Strange Machines: A 1972 Volkswagen Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen “Fridolin”

This is a modified example of the Volkswagen Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen “Fridolin,” an unusual looking vehicle that was built at the request of the German Postal Authority. Approximately 6,000 were made in total, and today they’re considered highly collectible.

Volkswagen raided the parts bin when it came to the design of the Fridolin, it uses the Karmann Ghia chassis, the rear body of the Type 2 Bus, the front end of a Type 3, and the engine and transaxle of the Beetle.

Fast Facts – The VW Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen “Fridolin”

• Nicknamed the “Fridolin,” the VW Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen was developed in the early 1960s at the request of the Deutsche Bundespost, the German Postal Authority, for use as their new national postal van.
• Initially the Fridolin was going to be built on the reinforced platform of the Beetle Cabriolet, but it was switched to the wider Karmann Ghia platform early on. The rear of the van comes from the Type 2 Bus, the front end comes from the Type 3, and the engine and transaxle was sourced from the Beetle.
• The vehicle was manufactured by Franz Knobel & Sohn GmbH (later renamed Westfalia-Werke) under contract from Volkswagen. Production ran from 1964 until 1974, earlier vehicles were powered by the 1.2 liter Beetle H4 engine and later examples received the 1.3 liter version.
• Approximately 6,139 examples of the Fridolin were produced and they were used extensively by Deutsche Bundespost across Germany. A version of the van was also used by the Swiss Post Office, and by Lufthansa for airport use. It’s thought that fewer than 200 now remain.
• The Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen Fridolin you see in this article has been significantly modified from new. It has been fully restored, fitted with airbag suspension, Wilwood brakes, new wheels and tires, and a slew of other improvements, and it’s now being offered for sale out of Jacksonville, Florida – one of very few Fridolins in the United States.

Building The VW Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen

Known colloquially as the “Fridolin,” the VW Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen was developed at the request of the Deutsche Bundespost, the German Postal Authority, as a specialist vehicle that would be used nationwide as their new postal van.

Development began in the early 1960s, the initial plan had been to use the platform chassis of the VW Beetle Cabriolet as it had additional stiffening, however it was eventually decided that the wider chassis of the Karmann Ghia would be more suitable.

Rather than developing a new body from scratch, VW opted to repurpose the rear bodywork of the Type 2 Bus, with modifications of course. They used the headlights and some other front end elements from the Type 3, and the 1.2 liter H4 engine and 4-speed manual transaxle from the Beetle.

For postal use the van was fitted with sliding front doors on both the left and right side, the were often left open as postal workers made their rounds at low speed around neighborhoods, allowing them to quickly hop out and make deliveries as they went around their route.

The rear of the Fridolin has an opening hatch, and of course the engine is located below this in the back down under the floor. There was ample space in the rear for letters and parcels, and the Beetle engine provided good fuel efficiency, reliability, and broad parts availability.

Interestingly enough, the exact origins of the name “Fridolin” remain shrouded in mystery and no one has ever been able to conclusively identify its origins. Some have suggested that it was named after a factory worker who resembled the vehicle, which obviously wouldn’t have been particularly complimentary, and others have suggested that the name has its origins in the German word for a small boy or child.

In total, 6,139 examples of the Fridolin were made between 1964 and 1974. The vast majority went to the Deutsche Bundespost however approximately 1,000 were bought by the Swiss Post Office, and a small number were used by Lufthansa for airport duties.

It’s believed that fewer than 200 examples remain today due to the fact that they were prone to rust issues, and due to the fact that they were considered relatively undesirable for many years as former postman vans. The surviving examples are now enjoying a surge in popularity with collectors, and their prices have been seeing healthy increases as a result.

The Modified VW Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen Shown Here

The vehicle you see here is a restored and modified version of the Type 147 Kleinlieferwagen that keeps the spirit of the original but adds a slew of new features. It now rides on Airkewld four-wheel adjustable air suspension and polished Billet Specialties 17″ and 18″ wheels are mounted with Nitto Neo Gen tires .

The steel bodywork has been restored, media blasted, and repainted in a combination of mocha, pearlescent orange, and off-white, with an interior featuring parchment upholstery and tan square weave carpeting.

Power is provided by a replacement air-cooled VW flat-four with a displacement of 2,332cc. It now has a more modern 12-volt electrical system, dual Weber 44 IDF carburetors with 6″ velocity stacks, and a Bergman Porsche-style cooling fan.

The considerably improved power output is sent to the rear wheels via a Rancho 4-speed transaxle, and hefty Wilwood calipers have been installed along with cross-drilled rotors on all four corners to ensure there’ll be no problems bringing it to a halt.

This unusual Fridolin is now being offered for sale out of Jacksonville, Florida on Bring a Trailer, it’s one of very few examples of its kind in the United States, and it comes with a clean Florida title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer