Volkswagen Classic is presenting three themed areas at the world’s largest fair for vintage automobiles. Six unique record breakers and a 68-page booklet recount superlative achievements from the world of Volkswagen. “Summer Forever” honours 70 years of the Beetle Cabriolet with two rare exhibits. “Youth at Work” displays a special apprentice project: trainees from Volkswagen Osnabrück will complete the restoration of a classic. The most recent record-breaking car is a thoroughbred racer: the Volkswagen W12 set ten international records at the high-speed circuit in Nardò (Italy) in 2001. The following year, the 400-kW (600-PS) experimental vehicle bettered all of its own records and set a new 24-hour world record with an average speed of 322.89 km/h. The W12 Nardo’s records still stand to this day.

Back in 2000, the Lupo 3L TDI “80 Days” set out to set an economy record: under the motto “Around the World in 80 Days”, two Lupo 3L TDI covered exactly 33,333 kilometres on their journey through 22 countries. The average consumption of just 2.38 litres per 100 kilometres earned the car its place in the Guinness Book of Records – as the most economic production car in the world.

In 1988, two pilot-series Corrado G60 set six class records at the Volkswagen test facility in Ehra-Lessien. Visitors to Essen can see one of the 162-kW (220-PS) sports coupés from 1987.

A three-wheel prototype generating 0.2 kW (0.272 PS) set a consumption world record in 1982: the SMVW (Volkswagen Ecomobile) completed a 1,491-kilometre route on just one litre of diesel.