Fridolin, German postman of the sixties

This year all 36 ° May beetle meeting from Hanover, Volkswagen celebrated 55 anniversary Fridolin, a van entirely dedicated to mailing, built almost exclusively for Federal Post Office Germany.

Introduce yourself three Type 147 restored together with Volkswagen Auto Museum Foundation... It is estimated that there are only about 200 Fridolins in circulation worldwide.

Fridolin, Tipo 147

The model never really had an official name, it was named in the House. Small delivery van type 147 (Small-sized transport Type 147). For the client it was Postal special car (special vehicle for postage). Swiss Post, another major buyer, adopted the name Kleinfurgon.

"Fridolin" is actually a nickname, it was never officially registered or accepted, even if it went down in history. Apparently, this was attributed to an employee Franz Knobel and son for the resemblance toMSB 52, a small service carriage of the German railways, nicknamed by the railroad workers "Fridolin" (child) due to its microscopic size compared to a traditional locomotive.

Beetles and transporter

Volkswagen has been the preferred supplier since the end of the war, so much so that at the end of the XNUMXs the car fleet Federal Post Office Germany Between "Maggiolini" and "Transporter" there were about 25 thousand.

I Beetles they worked on a door-to-door basis: they emptied mailboxes and promptly delivered goods. IN Transporter they shuttled between train stations and post offices. For service, they were set up internal workshopswith equipment supplied by the manufacturer and personnel trained in Wolfsburg.

60s: boom in postal services

At that time, there were no smartphones or landlines, there was only a post for communication... Emigrants sent and received packages and letters from home, while Germans began to travel and sent letters and postcards.

especially in big cities the volume of correspondence increased, and the post office lacked a car with intermediate characteristics: larger than the Beetle, but less cumbersome than the Transporter.

Order from Deutsche Bundespost

After some cars were unsuccessfully tested in the market, the German Post Office decided to contact its main supplier and asked him to build a car with the following characteristics. features: length: 3.750 mm, width: 1.400 mm; height: 1.700 mm; cargo compartment: 2 m3; payload: 350 kg; sliding side doors; runabout; mechanics capable of withstanding the stresses associated with the type of use; ease of maintenance and repair; ergonomics.

Volkswagen's answer

The expected production volumes were low and resources should not be diverted from the development of the most popular models, but Volkswagen did not want to upset such an important buyer.

Therefore, the design and construction of the vehicle was entrusted to Franz Knobel and Son GmbH di Rheda-Wiedenbrück in Westphalia, specializing in the conversion of conveyors into motorhome Westfalia, sold worldwide through the Volkswagen network.

By body: Wilhelm Karmann GmbH Osnabrück, which has already produced an open version of the Beetle, as well as the Karmann Ghia coupe and convertible.

Sketches, models and prototypes

Development began in February 62. EA 149, in April Franz Knobel and son presented a series of sketches and a 1: 8 scale model. Immediately after agreement with the client, the first prototype was created using components of existing Volkswagen models ("Types 1, 2 and 3").

Those that are intended, produced or provided Franz Knobel and Sean, it would be as simple and cheap as possible. On practiceassembly of components from Wolfsburg, Hanover and Osnabrück.

Puzzle of parts from Volkswagen models

Starting point selected floor Karmann Ghia which was about half the size of the Transporter, stronger and wider than the Beetle, but with the same standard step 240 cm so as not to change the repair equipment.

The front was lifted from Type 3, and in the back - sheet metal Type 2 first series... Components have also come from other Volkswagen models. The engine was 4 cylinder boxer Beetle: 1192 cc and 34 horses (25 kW).

1964: production

After a long series of prototypes and improvements, the new car was launched in 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show... The presentation took place at the Main Post Office in Frankfurt and Serial production started in 1964., at the rate of 5 cars per day, and ended in 1973.

All of them were produced 6.126 Fridolin (6.139 with prototypes), of which 4.200 were purchased by German post, 1.200 from the Swiss, the rest from the German airlines, the Liechtenstein post office and the German government authorities.

1974: retirement

Beginning in 1974, the German post office began replacing Fridolin with a post office. Golf 1100 basic version with three doors, modified at the rear to provide a cargo compartment instead of a rear seat. Later he took over the role Polo.