Ian, you should not be surprised that Porsche trusted you with their material. You did them and yourself justice. They, as we, know that behind the veneer of incompetence lies an experienced journalist and, more importantly, a truly great storyteller. That was ten minutes of pure joy. More of that please...I'll even watch a short or two if we get more like this.
If you ever visit the Porsche museum it is fascinating and they even acknowledge that the 911 started from a Beetle as they have a early beetle Ferdinand Porsche designed.
I worked at Style Porsche in Weissach as a designer for 15 years and have an air cooled Karmann as my daily driver, so I am fairly familiar with the story of the EA266, but your video here was riveting. I have never seen some of this footage and your presentation style is like having a chat with an extremely knowledgeable friend over a cup of tea. Just bloody wonderful! Please do more of these stories...
Love these auto history lessons! Many presenters seem to be reading a script or act as if they just read some material on the subject. Ian, you are one of the best presenters out there. Who else can be barreling down the highway (US term) giving us great auto information while enroute? You even do a good job while stationary.
I have been watching your channel since before changing hairstyles (The Young ones Hippie)! You have come along way from your humble beginnings, and it's all good man... It's all good!
Now this is just truly extraordinary indeed. Never heard of these Porsche-designed mid-engined VW prototypes before, what a treat to learn about this project rather late in my petrolhead life. Thanks Ian for presenting this footage in such a competent manner ;)
That’s a great flashback! Never heard of this. Long a VW fan air- and water-cooled. The Scirocco was born out of all this - here in SoCal the Scirocco was absolutely huge - sexy commercials and gorgeous minimalist design. Thanks!
Yes I like the format. Your in depth knowledge is your biggest strength, and this kind of history lesson sits as a lovely contra alongside the tinkering and the drives. Bravo!
A fascinating story about a car I knew nothing about. I think it's a lovely cheeky-looking thing, particularly in lime green! I enjoyed this documentary-style format. Thank you.
Hubnut does Big Car but better! Absolutely loved this. Wish the BBC would pick up on this and realise that not all car enthusiasts want man bimbos talking about unattainable exotica in equally exotic locations. Sensible, well researched and genuinely interesting material. I never even knew these existed and I've been obsessed with VAG from this era since I was a kid. No idea how you managed to get this material from Porsche. More please.
What a fascinating insight into the testing of what could have been an iconic car. But VW clearly learned a lot from the project which led into the Golf MK1. Great video, thanks Ian!
I´ve known about the late prototypes of EA 266 for about 35 years by now, but NEVER have I seen pictures nor videos about the earlier ones. You really surprised me with that video! I'm deeply impressed! Well done!
Yes thanks Ian , always enjoy the hidden back stories that you don't always get the time to put over in your normal videos. Can probably incorporate this style of video to accompany along side some of your test vehicles , were there's a hidden story. Keep up the great content!
Excellent video Ian,absolutely fascinating look at the development of this car. Some great footage of testing. Such a shame it never made it into production.
Wow, the things one had never heard about! I remember visiting the old Porsche museum in Stuttgart, about 20 years ago. It had so much about the history of Porsche, the racing, the prototypes, and so on. What surprised me was that there was nothing about all the front-engined Porsches -- the 924/944/928... Not a mention! Talk about writing out of history... And now I see that there was a LOT more in the history of Porsche.
Fascinating insight in a dead-end of an automotive development - If I recall correctly, Brazil did get a FWD, Beetle-originated flat-twin powered VW Golf Mark I, so some of that mishmash *did* sprout, albeit not in the original form or function.
