The K70 was Volkswagen's first water-cooled front-drive car, inherited whole from NSU after VW bought the company in 1969.
Lead trim: K70 1600 1,605 cc four (75 PS) · up to 99 hp
Volkswagen K70K70 · 1970–1975
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Volkswagen K70 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe K70 was Volkswagen's first water-cooled front-drive car, inherited whole from NSU after VW bought the company in 1969.
The Volkswagen K70 is a four-door sedan developed by NSU and marketed from 1970 to 1975 by Volkswagen after its 1969 acquisition of NSU, the first water-cooled, front-engine, front-drive vehicle from a company synonymous with air-cooled, rear-engined, rear-drive vehicles; designed by NSU's chief engineer Ewald Praxl and styled by Claus Luthe to complement the Ro 80, it was ultimately marketed only as a sedan (211,127 produced for model years 1970–1975; 23 pre-series NSU-badged K70s were built). The K stood for Kolben (piston), and although reports said the 70 in the name reflected a 70 PS output, the engine was rated 75 PS. It was launched with a four-cylinder water-cooled engine developed from the NSU 1200's air-cooled unit, enlarged to 1,605 cc, longitudinally mounted well forward directly above the differential and canted to the right, sharing the Ro 80's inboard front disc brakes; the round Audi 100 bumpers replaced the square-edged originals in August 1971, and in May 1973 an 1,807 cc 100 PS version arrived to address performance concerns. Versions: 1600 (75 PS, 1970–1975), 1600L (90 PS, 1970–1973) and 1800LS (100 PS, 1973–1975). It was built in Neckarsulm (NSU) and Salzgitter (VW), where only the K70, VW 411/412 and briefly the Passat B1 were produced. Wheelbase 2,690 mm (105.9 in), length 4,455 mm (175.4 in), width 1,665 mm (65.6 in), height 1,455 mm (57.3 in).
Collectors Spotted in the Volkswagen K70 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volkswagen K70 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K70 1600 1,605 cc four (75 PS) | 1970–1975 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 74 hp | 90 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| K70 1600L 1,605 cc four (90 PS) | 1970–1973 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 89 hp | 99 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| K70 1800LS 1,807 cc four (100 PS) | 1973–1975 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 99 hp | 112 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
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