Junkyard Gem: 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton

From our Prime 20 Dumbest Automobiles of All Time record, I might discovered examples of 9 throughout my junkyard travels (Ford Pinto, Pontiac Aztek, Cadillac Cimarron, Ford Mustang II, 1990 Chrysler Imperial, Good ForTwo, Chevrolet Vega, Mercedes-Benz R-Class and Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible) before now. Because it’s very unlikely that I am going to enjoyable throughout a Fuller Dymaxion or Horsey Horseless in a Ewe Pullet, I knew I might should maintain my eyes open for #8 on the record: the Volkswagen Phaeton. Simply over 2,200 Phaetons had been bought in the USA, however I’ve discovered equally uncommon machines simply by being persistent. Positive sufficient, I discovered this ’05 in a Northern California yard lately, a number of rows over from a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

For the reason that identify Volkswagen means Individuals’s Automotive, you’d assume that the thought of a showy luxurious sedan bearing the badges of such a proletarian model would not make a lot sense in North America. In any case, Toyota, Nissan and Honda every grasped that American automobile buyers related their manufacturers with smart however inexpensive equipment (such is just not the case again in Japan) and created separate snootified marques to promote their luxurious wheels over right here.

Anyway, Ferdinand Piëch decreed that there could be an enormous VW luxurious sedan based mostly on the identical platform because the Bentley Continental GT, full of operating gear borrowed from the Audi A8. This occurred, and the Phaeton was the outcome. Phaetons had been constructed from the 2003 by 2016 mannequin years, however solely the 2004 to 2006 fashions had been bought in the USA and Canada. This automobile is one in every of 820 Phaetons bought within the USA for the 2005 mannequin yr.

A bewildering number of engines, each gasoline and diesel, had been accessible in Phaetons bought elsewhere, however simply two made it to North American VW sellers: a 4.2-liter V8 and a 6.0-liter W12. This automobile has the V8, which was rated at 335 horsepower and 317 pound-feet (the W12 had 420 horsepower and 406 pound-feet).

You may be happy to know that this engine made practically 14 instances as many horses as the primary Volkswagens imported to the USA (and that is earlier than factoring within the gross-versus-net rankings switcheroo that occurred right here within the early Seventies).

How a lot was all this luxurious? The MSRP on this automobile was $66,950, or round $105,967 in 2023 American {dollars}. In the meantime, the most cost effective potential 2005 Volkswagen Golf listed at $15,830… and the penny-pinching aura hovering round each a kind of low cost VWs migrated over to each Phaeton (within the eyes of those that choose others by the snazziness of their possessions, at any charge). By the way in which, the 1949 Beetle value $16,098 in 2023 {dollars}, which was a reasonably whole lot on the time, regardless of the scary cable-operated brakes.

All that stated, this factor was an engineering masterpiece. Simply take a look at these trunk hinges, which appear like one thing from an intergalactic house probe.

By all accounts, the US-market Phaetons had been extraordinarily comfy and drove nicely. The issue for Volkswagen of America was that few fat-walleted automobile buyers needed to pay for one as a substitute of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Lexus LS (one other downside was that American automobile patrons had been shunning sedans of all sizes for fairly a number of years by the center 2000s). I thought of shopping for these intelligent cupholders for a car-parts boombox undertaking, however they had been held in by exquisitely German proprietary fasteners that resisted my crude mainstream instruments.

This automobile would not appear to have been wrecked, although elements buyers have extracted all the dear entrance lighting and trim elements (in all probability for resale on eBay). My guess is that it bought into the palms of a 3rd or fourth proprietor who did not perceive the upkeep prices of a high-end European luxurious automobile, and the primary five-figure restore estimate doomed it.

How completely do you leap when you might have leapt 1,000,000 instances? As completely as you construct a automobile when you might have constructed 100,000,000 vehicles. 

It was a superb factor for the Volkswagen Group that the Phaeton bought nicely in China.

In reality, a Phaeton successor is accessible within the Center Kingdom proper now!