Volkswagen Thing Parts

About Volkswagen Thing

The Volkswagen Thing is a vehicle sold in the United States for the 1973 and 1974 model years. It was only named the Thing in North America, elsewhere it was referred to as the Trekker, Safari, or simply by its model number the Type 181 (182 for right hand drive models). The Thing was marketed as a durable off road utility vehicle, some countries even purchased them for military use. Volkswagen emphasized this by promoting the fact that the bare interior could be hosed out, and tried to advertise the Thing to compete against the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. In reality, the Thing was two wheel drive and sported fully independent suspension making it nearly impossible to match the Toyota's off road capabilities; it was horribly underpowered as well. While sharing many parts with the type 1 Beetle made the vehicle simple to maintain and repair, easy to find parts for, and extremely reliable, sharing the same 46 horsepower air-cooled engine was not good for moving the heavier vehicle; acceleration from 0-60mph took over 23 seconds. Performance and brute power were not what attracted America's youth to the Thing, however. With its convertible top, folding windshield, and its super-bizarre styling, the Thing was quirky enough to spark great interest. Unfortunately the Thing was very overpriced for what it was with a price tag similar to many sports cars of the era. This hurt sales greatly because most young people simply couldn't afford it, and with its dull performance, the ones that could afford it generally spent their money on something more exciting. With the issue of price and the strict new safety regulations, the Thing was pulled from the American market after just two years; about 25,000 were imported to the US total.

Volkswagen Thing Parts at FCP Euro

Here at FCP Euro we're proud to offer you a selection of Volkswagen Thing parts to help you keep your Thing on the road for many more years of enjoyment. Our Volkswagen Thing catalog has the parts you need to keep your Thing in smooth running condition, and all of our VW parts are covered by a quality and fitment guarantee as well as a one year warranty to ensure your satisfaction. Your Thing is a unique and rare vehicle, treat it right and stay on top of maintenance so it can continue to turn heads well into the future!