SyncroHead@AOL.COM wrote: > > In a message dated 98-07-15 18:24:40 EDT, kennedy@FDU.EDU writes: > > > Consensus of past conversations, list and elsewhere, is that > > VW never did six cylinder engines from the factory, altho as > > Joel has documented, Oettinger did a brutally expensive > > aftermarket six with Vanagon pistons. > > I'm not certain where I heard this, but I understand that this engine was > designed by VW who decided not to use it. Oettinger then bought the tooling > and the rights to produce the engine. Too bad VW never did a proper 6 > cylinder Vanagon. I figure a few improvements to the Vanagon and it would > have survived another 5-6 years and sold better than the Eurovan. Isn't the biggest marketing problem with the Vanagon that it cannot have air-bags? They are now a requirement, so is side-impact protection. These changes probably meant it would have been as expensive to retrofit them as to design a new vehicle. Ever wondered why they still make many of the old vehicles for sale overseas - they dont have all the USA regulations. |
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