Teijo. Volkswagen Transporter from Finland

Recently we had in this section the story of a quite rare, but at least rare beautiful survivor: A Ford Capri with a thick three-liter block under the hood. We found that car in Finland and a pleasant communication with Chris Nylund started.

Also read: Ford Capri 3000 GTXL

Volkswagen in Finland: Google Translate chokes on it

Finland is not directly the country we know most about. And Google does not tell you much when you search for classics: “Yrityksemme on erikoistunut myymään, ostamaan sekä välittämään kaikenlaisia ​​klasseikkoajoneuvoja. Olemme pääsääntöisesti erikoistuneet moderneihin. ” So something like that. And then we were only looking for classics in Finland.

Mailing is better

Thus, in the post between Chris and us, the question came up: "Have you also made cars?" Apparently some sort of… No family sedans or exotic sports cars or anything. Volkswagen hybrids are made in Finland. Specially tailored to the Finnish market. We thought, "the Finnish market?" And those Finnish 'almost VWs', they were called Teijo

Also read: classics in Canada

A very strange VW

If you are a VW enthusiast or collector, you probably know about the Volkswagen Basic Transporter EA489. A really rare car that has been produced in very low numbers. But you've probably never heard of the car that is actually 10 times or rarer than the Basic Transporter.

Also read: The Fridolin. Smart air-cooled postman from Volkswagen

Teijo: valmistettu suomessa (made in Finland)

Then we are talking about the TEIJO 24 van, of which somewhere between 150-200 were made. Based on Volkswagen Basic Transporter EA489. The car was produced in Finland as TEIJO by WIHURI, then the official Volkswagen importer in Finland. The Teijo pick-up was made in collaboration with Volkswagen and equipped with a chassis and all technical equipment such as engine, gearbox, instruments, etc. from VW's shelves.

The cockpit and cargo box are designed and made in Finland to better match the Finnish market. Designed as an affordable, simple van, the TEIJO was produced from 1974-1976.

The car is so rare that many VW enthusiasts do not know about the TEIJO, which has a special place in Volkswagen's history. Production started in 1974 with the production of the first twelve prototypes / test vehicles. The one in the photos is number ten and has a double seat on the passenger side instead of the two simple seats (one driver and one passenger) that the Teijos usually had.

This means that the copy in the pictures is one of the very special proto / test vehicles, number 10 out of 12. The car is in good condition and passed the annual inspection in May 2020 without any problems. The box has recently been beautifully renovated with new wood and stuff.

Unique! But for whom?

Naturally, exotics like this Finn have a very limited target group in enthusiast country. But for someone with the clear approach 'I want all VW transporters and stuff', such a Finnish working donkey is of course irresistible. For us it is the lesser type of classic. Because due to its rarity, such a hybrid VW is in fact not usable. And that while he is just designed to work. The market therefore has no price indication for these types of classics. It is a very clear case of "What the madman cares about".

The producer WIHURI has also sponsored the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver Valtteri Bottas. But that was about completely different cars