Brilliant video, Ian; I can see why Porsche trusted you with this rare footage as you did it justice, but then I wouldn’t expect anything else from your good self. Although mid-engined and uneconomical to recoup development costs, the exterior styling of that car reminds me of many late 1980s/early 1990s cars and wouldn’t look out of place today (modern crash protection laws permitting). I was recently at the Scarborough Fair museum containing not only a collection of classic fairground rides/slot machines but also a number of classic motor vehicles - and I wished I’d had your company as a guide talking me round the collection, your being so knowledgable! 😊
Ian you are such a genius , we are watching You altogether my husband from Argentina and we got amazed such exclusive report on a Porsche we'd never suspected even as a project . Get our warmest compliments ever , we have not words enough in Spaniard-Argentinian to express our admiration even from so far. Hombre Senior Seabrook muchas felicitaciones eres el mejor embajador Británico de la cultura del periodismo , wish you understand !
VW had such a hard time replacing the Beetle but got it very right with the Golf. Does make you wonder where we would have ended up as the Golf and Golf GTI set the benchmark for so many cars like the 205, Astra, etc, etc…
The 1969 Fiat 128 was the inspiration though the later was inspired by the very British Mini and the brilliant idea of Sir Alec Issigonis. The designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, was surprised to see 128's cut to pieces and literally dissected inside the R&D facilities.
Not sure if you mean the 128’s designer, but that was Dante Giacosa who cleverly brought together existing, albeit uncommon elements, together with his own innovative clutch release mechanism that set the template for countless front wheel drive cars in the following five decades
@@emmajacobs5575 You know your Italian car history, Emma. Giacosa tried out the transverse engine/end on gearbox solution in the Autobianchi Primula before releasing it to a wider market in the 128. The Primula even looked like an ADO16 as both were styled by Pininfarina. I believe the 128s styling was done in house. The wheel turned full circle when the Ritmo (Strada) that replaced this 3 box saloon took its inspiration from the Golf and became a 2 box hatchback...
@@hughrobinson9978 Autobinanchi was always a test-bed for Fiat, I've had a couple of Y10's and they were very well specced small cars. Would love an A112 Abarth! It's interesting that the Strada took the direction it did because of the success of the Golf because Lancias Delta was a Giugiaro design, very similar to the Mk1 Golf and based on a strengthened Rito/Stratos chassis. The Golf was definitely a benchmark car.
Really enjoyed this. I love how even though these were 60s era photos and video, the modern hatchback idea didn't change all that much. It looks remarkably modern.
Like the format! EA stands for EntwicklungsAuftrag, development order. One of the best known EAs is the EA827 engine. VW did a frontwheel drive car with the Beetle engine and drivetrain in Brazil, where it was the original Gol (typ 30, 1980).
I remember seeing a Gol in 1981 in a VW showroom in Brazil. I thought at the time it was a brilliant concept, every shade tree mechanic knew ell about that ubiquitous Beetle (Fusca!) engine, would have been a great selling point
All I can say is thank you for this. I honestly think this format has a future, what with your expertise garnered over the years. It's a pleasure to listen to someone talk about what they know and doing it passionately
The man has been to the Porsche museum and asked for information on the car. He was sent footage and documentation. Anybody can do that if you want to take the time necessary to do it. Not as if he went through archives for years and came up with a hidden treasure.
A thoroughly enjoyable video, I always like to learn about what could have been. A shame the Type 3 never really became successful as I think they're all pretty cars and a nice evolution of the Beetle layout.
Brilliant stuff, I knew Volkswagen agonised for a long time over how to replace the Beetle, but this was new to me. Thanks for filling another gap in the story.
not only was the EA too complicated and expensive to build, but it looked ungainly. Not only in comparison to the snazzy Fiat 128, but it even made the Beetle look jolly. What made the Golf a massive success was not only its technical brilliance and just-right packaging, but the wonderfully crisp, iconic styling by Giugiaro. Lesson not learned: if you want a car to be iconic, it better be beautiful, which th ID.3 certainly is not.
One of your best ever videos, Ian. Though I suspect that if the EA266 had gone into production, there would be a video lamenting that VW didn't proceed with the Golf instead, along with many videos about VW's demise some time in the '80s after being sold off to Ford or someone like that.
