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Topic starter
08/09/2022 1:01 pm
From the day it was launched as Volkswagen’s luxury model in 1968 it was panned by auto critics. It was viewed as a stranger in the VW family by VW enthusiasts. It was criticized for having a funky design. Potential customers stayed away from VW dealerships in droves. Heinz Nordhoff, who had headed up VW from the rise of the Beetle in its earliest days, believed that all Volkswagens should have a rear engine rear drive layout.
I was in graduate school when I first saw a picture of the 411 when it was destined to reach our shores on April 15, 1971 the year I was to graduate. I had a ‘68 Beetle which I planned to keep as Jeannie and I had just married and would need two cars. Once I saw a picture of the 411 I knew it was what I wanted. Fortunately we both agreed. Jeannie thought it was good looking and she had come from a family with a history of owning VW busses so it was a natural. It would turn out that Type 4 enthusiasts would be a rare breed and I would be one of them. I am still a 411/412 enthusiast. There were few of us then and there are even fewer of us who even remember the car today. In my mind’s eye I thought the 411 was a beautiful car. I still do. Its design, typical VW fit and finish, and yes, it’s rear engine layout in VW tradition convinced us that this was the car for us. And so we were the first to order one from Flynn Volkswagen in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the same dealership from whom I had bought my Beetle in 1968. We loved that 411. It was handsome in Shantung Yellow with a Palisander interior. But then our family grew. By 1975 we had three young sons. And by ‘77 there would be a fourth son, so in ‘76 we traded the 411 in for a leftover ‘75 VW bus. I will always view our 411 as one of the best cars we have ever owned. I wish we still had that 411. The ones I have, done by Minichamps are happy reminders of the 411 that the buying public didn’t appreciate but a few of us did. There is an excellent website, Type4.org, that tells about all there is to know about the 411/412 VW’s.
Our 411 and our two VW’s together. The little 4 year old dude is our son David who is now 50!!
These below are my 1:43 scale VW 411’s
This topic was modified 4 years ago 3 times by David Knight
David Knight
Richmond, Virginia. USA
08/09/2022 2:01 pm
My friend bought a brand new '72 411 identical to the last pic. I drove it and compared it to my '71 VW Super Beetle and wasn't impressed by its looks, performance or handling. I prefer the look of the wagon much more than the sedan. I do have the Minichamps sedan and wagon in my VW model collection though.
This post was modified 4 years ago by Jack Dodds
John Kuvakas reacted
08/09/2022 3:25 pm
I really like the 411 also. My friend and neighbour had one identical in every way to your 1971 purchase. He entered it in the Canadian Winter Rally with some success. It rode and handled well.
John Kuvakas reacted
08/09/2022 7:21 pm
Here's one more David, in plastic from Cursor, a promo model for dealers. And I don't think it's ugly!
This post was modified 4 years ago by Harv Goranson
08/09/2022 8:51 pm
Cool looking car. I remember the neighbor down the street having one. It was white if I remember correctly. The turquoise one is a great color.
John Merritt
South Lyon, Michigan - USA
09/09/2022 12:28 am
I much preferred the 412 with its revised front end over the 411, although I wouldn't mind having either today. Nice models David.
Topic starter
09/09/2022 10:06 am
@Harv Goranson
Thanks, Harv, for mentioning the Cursor VW models. These , as you said were dealer promos available in the parts department at VW dealerships. They were actually 1:40. Wiking also did a number of VW models in 1:40. I’ve always wondered if Wiking and Cursor were in some way connected. I have VW’s made by both. For now here are my three Cursor 411 models.
David Knight
Richmond, Virginia. USA
Jack Dodds and Harv Goranson reacted
10/09/2022 5:05 pm
My Mom's '74 412 wagon was the last of a string of VW's she purchased (several beetles, a '70 Fastback, a '71 Squareback and then the 412). As a car crazy kid I despised each one. No style.
Strangely, it quickly developed patches of surface rust and had fuel injection related drivability issues that the dealer couldn't repair.
(the only photo I have)
Thankfully, a 15yo me prevailed on her to replace it with something much nicer: a '76 Olds Cutlass Salon coupe. Most of the time Mom couldn't tell one car from another. But she honestly had pride of ownership with this car. I took this Polaroid just after she took delivery (Christmas Eve '75 I think).
Here's a photo of my late Mom with her '78 Pontiac Grand Le Mans that she ordered to replace the Cutlass.
Karl Schnelle and Jack Dodds reacted
Topic starter
10/09/2022 5:25 pm
John, lovely picture of your mom and her new Pontiac. I see you live in Marlborough, MA. We lived in Westborough, just down the road from Marlborough from ‘72-‘78. The pictures in my post above of our two Volkswagens were taken in the driveway of our home at 4 West End Ave. The pictures of just the 411 were taken on Martha’s Vineyard. Small world!
This post was modified 4 years ago by David Knight
David Knight
Richmond, Virginia. USA
Jack Dodds reacted
10/09/2022 5:50 pm
@david-knight I rented in Ashland and Framingham before purchasing here in '01. Working in Boston, I felt that the commute to and from the western suburbs was the easiest.
I look at the 1/40th Wiking VW's on eBay every once in a while. I really like the fidelity and the engineering. But the variations! I close the browser window with relief that I missed another collecting slippery slope!