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1973 Volkswagen Thing Likely Has Summer Road Trips Written All Over Its Orange Body

Born late during the 1960s as the civilian version of the West German Army-designed Volkswagen 181, the Thing went by many alternate names depending on its sales market. At home it was the Kurierwagen, in Italy it was nicknamed the Pescaccia, while Mexico aptly called it a Safari.
1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer 22 photos
Photo: Bring a Trailer
1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer1973 Volkswagen Thing for sale by McKenna_Collection on Bring a Trailer
All of the names are great but calling something the Volkswagen Thing is so much more inherently cool. And not just because it reminds us of both “The Addams Family” and John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” But never mind the popular culture connections because this ‘73 screams for summer road trip attention from all of its orange pores!

According to the description provided on Bring a Trailer, the 1973 VW Thing was purchased by the current seller (a Norwalk, California-based dealer going by the username of McKenna_Collection) more than a decade ago. It allegedly spent part of the roaring 2010s in storage and only emerged to undergo a “cosmetic and mechanical refurbishment.”

These two are probably the main reasons why the vehicle looks pristine, proudly sporting its orange repaint and black soft top along with the white-painted 15-inch wheels. Just over 19k (almost 31,000 km) miles are shown on the odometer, but unfortunately, they are of the dreadful TMU (total mileage unknown) variety. And one also needs to consider the dealer has a salvage California title for this particular Volkswagen.

On the other hand, it could be a great classic car companion to a merry band of cheerful summer road trip aficionados. It doesn’t seem to need much in terms of mechanical adjustments and arrives at the party with a 1.6-liter flat-four that’s mated to a four-speed manual transaxle gearbox. Inside there’s a soft-top matching black vinyl upholstery and very few comfort creatures – among them being a Pioneer stereo audio system, as well as slatted wood floorboards.

The latter are great for taking them out on the beach in case you want to shower on the spot if you ask us... Kidding aside, there are just two more days before the auction ends, and the current highest bid has only reached $14k.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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