Our own Andrew Wendler stuffed a 1968 Seeley Norton into a Ford Transit Connect back in 2010, proving that Ford’s then-new-to-our-shores compact hauler was fit for econo-racers. Now, for the Frankfurt auto show, VW has mooted its Multivan as a fancy bike hauler, complete with an electric ramp to load and unload one’s Ducati.
-VW Nützfarhzeuge (Volkswagen Group’s commercial vehicles division, home of the Nütziest Fahrzeuge around!) prepped the Multivan PanAmericana Concept for the show, suggesting that VW’s 4MOTION AWD system and the Multivan are a natural combo for getting your bike from place to place. Some hard-cores may sneer and suggest that if an Econoline was good enough for Mert Lawwill in On Any Sunday, it should be good enough for them. But we say, “Ratted and tatted dudeguys with your XR750s, time has moved on, and some of us are a softer shade of motorbicyclist. And what we want is a modern day Vanagon Syncro.”
-VW claims that “aluminum diamond plate instead of the carpeted floor in the passenger compartment reinforces the vehicle’s rugged character.” Like we said: a softer shade of motorbicyclist. Other amenities include decorative strips on the seats in carbon-look, and load-bearing hooks in the cargo bay. Flared fenders and an underbody skidplate completes the effete tough-guy look.
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Volkswagen won’t sell the Multivan here, claiming it would cost too much to be competitive in the American market. But with the American van market now filling up with Euro-style vans, we wish they’d find a way to figure it out. This thing makes Mert’s old Econoline look a little unappealing. We do, however, have an awfully soft spot for his Harley flat-tracker, even when confronted with the hot-zoot Ducati Panigale pictured with the new VW.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1UQGjcN
via Agya
