These could have been successors to the Volkswagen Beetle

To get straight to the point: no, we haven’t tracked down all the cars. Between 1948 and 1969, Volkswagen built numerous design studies, prototypes and zero-series models that could have led to a Beetle successor. However, the majority of the approximately 70 cars that were built ended up in the scrap press. A handful of cars have been preserved, as witnesses to the dramas that took place behind the scenes at VW. It was not until May 18, 1969 that it became clear which course the group would choose when the management gave the green light for development order (‘Entwicklungsauftrag’) EA 337. This car would eventually end up in the showroom as a Golf. This was a true palace revolution, because until that time VW had only built cars according to the Beetle principle, such as the Typ 3 and Typ 4, the Bulli and the Fridolin, the Karmann-Ghia and the Typ 181. these models air-cooled boxer engines. With the exception of the VW-Porsche 914, they all also had a rear-mounted engine.

EA47: cross between Beetle and Karmann-Ghia

The EA 47 looks like a cross between a Beetle and a Karmann-Ghia, its elegant bodywork was actually designed by Ghia. When he appeared on the scene in 1955, he had everything it took to become a success. However, influential Volkswagen employees whispered to VW boss Nordhoff (1899-1968) that the car was ‘expensive’. The model was equipped with a swing axle with a subframe, just like a Mercedes 190. And a self-supporting body. Plus a further developed boxer engine in the stern. Imagine what all that cost! Nordhoff was hunting wild animals in Africa at the time, but he stopped the project from his vacation address. And that while Ludwig Boehner, head of technical development at Volkswagen, had such high expectations. The model was blessed with comfortable driving characteristics and a clearly more spacious space than the Beetle. It looked quite similar, but it was a much better car. Perhaps those external similarities were the reason why this model did not make it.

EA 48: front wheel drive

The EA 48, which was developed as early as 1953, could also have become a blockbuster. The EA 48 received a self-supporting body with a halved Beetle boxer engine (two cylinders, 600 cc) for the front axle. The entire front part of the car hinged forward when you had to reach the engine – a so-called flip front, and that back in 1953! The model was also equipped with a true technical revolution: the still relatively new independent McPherson suspension was combined with front-wheel drive.

Again, however, Nordhoff allowed himself to be persuaded, this time under great pressure from politicians. In 1955, the German Minister of Economic Affairs Ludwig Erhard invited Nordhoff to come for coffee, and not just to chat. Carl Borgward had heard of the EA 48 plans and he was not amused. He had told the minister that thousands of people would lose their jobs if the EA 48 prevented anyone from buying the models of the Borgward brands Lloyd and Goliath. According to the minister, this would not benefit anyone, not Borgward and neither would the German state. Even though the EA 48, which would be called the Volkswagen 600, performed well in the secret tests, Nordhoff nevertheless stopped development of the 18 hp ‘strong’ car that, with its top speed of 80 km/h, was in the segment below that of the Beetle could have been successful. Despite all efforts to eliminate the competition, the Borgward group went bankrupt six years later, with the Goliath and Lloyd brands disappearing from view.

EA 97: Simca 1000 as a source of inspiration

In 1957, development of the EA 97 began, the first designs of which closely resembled the Beetle – and that was a miss. Then VW’s chief designer Harmut Engel mapped the dimensions of the then brand-new Simca 1000 with one of the first computers, to use it as a ‘source of inspiration’ in the development of his own model.

Actually, the modern EA 97 was not supposed to be bigger than the Simca and the Beetle, but ‘somewhere’ it went wrong. As a result, the car with its widened and rounded Karmann-Ghia chassis became much too large to serve as a Beetle successor. The sales department then came to the conclusion that the Volkswagen 1500 Typ 3 was already an alternative for people who were done with the Beetle. The management in Wolfsburg then did their best to sell the EA 97 in the Eastern Bloc, but that did not work either.

VW do Brasil took over the production of the model in 1966/1967. The machines and tools required for this were shipped to South America – now nothing could go wrong. Then the boat sank… A year later the ship was salvaged and the model was still built, as VW 1600 do Brasil.

EA 128: battleship with six-cylinder Porsche engine

And then we have the EA 128 that looks impressive with its length of 4.72 meters. With its six seats, leather upholstery, Pininfarina styling and two-liter six-cylinder Porsche engine in the back, it should have made life miserable for the American competitor Chevrolet Corvair as a Limousine and as a Variant.

However, the Corvair with its rear-mounted air-cooled engine already made life miserable for itself with its left-handed driving behavior, so it no longer needed a competitor. “And Volkswagen did not dare to introduce a model in the top segment at the time,” said former VW boss Carl H. Hahn later.

A shame, because the model makes a successful impression, both externally and technically it is refined and as a prototype it is already very neatly finished.

EA 158: Beetle successor named Swift

Despite its compact size, this VW bears striking similarities with the Lancia Fulvia Coupé from 1962. The Farina brothers who formed Pininfarina were amazed when they saw what VW chief designer Hartmut Engel had done with their Swift. They had drawn him with some headlights. In the end, you will recognize the roofline of the 411 in the ‘Swift’ that goes into production.

311 Special

The 311 Spezial looks as seductive in his eyes as Gina Lollobrigida. However, the VW remained unique, only one copy was built.

EA276: space wonder that didn’t get space

The EA 276 was very modern at the time, with its tailgate and two box design. Only its front-mounted, but still air-cooled engine was obsolete. The Golf had the better papers.

EA 266: Piëch’s first defeat

The EA 266 developed by Ferdinand Piëch, who was still working at Porsche at the time, was a flop. Its underfloor engines quickly overheated, tanks failed in US crash tests, and it shared no technical components with other models. Shortly before series production started, the plug was pulled from the ambitious project.

This is an abridged version of a story previously published in AutoWeek Classics 02 2022.