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Ernst Fiala - midwife for the VW Golf

Name: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL 1954
Brand: Mercedes-Benz

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Created on September 16, 2019

Text:

Thomas Suter

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Werk/ Volkswagen

Archiv Radical Mag / Peter Ruch

Volkswagen / Autostadt

Volkswagen

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Werk/ Volkswagen

Archiv Radical Mag / Peter Ruch

Volkswagen / Autostadt

Volkswagen

Archiv

There is sometimes not much between success and failure, says Ernst Fiala

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Ernst Fiala discussing over coffee and cake

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Fiala also had to give his approval for the Audi quattro, but during the first test drive it bumped and bounced around the bend in the parking garage, Fiala recalls

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Ernst Fiala is still following developments in automotive engineering

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Even at over ninety, Ernst Fiala has not lost his sense of humor

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Ernst Fiala was always open to innovation

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Even today, Ernst Fiala keeps a watchful eye on developments in passenger car construction

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Ernst Fiala shows where he put his hand on a golf forerunner

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The Golf would certainly not have been a success that way, says Ernst Fiala at the computer

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1954) - pre-production model of the famous sports car with open gullwing doors

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Sigma Grand Prix (1969) - developed by Pininfarina in collaboration with Automobil Revue - at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show

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Sigma Grand Prix (1969) - ceremonial presentation of the safety F1 car by Pininfarina at the press conference - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Sigma Grand Prix (1969) - large-format phantom drawings by Theo Page show the interior - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Sigma Grand Prix (1969) - much-discussed safety racing car by Pininfarina / Automobil Revue - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Sigma Grand Prix (1969) - Safety F1 car with Ferrari V12 engine by Pininfarina and Automobil Revue - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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VW ESVW I (1972) - safety vehicle (Techno Classica 2018)

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VW K70 (1970) - the first water-cooled Volkswagen - Retro Classics Stuttgart 2019

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VW Golf (1972) - early studies for the later million-seller

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VW Golf (1973) - in this drawing you can almost see the series Golf

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Still with expensive angular headlights, Giugiaro's design won the favor of the VW board of management.

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VW Golf (1974) - the million-seller and thus probably Giugiaro's most popular design

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VW Golf LS (1974) - the five-door version of the originally fastest Golf

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VW Golf LS (1974) - unadulterated Giugiaro design

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Not cheap but good. The Golf at its premiere at the 1974 London Motor Show.

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The top-of-the-range Golf. The Golf-based Scirocco made its debut back in 1973 to prepare sales for the Golf.

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Speed measurements on the Ingoldstadt-Munich route in 1958 - discussions among experts

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1957) - during the top speed measurements in November 1958

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Summary

Without Professor Ernst Fiala, the VW Golf would probably not have had the success that made it one of the best-selling cars. In fact, the German car industry might have developed differently, as Fiala worked not only at Volkswagen, but also at Mercedes-Benz. With his broad knowledge and extensive experience, he made cars safer and paved the way to success for new concepts such as the Audi quattro. In this interview, Ernst Fiala recalls important stages in his life and shares his opinion on past and present automotive developments.

This article contains the following chapters

Successor sought for the Beetle
Midwife for the Golf
From the textile machine to the combustion engine
Work on the Gullwing
Active in security research
Refinements brought success to the Golf
K70, Polo, Passat, Jetta, Scirocco ... and Audi quattro
Differing opinions on the Golf III
Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala about Robert Braunschweig
Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala on Enzo Ferrari
Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala on Giorgio Giugiaro
Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala on his time at Mercedes
Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala and the rust
Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala on autonomous driving and the future of the car
Ernst Fiala and his cars
Ernst Fiala and the grand piano
Profile of Prof. Dr. Ernst Fiala

Estimated reading time: 13min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The VW Beetle, the main features of which were designed before the Second World War, was getting on in years by the end of the 1960s at the latest. The Volkswagen management did not have many new ideas and stuck to old concepts. The VW 1500 as an extension of the model range into the middle class did not bring the Group the expected success; the "TL" model for "touring saloon" was even ridiculed by the public as a "sad solution". The sales figures for its successor, the 411, left much to be desired and the car was derided as a "coati". The competition was fierce - Volkswagen had missed out on trends, not least because director Heinrich Nordhoff stuck to the Beetle concept and his successor Kurt Lotz was not exactly bursting with new ideas either.

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