I remember seeing a photo of this ages ago…but just saw it again after a long time. I find it interesting how the rear side view seems to have inspired the Peugeot 205 in many ways. I also find it interesting that the front end design presented here in 1969 seems way ahead of its time! As a whole though, I think it’s safe to say that the proper MK1 Golf which presented itself a few years later is a much more cohesive, proportional design than this one is. This 1969 prototype is also FWD, front-engined as the production MK1 would be…
This car is currently stored at the VW Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany
src: historyOfCars
IEDEI 
Let’s be happy they waited for the brilliant Giugiaro design to start producing something to succeed the pre war concepts…
When I see this, I see a lot of Fiat 127 in it, the rear end, and the front of later 127 models. But nothing seems to fit together, very messy design. The only thing that could refer to the pretty 205 is the triangle between the rear side windows and the rear end.
agreed Marcel! the Giugaro design is so much nicer and way ahead of this one. That rear ‘triangle’ is what i’m referring to with the 205…pretty strange looking on this VW though! the front end looks actually more like a Lada! 🙂
Well, let’s not forget that the original Mk I Golf is actually a carbon copy of the Audi 50. But agreed: the car pictured above looks like the design was used by Lada later on. 🙂
what’s most fascinating to me….is that the Audi 50 was ‘supposedly’ designed by Bertone….or at least they had their hands all over it, while the Golf is supposedly designed by Giugaro….maybe they had a shifty employee going between the 2?
Or maybe someone at either company was very excited to try out their new photocopier. 😉
Actually, the Audi 50 was a rebadged VW Polo of the first generation, not a Golf. And Giugiaro was designer at Bertone before he started his own company. He is responsible for all mid 70s VW designs.
actually it’s the other way around! the Audi 50 got rehashed as the Polo after several years of production! the 50 was supposedly designed by Audi in house with collaboration with Bertone, as I’m finding out.
1969 VW https://iedei.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/1969_vw-golf-mk1-prototype-5.jpg?w=580&h=432 vs. 1985 VAZ http://car-exotic.com/image/vaz-2105-cars-4.jpg 🙂
this thing is pretty fug! it looks like something they might have sold in the brazilian market up until the late 1990s.
they sort of did! the VW Brasilia: http://bestcars.uol.com.br/carros/vw/brasilia-77-anuncio.jpg
This ghastly design looks decidedly “iron curtain”
Iwas about to comment on the fact that the rear looks like it belongs to the Brasilia. The Brasilia was sold here in portugal too. It mounted a typical flat four and it was 3 times louder and harsher than a beetle.