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It's a big year for
VW. The new model, called 411, has more that's new about it than any previous
"new" VW has ever brought to the market and seems to represent a more astute
attempt to venture up into higher market segments and all that. At the outset,
let us say that the 411 is not a part of VW's 1969 U.S. program and is
at the very least a year away in our market.
Anyway, it's the 411
that's interesting. This car is true to VW tradition in only one fundamental
way: it has an air cooled engine in the rear. Otherwise, it's full of
departures from VW ways. The usual platform chassic with separate body has
given way to a unit body and frame construction, more like the rest of the
European sedans. The front suspension is all new, looking very Porsche-like
with MacPherson struts - but it has coil springs. Rear suspension is of the
semi-trailing type, similar in geometry to current Porshes and VW Automatics,
but the pieces are all new and springing is by coil springs here too. So the
time-honored torsion bars of VW have been laid aside.
Antother break with
tradition is the wheelbase: 98.0 in., the first production wheelbase other than
94.5 in. in VW history. And the 411 line will include VW's first 4-door sedan.
And, heresy or heresies, 411 appears to have a decent heating-ventilating
system! To the usual system, in which hthe engine cooling fan blows air through
heat exchangers (that get heat from the exhaust), is added an electric fan
which is used at low speeds when the engine fan doesn't stir up enough
air.
On the technical side,
the engine is typically VW - a horizantally opposed, pushrod 4-cyl. air-cooled
unit - but its bore and stroke are both new dimensions: 90 x 66 mm
respectively, for a displacement of 1680cc. The compression ratio is 7.8:1 and
the output is 78 bhp @ 4800 rpm. (approx.). Torque peak comes at 2800 rpm and
is on the  |
order of 107 lb-ft by
SAE rating methods. Carburetion by Solex 34PDSIT units is used for the European
market, but it's reasonable to assume that when the 411 reaches the U.S. market
it will have the excellent Bosch-VW electronic fuel injection now used on the
1600s. Top seepd given by the manufacturer is 91 mph with manual
gearbox.
The transaxle is of
usual VW pattern, but ratios of the standard 4-speed manual gearbox are
slightly different from the current 1600's at 3.81, 2.11, 1.40, and 1.00:1 - to
date all VWs have had indirect top gears in the manual boxes. Firal drive ratio
is 3.73:1. Available as an option is the VW fully automatic 3-speed
transmission, which has planetary gear ratios of 2.65, 1.59, 1.00:1 with its
torque converter. This transmission was introduced to the European market last
year in the 1600 models. Completing the drivetrain are radial tires of size
155-15 on 15 x 4½-in. wheels and disc/drum brakes.
The MacPherson front
suspension has made it possible to enlarge the front luggage compartment
considerably over any previous model, because of the absence of an
upper
Next
page....
411 comes in 2-door
and 4-door bodies, standard and L (for Luxus, or Deluxe). Probably only the L
will be sold in U.S. 
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