From our High 20 Dumbest Vehicles of All Time listing, I would discovered examples of 9 throughout my junkyard travels (Ford Pinto, Pontiac Aztek, Cadillac Cimarron, Ford Mustang II, 1990 Chrysler Imperial, Sensible ForTwo, Chevrolet Vega, Mercedes-Benz R-Class and Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible) before now. Because it’s very unlikely that I will enjoyable throughout a Fuller Dymaxion or Horsey Horseless in a Ewe Pullet, I knew I would must maintain my eyes open for #8 on the listing: the Volkswagen Phaeton. Simply over 2,200 Phaetons have been offered in america, however I’ve discovered equally uncommon machines simply by being persistent. Positive sufficient, I discovered this ’05 in a Northern California yard not too long ago, a couple of rows over from a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
For the reason that identify Volkswagen means Folks’s Automobile, you’d suppose that the thought of a showy luxurious sedan bearing the badges of such a proletarian model would not make a lot sense in North America. In spite of everything, Toyota, Nissan and Honda every grasped that American automobile consumers related their manufacturers with smart however inexpensive equipment (such is just not the case again in Japan) and created separate snootified marques to promote their luxurious wheels over right here.
Anyway, Ferdinand Piëch decreed that there can be a giant VW luxurious sedan primarily based on the identical platform because the Bentley Continental GT, full of operating gear borrowed from the Audi A8. This occurred, and the Phaeton was the consequence. Phaetons have been constructed from the 2003 by way of 2016 mannequin years, however solely the 2004 to 2006 fashions have been offered in america and Canada. This automobile is one in every of 820 Phaetons offered within the USA for the 2005 mannequin yr.
A bewildering number of engines, each gasoline and diesel, have been out there in Phaetons offered elsewhere, however simply two made it to North American VW sellers: a 4.2-liter V8 and a 6.0-liter W12. This automobile has the V8, which was rated at 335 horsepower and 317 pound-feet (the W12 had 420 horsepower and 406 pound-feet).
You will be happy to know that this engine made almost 14 instances as many horses as the primary Volkswagens imported to america (and that is earlier than factoring within the gross-versus-net rankings switcheroo that occurred right here within the early Seventies).
How a lot was all this luxurious? The MSRP on this automobile was $66,950, or round $105,967 in 2023 American {dollars}. In the meantime, the most cost effective doable 2005 Volkswagen Golf listed at $15,830… and the penny-pinching aura hovering round each a type of low cost VWs migrated over to each Phaeton (within the eyes of those that decide others by the snazziness of their possessions, at any fee). By the best way, the 1949 Beetle value $16,098 in 2023 {dollars}, which was a fairly whole lot on the time, regardless of the scary cable-operated brakes.
All that stated, this factor was an engineering masterpiece. Simply take a look at these trunk hinges, which seem like one thing from an intergalactic house probe.
By all accounts, the US-market Phaetons have been extraordinarily comfy and drove effectively. The issue for Volkswagen of America was that few fat-walleted automobile consumers needed to pay for one as an alternative of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Lexus LS (one other downside was that American automobile patrons had been shunning sedans of all sizes for fairly a couple of years by the center 2000s). I considered shopping for these intelligent cupholders for a car-parts boombox venture, however they have been held in by exquisitely German proprietary fasteners that resisted my crude mainstream instruments.
This automobile would not appear to have been wrecked, although elements consumers have extracted all the dear entrance lighting and trim elements (most likely for resale on eBay). My guess is that it received into the palms of a 3rd or fourth proprietor who did not perceive the upkeep prices of a high-end European luxurious automobile, and the primary five-figure restore estimate doomed it.
How completely do you leap when you could have leapt 1,000,000 instances? As completely as you construct a automobile when you could have constructed 100,000,000 vehicles.
It was a very good factor for the Volkswagen Group that the Phaeton offered effectively in China.
In truth, a Phaeton successor is offered within the Center Kingdom proper now!
