The Volkswagen Gol, alongside the Voyage, had its production officially terminated by the German automaker this December and, in 2023, will no longer be manufactured. With that, the hatch that reigned in the country for more than four decades joined a select group of the brand’s most iconic cars, not only inside, but also outside Brazil.
Due to the duo’s retirement, the canaltech decided to put together the 10 most iconic Volkswagen cars of all time in a list. Some of them didn’t even drive around here, but they are still remembered by the specialized media as cars that marked an era in their countries.
10. Beetle (Beetle)
Fourth best-selling car in the world of all time, the Beetle, or Beetle, as it is called outside Brazil, opens the list of 10 iconic cars in the history of Volkswagen. And he was so present that he even became a Hollywood movie star, in the eternal franchise Herbie, If My Beetle Could Talk.
The Beetle had more than 24 million units sold between 1938 and 2019, the year in which the last New Beetle left the plant located in the city of Puebla, Mexico. There were three generations, all very well received by the public in the four corners of the planet.
The original Beetle was discontinued because it was considered obsolete, and the New Beetle, despite good sales, was expensive compared to direct and more modern rivals.
9. golf
The Volkswagen Golf was born in 1974 precisely as a derivative of the Beetle. After traveling around Europe for several generations, it arrived in Brazil in 1999 and, until 2020, when it stopped being manufactured and sold here, it accumulated impressive numbers.
The Golf had more than 35 million units sold in history, and the GTI version, the sportiest of all, took the brand to another level. The first Golf GTi was launched in 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and impressed by accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 9 seconds.
8. Kombi
The eighth place in our list of 10 iconic Volkswagen cars goes to another model that is well known here in Brazil. The Kombi was considered by the German brand itself as a symbol of the manufacturer in the 1960s.
In Brazil, the model, also called “Corujinha”, ceased to be produced in its combustion generation in December 2013. The main reason was the change in the law, which now requires cars to install ABS brakes and of dual airbags.
The Kombi has recently “resurrected”, in a completely new version, both in design and technology. The new model is 100% electric and has a price compatible with all the modernity that surrounds the so-called ID.Buzz.
7. Scirocco
Finally, we arrive at one of the 10 iconic Volkswagen cars that were not launched in Brazil. The Scirocco was even considered here shortly before being retired, but problems at the factory in Argentina, where it would be produced, ended up making the German automaker’s plan unfeasible.
The coupé, which visually resembled the Passat, had three distinct generations in its 43 years of life. The first of them was based on the Golf platform and was on the international market between 1974 and 1981. The second, with some updates, was sold until 1992, while the third and last one reappeared in 2008 and spent less than a decade on the streets, finally leaving line in 2017.
6. Karmann-Ghia
The Karmann–Ghia was our choice to occupy the sixth place among the 10 most iconic cars in the history of Volkswagen. The model was launched in 1962 and was considered a coupé with a refined interior, initially thought to replace the Beetle.
Equipped with a 1,200 engine with 30 horsepower, it gained a version with a 1,500 engine in 1967, when it started to offer 44 hp to the driver. The Karmann-Ghia had two more variants, one with a 1,600-horsepower engine and another with a power of 65 hp, called the Karmann-Ghia TC, a Brazilian imitation of the Porsche.
5. Passat
Car of German origin that inspired the creation of the Gol in Brazil, the Passat was successful inside and outside the country, and until today it is proudly displayed by collectors and restorers of old cars who get the privilege of getting their hands on a unit of this car which had eight generations between 1973 and 2021.
The car was built on three distinct platforms (hatch, sedan and station wagon), all always combining attractive design, good powertrain and performance, like the TS variant, pictured below. And why was the Passat discontinued by Volkswagen? Due to the growth of public interest in a new type of car, the so-called SUVs.
4. Variant
We reached fourth place among the 10 most iconic Volkswagen cars with yet another model that has undergone several transformations over the years and, today, is no longer with us. We are talking about the Variant.
The Variant was chosen to join this select group because it was the first station wagon to be launched in Brazil, at the end of the 1960s. It was active in the country until the mid-1970s, when it started to lose market to another model from own brand, Brasilia. The arrival of competitors such as the Ford Corcel, at the same time, also accelerated the definitive departure from the scene.
3. Brasilia
A music star can’t stay out of the podium among the 10 most iconic Volkswagen cars, right? We’re talking about the Yellow Brasília, or rather, the Brasília, a car that was immortalized as part of the song’s lyrics. Pelados in Santosby Grupo Mamonas Assassinas, released in 1995 and which became the third most played song on radio stations in the country that year.
The Brasília (yellow or not) was launched by Volkswagen in 1973, at the request of the president of the automaker in Brazil, Rudolph Leiding, who wanted to see a popular compact model in the country developed on the same platform as the Beetle (and more modern than the Variant). .
At the time of launch, Brasília had a 1.6-liter air-cooled 4-cylinder engine, which gave the driver a power of 60 horsepower. The force was capable of pushing the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 23 seconds, an eternity for today, but an impressive feat for the moment it appeared on the market.
The model began to undergo changes to modernize and become more powerful, such as the adoption of a system with two carburettors, which increased its power to 65 horsepower. In 1976, it won the first 4-door version, which was even exported to Nigeria and the Philippines.
Brasília left the market in 1982, with more than 1 million units sold.
2. 1600TL
The penultimate car separated by the reportage of the canaltech it’s the 1600 TL. He is also considered an icon for having formed, alongside the Beetle and the Kombi, the strength of Volkswagen in Brazil until the launch of the Passat here, around 1974.
The Volkswagen 1600 TL was very popular in Brazil, and its rectangular shapes gave the brave German representative a very peculiar nickname: “Zé do Caixão”. Also called “4-door Beetle”, it had a 1600 (obviously) 4-cylinder air-cooled engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. Discontinued in 1975.
1. Goal and Voyage
Let’s close the list of 10 iconic Volkswagen cars with not one, but two models that were practically born together, and also left the market hand in hand: the aforementioned Gol and Voyage.
The hatch, launched in 1980, dominated the market for 27 consecutive years, had eight different generations, in addition to several special series. It was even the first car in Brazil to adopt electronic injection technology, in the 1988 GTI model.
The sedan, derived from the Gol, also left a remarkable legacy since it appeared for the first time, in May 1981. The “brother of the Gol” had a 1.5 engine and only two doors. It was only with the updated versions that the car gained a new design and started to offer the four-door variant.
The last version for sale of the Voyage, which will leave the market as soon as stocks run out, has a 1.0-cylinder three-cylinder engine under the hood, which delivers 84 hp of power and 10.4 kgfm of torque when fueled with ethanol. When running on gasoline, power drops to 75 horsepower and torque is reduced to 9.7 kgfm. The engine works in conjunction with a five-speed manual transmission.
So, what do you think, canaltechers? Do you remember any other iconic Volkswagen cars? Comment with us on our social networks if we have forgotten any.
