading the VW Variant up to the roof with luggage. 375 kilos of payload (without driver) are permitted, which is quite a lot if you pack cleverly. Then we puzzle out who will be the first of our three-man test team to press the starter button. This little game marks the start of an exciting adventure that will take us over the highest pass in Europe, the 2860-meter-high Col de la Bonette, whose fame is only a summer old. The new pass road, about which hardly anything was known until now, shortens the distance from Barcelonnette in the French Maritime Alps to Nice by 80 kilometers. The pass collectors among our drivers, who have a new and exciting challenge awaiting them here, will be interested to know that the Col de l'Iseran, with its 2769 meters, has been dethroned as the highest road in Europe. Even the famous road over the Stelvio Pass cannot compete with it.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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