By Classic Yorkshire correspondent Tony Lofthouse
It’s a sad sign of the times that VW bosses have called time on its flagship saloon.
In 2019, the Passat was described as ‘the best selling mid-size car on the planet’, having built over 30 million models worldwide since its launch in 1973.
The original Passat was the work of Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also worked on the Mk1 Golf as well as the infamous DMC DeLorean.
The styling of the first Passat mirrored that of the Audi 80 and came in two and four-door hatchback design. A five-door estate model followed in 1974.
Over the decades the Passat has gone through nine generations and become hugely popular in the fleet and family markets.
In terms of design, Volkswagen may have played it safe with the Passat but I have a personal reason to love this particular example of German engineering.
My dad’s last car was a 1998 2-litre Passat in Elegance Green with automatic transmission. It had a quite stunning cream leather interior rounded off with a walnut-effect dashboard. He loved the car and for a previously loyal Jag owner that was saying something!
The end of the four-door Passat is the story of changing tastes, the growing appeal of SUVs and the industry’s relentless shift towards electric options.
Thankfully, VW aren’t throwing the towel in on the iconic Passat just yet as they plan to launch an estate model in early 2024, including petrol and diesel options.
Second-hand Passats traditionally offer great value and they just run and run. Amongst the pick is the W8. Introduced in 2002, the W8 is powered by an eight-cylinder engine generating 275bhp. Inside, the car features plush upholstery and all the executive gadgets VW could muster at the time.
Not bad for a VW range some described as ‘boring’.