Fascinating video on this attractive car. Enjoyed the rare footage and photos. Tail lights look like the VW Polo. To have Porsche choose you to share this archive just goes to show you how good you're a narrator when it comes to such cars. Nice design work Porsche.
Love this story. I was always interessed in the development of the EA266. Very interesting. I was a VW mechanic at that time and we were looking forward for this car to come. But finally it turned into the Golf. For us as carmechanics a little bit dissapointing.
That was very interesting and I am impressed with the little Porsche but when you see the Mk1 Golf and Scirocco you realise they were fantastic , design classics and the best way forward at that time
Wow, the footage is really stunning!! You made a great job and thanks to Porsche for supporting you! The Volkswagen Museum has really interesting prototypes on display.
What a fascinating vehicle and story. Seeing footage of the car being tested really brings the story alive. I wonder how noisy they were inside. Thanks Ian👍
The very early frontal design looks a little like a MK1 Fissta, but with round lights, fascinating how it could have gone all wrong for VW though. Thanks for this video, Mr HubNut.
A real coup for you, Ian and so well deserved for all of the knowledge and passion you have given us through this channel for so long. Proper chuffed for you. A fascinating tale indeed. :)
What a brilliant video! Really enjoyed this. Saw the EA266 at Wulfsburg about 14 years ago, found it an intriguing little thing but there was very little information on it at the time.
Thanks Ian for showing us this footage and photographs. I already did read about this project in my German classic car magazine. But these movie pictures... just great. Cheers - Martin
Thanks for publishing this, all the more so since it sounds like you're still sick. I'm sure Porsche had very good reasons to entrust HubNut amongst all UA-camrs with these films. In that front view, project EA276 looks for all the world like a Wartburg 353.
Fascinating presentation, with the added bonus of the cars being unloaded from an ATL-98 Carvair at 4:04 . More commonly seen in the film 'Goldfinger'.
That was certainly a very interesting video about a car that I never knew about. It made a nice change to find out about cars that never made it into production.
Fascinating, Ian! I’ve been into automobilia for most of my life, and somehow missed this one. In spite of its diminutive size, it was quite a handsome little car.
Thank you very much for sharing this priceless footage. I value test mule footages that depict the process of vehicle development. Hope you find more footage for others like the MB W124, LR Discovery, Renault 5 and the Citroen CX.
I worked in Engineering at VW South Africa from 1974 to 1995 & am aware of this project through work colleagues from VWAG & information found. When Rudolf Leiding took over at VWAG he realised that they were stuck in a rut with their air cooled engines & particularly the EA266. As VW had recently acquired Audi/NSU,who were already working on the Audi 50 (based on the Fiat126), VW started on the Golf ( based on the Fiat 128), but using theEA 827 engine from the Audi 80. However,VW’s first front wheel drive product was the K70,essentially an NSU (remember the Passat was only a reworked Audi 80). H. Leiding realised that the future was transverse engine front wheel drive & it is safe to say that if VW had not made the Polo/ Golf combination it is highly likely they would not exist today.
Quite the coup there, Ian. very interesting as I have a background of prototype vehicles and testing. I did enjoy the video thanks. Kudos for Porsche for making this material available and hats off to you for being able to air it. Mart.
Didn't really know about these cars. Excellent and informative content. Short wheelbase with rear drive looked great fun in the snow! Thanks for your work. 👍
The EA 276 mentioned in the video inspired many VW models in Brazil, especially the Gol which also had a front air-cooled engine and even the same wheels (on some models). The front lights inspired a facelift that the model received in the mid-80s. The back looks a lot like the VW Brasilia.
Excellent video Mr H - utterly fascinating!! Very stylish little cars - it’s a pity that VW lost their nerve with these - although the Golf saved them, and set them going in the direction of a volume car maker, this was a genuinely interesting little car!
