RUUD JANSSEN’S VOLKSWAGEN FRIDOLIN The Volkswagen Fridolin, or to give it the official title, ‘Type 147′: not a vehicle many people will be familiar with, especially those outside of Germany. These quirky little vans were commissioned by the German postal service in 1962, and were in service from 1964 until 1974. Rather than design a completely new model, VW used the Beetle cabriolet chassis as a starting point, but eventually settled on the Karmann Ghia floorpan due to the extra width. Many of the other parts were sourced from across the VW range. 6139 were built, but only around 200 still exist, making these vans rare by anyone’s standards. Ruud has owned this example since 2004, and has spent 5000 hours turning it into the stunning creation you see here. Registered in April 1969, by then it was little more than a shell, but a good starting point. The keen eyed will have noticed the side and rear corner windows – a rare original option along with a larger window in the tailgate. The body has been completely restored, with the original Deutsche Bundespost yellow making way for Porsche white and a custom mix brown. Whilst mostly looking original, the body has some subtle cosmetic tweaks. The colour coded bumpers have been moved tighter to the bodywork, and the tail lights have been replaced with early Transporter units. Underneath, however, is where this Fridolin makes a radical departure from its swing-axled, air cooled brothers. The chassis has been entirely replaced with a tubular spaceframe, and the suspension design is bang up to date. Gone is the antiquated front swing axle, with an entirely new layout featuring double wishbones in its place. The components have been sourced from VW, Opel, Ford and Audi models with the suspension moving to race derived horizontal damping, which of course is three way adjustable. Braking at the front is taken care of by six piston Brembo calipers and two piece 390mm discs. In a nod to the van’s humble origins, the calipers have been painted Bundespost yellow and bear the logos of its former owner. At the rear, everything has been redesigned from scratch too, with double wishbones and Audi A6 Quattro parts. Again, custom horizontal dampers have been used, with four piston Brembos, 360mm discs and Audi R8 handbrake calipers. For many people, the highlight of this build will be the drivetrain – and who could blame them. Even the briefest of glimpses into the rear, where parcels and letters once made their journeys, will reveal the unmistakeable sight of VW’s mighty W12 engine. Sourced from a 2004 Touareg, the 6 litre, 12 cylinder lump puts out 450PS and 600Nm of torque. Mounted to a six speed Audi A6 gearbox via an adaptor plate, the power is transmitted via a custom flywheel and hydraulically actuated, triple plate Tilton clutch. The oil filter has been relocated and an oil cooler has been fitted. A Magnaflow exhaust system has been built, retaining all four original catalysts and eight lambda sensors. Carbon fibre airboxes, and two aluminium radiators with dual Spall fans complete the engine bay. Up front, a race fuel cell feeds the monster powerplant through twin QSP pumps and a 4-bar pressure regulator. With Ruud having put so many quality touches into the chassis and powertrain, his attention turned to the interior. Recaro Pro Race seats and Simpson belts make no secret of the performance, with an Autometer Pro Comp tacho and QSP gauges nestling in the custom panel allowing him to keep an eye on the motor. The shifter and handbrake are motorsport items, and the pedal box has been custom built, with three master cylinders and a drive by wire throttle. Finishing off this awesome build are the unmistakeable Torq Thrust IIs in 20x8j, with 235/30/R20 and 245/30/R20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres. This little van is an absolute credit to the huge amount of hard work that has gone into it, and besides being multiple magazine featured, has won awards across Europe including the European Tuning Award and Edition 38 Best in Show prizes.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:30:00 +0000
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