PASSAT B1

About the Passat B1

The B1 Passat launched in 1973 as a thoroughly modern replacement for the aging Type 3. Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, and designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, it shared its bones with the Audi 80 and brought a level of engineering sophistication that VW had not offered before. The hatchback and wagon variants were more practical than the sedan, and the fuel-injected engines delivered competitive performance. The B1 was VWs statement that the air-cooled era was over and the water-cooled future was here.