Thanks for this informative look at a Porsche-designed VW I'd never heard of...The Roadster version, w/ the 105 BHP engine would've been great fun, I imagine! I recall when the Golf/Rabbit was first introduced (1975 in the States, '76 in Australia), they were immensely popular, as was the Sirocco; at the University parking lot (where I was in school/working part-time), every other car was a Rabbit; it was a bit before Honda Civics/Accords took over that popularity contest!
A fascinating story about a might-have-been, and thank you for showing the "home movie" bits of film from the Arctic Circle and South Africa; they're superb. Would be interesting to know how a 4(5)-door EA266 with that low centre of gravity would have handled on most roads and in most weather conditions against a rust-free Alfasud. Like so many commentators here I'm pleased VW eventually went with the transverse FWD overhead-cam water-cooled layout in the Golf. At 8:12 the rather dreary interior surfaced again in the 1978-9 year model of the Golf L, my much-beloved Susi who was mine for almost 8 years. She was almost totally reliable and I don't remember any rust on her...
I like this format of videos... Looking forward to more of those. Back to the car... You can almost see the beginnings of the first golf in the rear of those prototypes... Fascinating stuff... Kudos on the video...
Now with fixed sound! Thanks for your patience folks. Did you like this style of video?
this format works - nicely paced, informative and entertaining - please make more like this if possible.
Yes, very much!
Yes Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Excellent review. Yes, keep doing these between your usual ones 👏
Nice one Ian, different from normal but very enjoyable. More please 👍
Ian, you should not be surprised that Porsche trusted you with their material. You did them and yourself justice. They, as we, know that behind the veneer of incompetence lies an experienced journalist and, more importantly, a truly great storyteller. That was ten minutes of pure joy. More of that please...I'll even watch a short or two if we get more like this.
If you ever visit the Porsche museum it is fascinating and they even acknowledge that the 911 started from a Beetle as they have a early beetle Ferdinand Porsche designed.
I'll second that, a note of respect for Mr. Hubnut as a journalist.
Veneer of incompetence? Quick to judge lol
@@Porsche996driver I think he might have meant to say "facade of incompetence".
I worked at Style Porsche in Weissach as a designer for 15 years and have an air cooled Karmann as my daily driver, so I am fairly familiar with the story of the EA266, but your video here was riveting. I have never seen some of this footage and your presentation style is like having a chat with an extremely knowledgeable friend over a cup of tea. Just bloody wonderful! Please do more of these stories...
Did you see the exceptional Karmann Ghia which just sold on BAT? Very tasteful & sensible upgrades as the final sales price attests to.
Mr Hubnut Becomes Mr Big Car, really enjoyable little video.
Love big car and hubnut. So twice the fun.
Love these auto history lessons! Many presenters seem to be reading a script or act as if they just read some material on the subject. Ian, you are one of the best presenters out there. Who else can be barreling down the highway (US term) giving us great auto information while enroute? You even do a good job while stationary.
Is this a dig at Big Car?
@@jamesbrett6518 I watch Big Car too. Great information Ian has a manner of presentation that I prefer to some others.
I have been watching your channel since before changing hairstyles (The Young ones Hippie)! You have come along way from your humble beginnings, and it's all good man... It's all good!
Now this is just truly extraordinary indeed. Never heard of these Porsche-designed mid-engined VW prototypes before, what a treat to learn about this project rather late in my petrolhead life. Thanks Ian for presenting this footage in such a competent manner ;)
That’s a great flashback! Never heard of this. Long a VW fan air- and water-cooled. The Scirocco was born out of all this - here in SoCal the Scirocco was absolutely huge - sexy commercials and gorgeous minimalist design. Thanks!
A fascinating video Ian. I like this kind of background information and would appreciate more of this type of stuff.
Well done Mr Hubnut - absolutely fascinating story. Lived the format too.
Yes I like the format. Your in depth knowledge is your biggest strength, and this kind of history lesson sits as a lovely contra alongside the tinkering and the drives.
Bravo!
Couldn’t agree more 😎
Well done, Ian! Great story. Love this format. Would love to see it as a recurring feature.
A fascinating story about a car I knew nothing about. I think it's a lovely cheeky-looking thing, particularly in lime green! I enjoyed this documentary-style format. Thank you.
I love this format.. it’s like watching BigCar but with more emphasis on the wipers!
Hubnut does Big Car but better! Absolutely loved this. Wish the BBC would pick up on this and realise that not all car enthusiasts want man bimbos talking about unattainable exotica in equally exotic locations. Sensible, well researched and genuinely interesting material. I never even knew these existed and I've been obsessed with VAG from this era since I was a kid. No idea how you managed to get this material from Porsche. More please.
“Man-Bimbos” yeah lol
What a fascinating insight into the testing of what could have been an iconic car. But VW clearly learned a lot from the project which led into the Golf MK1. Great video, thanks Ian!
I´ve known about the late prototypes of EA 266 for about 35 years by now, but NEVER have I seen pictures nor videos about the earlier ones. You really surprised me with that video! I'm deeply impressed! Well done!
Thanks. I was amazed myself! Never imagined I'd see such footage.
Yes thanks Ian , always enjoy the hidden back stories that you don't always get the time to put over in your normal videos. Can probably incorporate this style of video to accompany along side some of your test vehicles , were there's a hidden story. Keep up the great content!
Excellent video Ian,absolutely fascinating look at the development of this car. Some great footage of testing. Such a shame it never made it into production.
Very good job Ian fascinating stuff. Thanks very much.
Wow, the things one had never heard about! I remember visiting the old Porsche museum in Stuttgart, about 20 years ago. It had so much about the history of Porsche, the racing, the prototypes, and so on. What surprised me was that there was nothing about all the front-engined Porsches -- the 924/944/928... Not a mention! Talk about writing out of history... And now I see that there was a LOT more in the history of Porsche.
Fascinating insight in a dead-end of an automotive development - If I recall correctly, Brazil did get a FWD, Beetle-originated flat-twin powered VW Golf Mark I, so some of that mishmash *did* sprout, albeit not in the original form or function.
That was the VW Gol, which was a development of EA288 rather than a Beetle engine in a Golf.
Brilliant video, Ian; I can see why Porsche trusted you with this rare footage as you did it justice, but then I wouldn’t expect anything else from your good self. Although mid-engined and uneconomical to recoup development costs, the exterior styling of that car reminds me of many late 1980s/early 1990s cars and wouldn’t look out of place today (modern crash protection laws permitting). I was recently at the Scarborough Fair museum containing not only a collection of classic fairground rides/slot machines but also a number of classic motor vehicles - and I wished I’d had your company as a guide talking me round the collection, your being so knowledgable! 😊
Ian you are such a genius , we are watching You altogether my husband from Argentina and we got amazed such exclusive report on a Porsche we'd never suspected even as a project . Get our warmest compliments ever , we have not words enough in Spaniard-Argentinian to express our admiration even from so far. Hombre Senior Seabrook muchas felicitaciones eres el mejor embajador Británico de la cultura del periodismo , wish you understand !
Gracias!
VW had such a hard time replacing the Beetle but got it very right with the Golf. Does make you wonder where we would have ended up as the Golf and Golf GTI set the benchmark for so many cars like the 205, Astra, etc, etc…
Also the Talbot/Chrysler/Plymouth Horizon
The 1969 Fiat 128 was the inspiration though the later was inspired by the very British Mini and the brilliant idea of Sir Alec Issigonis. The designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, was surprised to see 128's cut to pieces and literally dissected inside the R&D facilities.
Not sure if you mean the 128’s designer, but that was Dante Giacosa who cleverly brought together existing, albeit uncommon elements, together with his own innovative clutch release mechanism that set the template for countless front wheel drive cars in the following five decades
@@emmajacobs5575 You know your Italian car history, Emma. Giacosa tried out the transverse engine/end on gearbox solution in the Autobianchi Primula before releasing it to a wider market in the 128. The Primula even looked like an ADO16 as both were styled by Pininfarina. I believe the 128s styling was done in house. The wheel turned full circle when the Ritmo (Strada) that replaced this 3 box saloon took its inspiration from the Golf and became a 2 box hatchback...
@@hughrobinson9978 Autobinanchi was always a test-bed for Fiat, I've had a couple of Y10's and they were very well specced small cars. Would love an A112 Abarth! It's interesting that the Strada took the direction it did because of the success of the Golf because Lancias Delta was a Giugiaro design, very similar to the Mk1 Golf and based on a strengthened Rito/Stratos chassis. The Golf was definitely a benchmark car.
Really enjoyed this. I love how even though these were 60s era photos and video, the modern hatchback idea didn't change all that much. It looks remarkably modern.
Like the format! EA stands for EntwicklungsAuftrag, development order. One of the best known EAs is the EA827 engine. VW did a frontwheel drive car with the Beetle engine and drivetrain in Brazil, where it was the original Gol (typ 30, 1980).
I remember seeing a Gol in 1981 in a VW showroom in Brazil. I thought at the time it was a brilliant concept, every shade tree mechanic knew ell about that ubiquitous Beetle (Fusca!) engine, would have been a great selling point
All I can say is thank you for this. I honestly think this format has a future, what with your expertise garnered over the years. It's a pleasure to listen to someone talk about what they know and doing it passionately
The man has been to the Porsche museum and asked for information on the car. He was sent footage and documentation. Anybody can do that if you want to take the time necessary to do it.
Not as if he went through archives for years and came up with a hidden treasure.
Very interesting and great footage, thanks. The micro bus looked very modern. Shame they weren't carried through. More please!
A thoroughly enjoyable video, I always like to learn about what could have been. A shame the Type 3 never really became successful as I think they're all pretty cars and a nice evolution of the Beetle layout.
Brilliant stuff, I knew Volkswagen agonised for a long time over how to replace the Beetle, but this was new to me. Thanks for filling another gap in the story.
not only was the EA too complicated and expensive to build, but it looked ungainly. Not only in comparison to the snazzy Fiat 128, but it even made the Beetle look jolly. What made the Golf a massive success was not only its technical brilliance and just-right packaging, but the wonderfully crisp, iconic styling by Giugiaro.
Lesson not learned: if you want a car to be iconic, it better be beautiful, which th ID.3 certainly is not.
One of your best ever videos, Ian. Though I suspect that if the EA266 had gone into production, there would be a video lamenting that VW didn't proceed with the Golf instead, along with many videos about VW's demise some time in the '80s after being sold off to Ford or someone like that.
Fascinating video on this attractive car. Enjoyed the rare footage and photos. Tail lights look like the VW Polo. To have Porsche choose you to share this archive just goes to show you how good you're a narrator when it comes to such cars. Nice design work Porsche.
Wow, that was pretty unexpected and awesome. More videos like these are welcome 🙂
このような記録と試作車を残す文化は素晴らしいです。
Great video! Thank you for being the type of guy that Porsche would help out. I love this car.
Thank you for your in-depth explanation. It’s professionally written and very informative. You spent a lot of time on this, I deeply appreciate it.
Love this story. I was always interessed in the development of the EA266. Very interesting. I was a VW mechanic at that time and we were looking forward for this car to come. But finally it turned into the Golf. For us as carmechanics a little bit dissapointing.
That was very interesting and I am impressed with the little Porsche but when you see the Mk1 Golf and Scirocco you realise they were fantastic , design classics and the best way forward at that time
This is a fabulous video. Possibly the best youve done. Historic but with a twist. Keep it up
Wow, the footage is really stunning!! You made a great job and thanks to Porsche for supporting you! The Volkswagen Museum has really interesting prototypes on display.
What a fascinating vehicle and story. Seeing footage of the car being tested really brings the story alive. I wonder how noisy they were inside. Thanks Ian👍
As a VW/Porsche enthusiast, this was a fascinating watch. Can you imagine getting to drive one of those cars today?
The very early frontal design looks a little like a MK1 Fissta, but with round lights, fascinating how it could have gone all wrong for VW though. Thanks for this video, Mr HubNut.
Absolutely fascinating, I hadn't even imagined that something like the EA266 had existed.
A real coup for you, Ian and so well deserved for all of the knowledge and passion you have given us through this channel for so long. Proper chuffed for you. A fascinating tale indeed. :)
What a brilliant video! Really enjoyed this. Saw the EA266 at Wulfsburg about 14 years ago, found it an intriguing little thing but there was very little information on it at the time.
Fascinating and thanks for sharing. Clearly the cross chassis platform was high on the agenda even back then respect 👍
Oh this is a great format, please make more of those! That was so interesting!
Thanks Ian for showing us this footage and photographs. I already did read about this project in my German classic car magazine. But these movie pictures... just great. Cheers - Martin
Thanks for publishing this, all the more so since it sounds like you're still sick. I'm sure Porsche had very good reasons to entrust HubNut amongst all UA-camrs with these films.
In that front view, project EA276 looks for all the world like a Wartburg 353.
What absolutely fascinating footage of a car that sadly was not to be. Excellent video Ian, really enjoyed this. Many thanks
Excellent, I really like this format. I think you've just created something which will be a reference on this development story for years to come.
Brilliant work Ian, really appreciate your efforts.
I do love your automotive history videos such as this and the history of the A series.
Always interesting and informative.
Absolutely fascinating, never seen this before. Great voiceover too. Brilliant!
Astounding little car! How wonderful, thankyou for sharing that "not so real" test drive. Marvelous.
Fascinating Ian , thanks for that , I hope that you , miss hubnut and the nutlets are well
Fascinating presentation, with the added bonus of the cars being unloaded from an ATL-98 Carvair at 4:04 . More commonly seen in the film 'Goldfinger'.
That was certainly a very interesting video about a car that I never knew about. It made a nice change to find out about cars that never made it into production.
Oooo HubNut documentary, short and sweet. Great format!
Very very interesting stuff thanks for sharing Mr Hubnut greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
The EA266 still looks like a fun little car . A little sad we never got it .
Fascinating, Ian! I’ve been into automobilia for most of my life, and somehow missed this one. In spite of its diminutive size, it was quite a handsome little car.
A very enjoyable video about a car I knew nothing about. Thank you for the effort that clearly went into this.
Yay, I finally get to like a video twice, once on the original upload and once on this upload.
Awesome!! Vw Gol had a front engine air cooled engine!
Edit: That's even more awesome!!
The rear end looks really like the Vw Golf Mk1
Yep, that's a winner, great format, not too long and easily digested - well done 👍👍
Thank you very much for sharing this priceless footage. I value test mule footages that depict the process of vehicle development. Hope you find more footage for others like the MB W124, LR Discovery, Renault 5 and the Citroen CX.
Very interesting, and it's nice to think the rear passengers had under seat heating.
But I hope they had rear air conditioning during the summer
Fascinating piece of history! Thank you Ian for another great video.
The people carrier version really reminds me of the Brubaker Box.
Superb video Ian, all the stress was worth it!
To get the access to this footage is amazing! And yes, more please.
Awesome video! At 6:45 it looks like the sign says “Springbok”- a town in the Northern Cape of South Africa, a hot place indeed! Thanks again.
Great piece of fascinating automotive history - well done. More of this please...
Great work on this one, thank you, interesting car!
I like the effort that you have made to the studio production, especially the strategic positioning of the snazzy sweater. keep up the good work.
Excellent video! I had never heard of this fascinating project.
