Prelude to the real thing
The Volkswagen Golf is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year and that is why Volkswagen is happy to look back on how it all started. As early as 1969 there was a car that could be seen as an important ancestor of the Golf, but was still not progressive enough.
The ancestor of the Volkswagen Golf is of course the Beetle, because the Golf arose from Volkswagen’s desire to come up with a more modern car that could take the place of the Beetle as everyone’s friend. Over the years, Volkswagen has repeatedly come up with ideas for a Beetle replacement. For example, in 1953 there was already a study model of a compact Volkswagen with the front engine, the EA 48. It would not be until 1969 that this design would be developed again in a way that was reasonably close to the Golf I.
This year, Volkswagen worked on the EA 276, which is parked next to the Golf I in the photo above. It almost looks like an Eastern European from the second half of the 1970s (did someone say Skoda?), but for a car from 1969 it actually doesn’t look that bad. It also has a hatchback hatch, sporty-looking wheels and wheel arch extensions. Not a bad attempt, but above all technically not quite what Volkswagen had in mind. In the nose of the EA 276 there is still an air-cooled boxer engine. In short, the EA 276 was a step in the right direction, but it would take several years before the idea of ​​the compact hatchback was really developed to the satisfaction of upper management.
On the inside, the EA 276 was a lot simpler than the Golf I
Curious about more attempts by Volkswagen to prepare a Beetle replacement? Then be sure to read this article.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl