PASSAT B1

I created this website as a honour of a rarity Volkswagen Passat B1 car type.

I show you the front and last page of the car's original showroom brochure and the first owner's documents.

My goal is to give more and less savvy car lovers a taste of this brand.

Admiration for this type started 28 years ago when I managed to buy a '79s 1500ccm diesel car from the same type. It has proven its reliability over decades. With a consumption of 4-5 liters / 100km, it never let me down. It is currently undergoing major renovations, unfortunately for 5 years already.

The Porsche M5 held a historic presentation of the Passat 10 years ago to promote the then new Passat. The previous models were exhibited, the line was opened by the 79 Passat, which was also the subject of a video .

The subject of this website, this '78 1300ccm petrol car I found in Germany last year. We went to pick it up and carry home, it turned out that the car was kept in a garage for 20 years. The car has ran 43,000kms and it was in very nice condition. Minor repairs were needed to it, but the goal is to preserve its 42-year-old original condition. I feel that it has come true!

Watch the pictures, if you fall in love, the car can be rented for a presentation, festival or other event, but I look forward to your kind questions and feedback as well.

Sincerely,
Attila Kánai
oldtimer car fan

The original Volkswagen Passat was launched in 1973. The body types offered originally were two- and four-door fastback sedans (that were discontinued in 1981). These were joined in January 1975 by identically profiled three- and five-door hatchback versions. Externally all four shared a modern design, styled by the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. In essence, the first Passat was a fastback version of the mechanically identical Audi 80 sedan, introduced a year earlier. While the Audi 80 was nominated Car of the Year by the European motor press in 1973, they considered the Passat a facelifted version of the Audi and thus ineligible for the 1974 competition. The Passat became Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1974, however. A five-door station wagon/estate was introduced in 1974; the same car was available with Audi badging in many markets.

The Passat was one of the most modern European family cars at the time and was intended as a replacement for the aging Volkswagen Type 3 and Type 4. The platform serving it and the Audi 80 was named B1. In Europe, the Passat was equipped with either two rectangular, two round 7-inch (180 mm) units, or quadruple round 5.5-inch (140 mm) headlights depending on specification.

The Passat originally used the four-cylinder OHC 1.3 l (55 PS or 40 kW or 54 hp) and 1.5 l (with either 75 or 85 PS, 55 or 63 kW or 74 or 84 hp) petrol engines developed by Audi and also used in the Audi 80 -longitudinally mounted with front-wheel drive, in Audi tradition, with either a four-speed manual transmission or three-speed automatic. It had a MacPherson strut front suspension with a solid axle/coil spring setup at the rear.

The SOHC 1.5 was enlarged to 1.6 l in August 1975 with unchanged power ratings and slightly higher torque ratings. In July 1978 the Passat Diesel became available, equipped with the VW Golf's 50 PS (37 kW; 49 hp) 1.5 l Diesel, followed in February 1979 (at the AutoRAI) by the Passat GLI with a fuel-injected version of the 1.6 l engine.

The whole range received a facelift in summer 1977 (model year 1978 - launched during 1978 outside of Europe), featuring an interior upgrade including a new dashboard and subtly revised styling including repositioned indicators and depending on model, either four round or two rectangular headlights. The objective, according to the manufacturer, was to differentiate the VW version from the mechanically similar Audi 80. Inside was a restyled dashboard in the style of the Golf, with the radio and heating controls now mounted centrally, one above the other, in a single unit alongside the principal dials. Engine mountings, the gearbox, and the exhaust system were modified in order to reduce interior noise, and comfort was also improved by changes to the springing and shock absorbers. The car's wheels were increased in size, and at the back, there was a stronger anti-roll bar. Right-hand-drive versions retained the original dashboard.
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