I worked in Engineering at VW South Africa from 1974 to 1995 & am aware of this project through work colleagues from VWAG & information found. When Rudolf Leiding took over at VWAG he realised that they were stuck in a rut with their air cooled engines & particularly the EA266. As VW had recently acquired Audi/NSU,who were already working on the Audi 50 (based on the Fiat126), VW started on the Golf ( based on the Fiat 128), but using theEA 827 engine from the Audi 80. However,VW’s first front wheel drive product was the K70,essentially an NSU (remember the Passat was only a reworked Audi 80). H. Leiding realised that the future was transverse engine front wheel drive & it is safe to say that if VW had not made the Polo/ Golf combination it is highly likely they would not exist today.
Excellent video. Thank you for this fascinating investigation.
Quite the coup there, Ian. very interesting as I have a background of prototype vehicles and testing. I did enjoy the video thanks. Kudos for Porsche for making this material available and hats off to you for being able to air it. Mart.
Fascinating. Thank you very much. Exactly the kind of car I'd have gone for in the day. Instead it was a FIAT.
Congratulations Ian on getting the footage from Porsche. Never new that
Well done Ian - that was fascinating, enlightening and entertaining.
That was worth the wait Ian. Excellent work!
Didn't really know about these cars. Excellent and informative content. Short wheelbase with rear drive looked great fun in the snow! Thanks for your work. 👍
The EA 276 mentioned in the video inspired many VW models in Brazil, especially the Gol which also had a front air-cooled engine and even the same wheels (on some models). The front lights inspired a facelift that the model received in the mid-80s. The back looks a lot like the VW Brasilia.
Absolutely loved this video. Fascinating stuff and so very well presented too. Thank you for making it! 😊
Excellent video Mr H - utterly fascinating!! Very stylish little cars - it’s a pity that VW lost their nerve with these - although the Golf saved them, and set them going in the direction of a volume car maker, this was a genuinely interesting little car!
I think it’s fair to say that Volkswagen already was a volume car maker, don’t you think?😏
Incredible! Thankyou Ian! Absolutely brilliant. Loved it.
Thanks for this informative look at a Porsche-designed VW I'd never heard of...The Roadster version, w/ the 105 BHP engine would've been great fun, I imagine! I recall when the Golf/Rabbit was first introduced (1975 in the States, '76 in Australia), they were immensely popular, as was the Sirocco; at the University parking lot (where I was in school/working part-time), every other car was a Rabbit; it was a bit before Honda Civics/Accords took over that popularity contest!
105 HP and rear wheel drive in a small light car, this might have been a better GTI years before the Golf GTI.
Something new for the hubnut channel - I enjoyed that...Good job 👍
Love it! Fascinating Ian! I pride myself on knowing even quirky cars, but never knew about this little gem.
What a nice for format. A real HubNut documentary!
Absolutely brilliant video Ian ❤️ 👍 what a fascinating concept car pity it never made production brilliant
A fascinating story about a might-have-been, and thank you for showing the "home movie" bits of film from the Arctic Circle and South Africa; they're superb. Would be interesting to know how a 4(5)-door EA266 with that low centre of gravity would have handled on most roads and in most weather conditions against a rust-free Alfasud. Like so many commentators here I'm pleased VW eventually went with the transverse FWD overhead-cam water-cooled layout in the Golf. At 8:12 the rather dreary interior surfaced again in the 1978-9 year model of the Golf L, my much-beloved Susi who was mine for almost 8 years. She was almost totally reliable and I don't remember any rust on her...
Enjoyed it very much Ian, love the delivery and the enthusiasm brilliant video.
More please...
😂
I like this format of videos... Looking forward to more of those. Back to the car... You can almost see the beginnings of the first golf in the rear of those prototypes... Fascinating stuff... Kudos on the video...
More content like this please, you have a calm way of talking, a bit like the Big Car channel without the sneering