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Volkswagen Thing Gets The EV Treatment From Icon 4x4

Back when Dieselgate wasn’t even a thing and electric vehicles were more sci-fi than reality, Volkswagen was a one-trick pony. From the Beetle to the Transporter, Karmann Ghia to the Type 3, the German automaker’s main means of propulsion was a flat-four naturally aspirated engine with a pushrod valvetrain. And naturally, even the unfortunately named Thing has one of those mills.
Icon 4x4 Derelict WildThing Volkswagen Thing EV conversion 6 photos
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
Icon 4x4 Derelict WildThing Volkswagen Thing EV conversionIcon 4x4 Derelict WildThing Volkswagen Thing EV conversionIcon 4x4 Derelict WildThing Volkswagen Thing EV conversionIcon 4x4 Derelict WildThing Volkswagen Thing EV conversionIcon 4x4 Derelict WildThing Volkswagen Thing EV conversion
Essentially the U.S. version of the Type 181, the Thing was (and still is) a freak of nature. Sold from 1972 to 1975 in the land of the free and the home of the brave, the Thing never quite captured the imagination of the general public for one too many reasons. But as it happens, the military-turned-civilian vehicle still has its fans in a market dominated by sport utility vehicles.

Icon 4x4’s Jonathan Ward is one of those few people who keep the flame alive, albeit with a bit of a twist to the original recipe. Instead of the trademark air-cooled sound one would expect from a Thing, the yellow-painted example in the following video is as silent as a feather in the wind.

Dubbed WildThing, the Californian shop swapped out the original 1.6-liter flat-four and in came an AM Racing electric motor. Developed by Zelectric, it’s rated at 180 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. And that’s a lot for a car as light as the Thing. A 40-kWh battery will have to make do, which is just about the same capacity as the range-topping 2017 Renault Zoe has to offer.

The performance is surprising, to say the least. Given these circumstances, it became clear to Icon 4x4's founder that the chassis also needs some tender loving care. And so, a more modern suspension system and a set of disc brakes for the front axle were added to the mix. Pretty straightforward stuff.

From a visual standpoint, there isn't much to differentiate the WildThing from the Thing. Highlights include different headlights, an aftermarket top, leather on the seats, and a digital instrument cluster with analog looks.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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