`73 Volkswagen The Thing: What Else Can You Say?!

Last fall, my client hired me to appraise his recently restored 1973 Volkswagen Type 181, better known as “The Thing.” The Type 181 was developed for use by the West German military in 1969 and was partly based on the World War II era Type 182 “Kubelwagen.” In the United States, The Thing was available during the 1973 and 1974 model years with about 25,000 units being sold. But The Thing was dropped for 1975 because it could not meet new and stricter American safety standards. Like the Volkswagen “Beetle,” The Thing featured a rear-mounted flat four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, manual steering, manual drum brakes, and front and rear torsion bar suspension.