The Volkswagen LT was presented in Berlin in April 1975. The big brother of the Type 2 - already in production in its second generation at the time - extended the product range from Hanover upwards.
As the "Bulli" was not intended for very heavy loads, Volkswagen developed a model below the heavy trucks but above the Transporter to complement the product range: a load transporter in the 2.8 to 3.5 tonne segment. When it came to the name, the company from Lower Saxony remained cool and matter-of-fact. The cargotransportersimply became the model name: LT
The appendix contained the designations 28, 31 or 35 for the permissible gross weight of 2.8, 3.1 or 3.5 tons. As with the Transporter, Volkswagen listened to customers' wishes with the LT, so that it was available in two wheelbase and two roof variants right from the start. The space miracle was available as a panel van, estate, bus, flatbed, crew cab and as a chassis with cab.
In the run-up to development, it had been decided that the ratio of traffic space to usable space should be even better than in the rear-engined Transporter. To this end, the Volkswagen engineers designed a vehicle with the space-saving front-wheel-drive design of the Transporter and a front engine, which was positioned between the driver and passenger seats above the front axle. However, the rear axle was still driven.
Without the engine in the rear, the entire rear section was available as cargo space. And yet the LT remained compact: compared to the T2, the LT only grew by 34 cm in length and 30 cm in width. However, thanks to the new space concept, it offered over 50 percent more loading volume with 7.85 cubic meters of cargo space. Volkswagen was also proud of the ergonomics, which had previously been rather neglected in commercial vehicles. The cab was developed with the help of ergonomists. Thanks to this cooperation, for example, the controls were positioned close to the driver and a large windshield and extra-large exterior mirrors were installed.
An independent wheel suspension on the front axle, which was still not standard in the segment many years after the introduction of the LT, provided additional driving comfort. Initially, the load transporter was available with either a two-liter four-cylinder petrol engine from the Audi 100 (throttled to 55 kW/75 hp and adapted to operation in a commercial vehicle) or a 2.7-liter four-cylinder diesel engine from the English manufacturer Perkins with 48 kW (65 hp).
Volkswagen replaced it in 1979 with its first six-cylinder diesel engine. Although the new 2.4-liter diesel in the LT only produced eight hp more than its predecessor, it developed significantly more torque and ran extremely smoothly - so smoothly, in fact, that Volvo even installed this engine in the 240.
Like the Transporter, the LT received numerous model updates over the years. Here is an excerpt:
1983:
- Six-cylinder turbodiesel with 75 kW (102 hp). This made the LT the most powerful van in Europe
- Six-cylinder petrol engine with 66 kW (90 hp)
- Optimized installation position of the engine creates space for a third seat in the cab
- Redesigned dashboard
- Third wheelbase available for flatbeds up to 4.6 meters in length
1985:
- LT 55 with a gross weight of 5.6 tons
- LT 35 optionally available with a rear axle with single tires
- Selectable all-wheel drive
- Rectangular instead of the previous circular headlights
1993:
- New radiator grille and plastic elements in the tail light area
- Revised turbodiesel with intercooler and 70 kW (95 hp)
Due to its quality and reliability combined with its large usable area and compact dimensions, the LT quickly became a popular basis for motorhomes. Some of them are still on the roads around the world today. So it came as no surprise in 1988 that Volkswagen presented a motorhome based on the LT in addition to the compact "California" based on the T3: the "Florida" for four people and with a wet room.
After 21 years and over 470,000 LTs produced, the time was finally ripe for a successor in 1996.
