Unique VW T1 with track chain drive is running again!

Historical sources say he was an avid skier. He noticed that there was a shortage of highly off-road transporters in the mountains of Austria. Those that were easy for everyone to drive and yet could easily climb to the highest pasture. "An ideal helper for everyone: hut manager, hunter, forester, doctor, maintenance staff for lift systems, television and radio systems, pipelines and the like," as Kretzner later wrote in the sales documents for the caterpillar fox. “In the beginning I looked around but couldn't find the car I was dreaming of. So I decided to build it myself.” Just as Ferry Porsche once said and did, so did Kurt Kretzner. The inventor designed and built the summiteer for more than four years. Two "foxes" were probably made by 1968, and production of the third then faltered. What survived, however, was at least one specimen of the caterpillar fox.

a T1 with a steered double axle

The Viennese inventor had planted a steered double axle with coarsely profiled 14-inch twin tires at the front and a double axle with chain drive at the rear under the orange-painted Bulli body. The tracks were mounted on 13-inch wheels and were a proprietary construction of aluminum elements with two-centimetre-thick rubber blocks to save the asphalt. The double front-axle steering resulted in a turning circle of less than ten meters – almost turning around. Each wheel was equipped with a brake. An automatic locking differential ensured evenly distributed propulsion even in deep snow. The T1 drew its power from its standard 25 kW/34 hp boxer with 1.192 cm³ displacement. The caterpillar fox reached 35 km/h and was therefore only slightly slower than its namesake from the animal world.

Kurt Kretzner wanted to build a tracked wagon that would be very easy to control. Precisely for this reason, the mechanic did not opt ​​for chain steering on all axles like on a bulldozer, but for a half-track (only on the drive axles) and almost normal, albeit double, front-wheel steering. And that's how the inventor advertised the caterpillar fox: "The new, ideal, easy-to-use caterpillar vehicle with which you can master any difficult terrain safely and comfortably. You can drive on snow, sand, stones, alpine meadows, moors, small streams and forests with this device.”

owned by the Bullikartei eV

The caterpillar fox has rarely been seen over the years. The T1985 made its last appearance in Vienna in 1 before it was bought by the Porsche Museum in Gmünd in the early 1990s. At some point the caterpillar fox then became the property of the Bullikartei eV – a community of fans of the first Bulli generation. In 2005 they started a first attempt to restore the high-alpine special vehicle. Unfortunately, the restoration could not be completed for logistical reasons of the nationwide scattered members of the association.

At the end of 2018, the caterpillar fox was added to the collection of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer. The goal: The caterpillar fox should get back on the slopes. Under their leitmotif “Remembering. Experience. Preserved.” the classic car experts therefore started a complex reconstruction. As with all factory restorations in Hanover, the 60-year-old body was stripped of paint, repaired, KTL-coated and repainted in the largely original orange tone. Matt orange, so that - according to the intention at the time - the caterpillar fox was immediately recognizable in the snow-covered landscape and rough terrain.

Technology again in new condition

The team from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer also restored the technology to new condition. Likewise the interior. The team was able to let their creativity run free there, as there were no reliable specifications. Beech and pine wood were individually adapted to the space in the caterpillar fox and practical tool holders were installed. In the spring of 2022, the time had finally come - the caterpillar fox made his tracks through the snow again. And with an unusually good climbing ability: After the complex restoration of the four-axle vehicle, the team from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer was able to see for itself that the driver surrendered on the steep slope much sooner than the caterpillar fox. Anyone who would like to see this unique vehicle live will have the opportunity to do so on Saturday, May 28, at the annual meeting of the Bullikartei eV at Meinhardsee near Eschwege. More information about the meeting can be found on the association's website: www.bullikartei.de.