1988 VW T25 Kombi Syncro 16"
Escorial Green : Very Rare Original RHD 16" : Full Restored
£41,995

Details

​

In the late 1970s, Volkswagen sought to expand its product line by creating a robust four-wheel drive vehicle capable of tackling more challenging terrain than the standard rear wheel drive van. They turned to Steyr-Daimler-Puch, an Austrian engineering firm with a history of producing four-wheel drive military and off-road vehicles. The collaboration resulted in the development of the Volkswagen Syncro, based on the Transporter Type 2 T3 platform. Launched in 1985, the Syncro was a ground-breaking vehicle, thanks largely to its all-wheel-drive system that used a British Ferguson-type viscous coupling instead of a standard centre differential. This distributed power between the front and rear axles depending on driving conditions, offering optimal traction and handling over varied terrain. This made the Syncro perfect for off-road adventures, emergency services, and even some military applications. They were offered in standard 14" wheel configuration or by special order also a 16" version (only approximately 2,000 made out of 45,000 total Syncro production)

​

The 16" version differs from the 14" in a lot of details. As the T3 Van has no separate chassis-frame, additional reinforcements had to be integrated into the bodywork sheet-metal structure. This meant reinforcements for the b-column, the shock-absorber flanges, suspension hinges. A rear diff-lock was included in the package, for some countries even the front diff-lock. There are also some special breathers for the transmission and friction housing in order to avoid to sucking water while wading. The front suspension of the later models was changed from welded sheet-metal to a more rigid and corrosion-resistant steel-cast part, the CV-joints are covered by a special PUR protection shield. The rear half-axles have a bigger flange-diameter (108 instead of 100 mm). The filling of the visco-coupling is said to be slightly different in order to accelerate its traction control function. The 16'' package includes also enlarged brakes from the VW LT 3,5t light-truck - conventional drums at the rear, 280 mm disk-brakes in front. Factory tire size was 195 R 16, the 205 R 16 or 7.00 x 16 were also available with a new car. Clearance between rear-suspension and the 16" tires seemed insufficient, so a modified suspension was designed, which also enlarged the wheelbase for another 20mm. More clearance is the reason for the modified wheel-wells as the sheet-metal would otherwise interfere with the enlarged tires, the wheel arches are modified and covered with black extensions moulded in polyurethane.

​