When VW wanted a car to push the boundaries and compete against the likes of Ferrari and other iconic sportscar makers, a collaboration with Porsche was the obvious way to go. They’d done it previously to a limited amount of success with the 914/6, but the svelte prototype that appeared at the Turin motor show in 1970 took things to whole different level…
It was the ground-breaking and hugely influential Volkswagen Porsche Tapiro, and its jaw dropping good looks were courtesy of design guru Giorgio Giugiaro. The man ultimately responsible for the VW Golf Mk1 and Scirocco.
Resembling something between a DeLorean and Lotus Elite, both of which it pre-dated by many years, it was wedge like in profile and took on the appearance of a cross from above with a double set of huge gullwing doors allowing access to the front cabin and to the engine and luggage compartment.
The Tapiro was based on the 914/6 platform with a mid-mounted 2.4-litre flat six Porsche engine which produced 220bhp. From what we can see there were many unique design features in the cabin, including luxurious sports seats, a custom dash and a very special deep dished steering wheel.
Sadly the prototype, thought to be one of Giugiaro’s most liked creations of all time, hasn’t survived. Having spent several years doing the show circuit it was bought by a Spanish industrialist in 1972 and used for a while as a daily driver before reportedly being burnt out by protesting workers.
What remained of the shell was purchased by ItalDesign and put on display in its wrecked state in its museum and has never been rebuilt. Intriguingly, we’ve noticed that the wonderfully subtle original wheels with their repeating ‘square’ design have been replaced by a more commonplace minilite style rim. Either the originals ‘melted’ in the blaze or have been squirrelled away by a collector. Look out for them on an early Golf at a show sometime soon…
Ian
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage.