VW See-Golf (1983): The floating convertible

The bizarre compact travels at just under 25 mph... on the water

Photo by: Volkswagen

By: Benja Hiller

Jul 30, 2024 at 6:47am ET

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"But can yours swim?" Apparently, Dr. Ernst Fiala asked himself this tormenting question and, together with his four-person team, set out to teach the compact car icon to swim. After all, the Wolfsburg-based company had already proved with the Volkswagen Type 166 Schwimmwagen that a car can indeed swim. Here we present to you the Volkswagen See-Golf from 1983.

Gallery: VW See-Golf (1983)

Source: Volkswagen

The new idea of teaching the Golf to swim, however, had a scientific background, at least according to tradition. The 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine with 150 PS was to provide technical knowledge about how a series engine behaves under continuous load with low cooling.

Fiala's team worked on the See-Golf for a total of three years. A VW Golf Cabriolet served as the basis, on which two massive floats were mounted. Using a hydraulic device, these pontoons could be raised when leaving the water. As a result, the gaunt Golf emerges from the water with a kind of giant antlers, almost like a stag. With this monster of a construction, 87 mph should still be possible on land. But it probably needs two parking spaces to park.

VW See-Golf (1983)

The body and drivetrain were sealed to protect the working mechanics from moisture. The interior was kept in easy-care leather. The propeller is driven at sea via a shaft that can be coupled separately to the drive train. A full 22 knots are possible with the See-Golf - a good 25 mph. With the constant water displacement, the water-cooled 1.8 should therefore be well utilised with little external refreshment.

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Tests were carried out in local reservoirs and the Bay of Kiel before the bizarre vehicle found its way to the 1983 GTI meeting at Wörthersee to be presented to a wider public. We'll leave the scientific background to the team and of course not assume that they just wanted to make an extremely cool appearance at the legendary car meeting.

We were able to see the See-Golf in its natural habitat on a small lake next to the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg from a distance during the GTI Fan-Fest. Outside of this, the little one is at home in the Volkswagen Museum. The bottom line is that the classic Schwimmwagen probably had a slightly better everyday use as an amphibious vehicle than the See-Golf.