Once upon a time, this plain yet useful boxy truck was a Volkswagen creation

When one goes through the history of automobiles, one may stumble upon models that never made headlines, but were as useful as they could be in those times. One such utility truck came from Volkswagen during the 1970s that earned a loyal following because of its practicality and affordability. It was called the Basis-Transporter and the, now, automaker major manufactured only 6,200 prototypes of it.

Calling it a rare creation, Volkswagen shared that the prototypes of the truck were manufactured and distributed in developing countries like Mexico, Turkey, India, Pakistan and many more. The automaker mentioned that it had a strong foothold in these countries as Volkswagen Beetle had already swept the crowd in its for. Hence, when the Basis-Transporter was taken to these countries, it found a strong customer base.

Volkswagen's Basis-Transporter shared the same powertrain as the Beetle. It came with a 1.6-litre engine that was capable of generating a power of 50 hp. It also came with a four-speed manual transmission. It had a top speed of 77 kmph and the vehicle's bed had the capacity to carry 1,000 kg weight making it the best option for people in these developing countries.

This utility truck got many nicknames in the countries where it was sold. It was called ‘Mitra’ meaning friend in India and ‘Trakbayan’ meaning country truck in the Philippines and many more. In the throw-back-Thursday release, Volkswagen shared that due to Basic-Transporter's limited run and distribution, spotting this utility truck is a matter of great luck. Although, the automaker did not mention how much did the two-door, boxy work truck cost in those times.

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