AUTONEWS

Klv-20: the German project concept that mixes Kombi and train

There are things in life that we are used to. Those that we are prepared for. And there are those that take us completely by surprise. This is the case of a project recently launched by Volkswagen in Germany.

The automaker's classic commercial vehicles department unearthed an idea from the 1950s. Imagine a Kombi, one of the brand's classic cars. But put it on rails.

This is the concept of the Klv-20 project, which was born in 1955 and which returned to operation this year, in an exhibition in the city of Lengenfeld.

An interesting fact is that the Klv-20 was developed at that time to serve as a work vehicle for the German federal railway, the Deutsche Bundesbahn. It transported employees quickly to different points on the railway.

Since the state-owned company needed compact service vehicles quickly, it ordered a Volkswagen Transporter rail car instead of designing a new vehicle from scratch.

The automaker then decided to use something it already had and that was successful: it took a Kombi and placed a train frame underneath it. The Klv-20 was in operation until the end of the 1970s, when the German Federal Railway decided to retire the model. Despite the exhibition tour this year, Volkswagen does not plan to resume production of this vehicle. It will only be on display at the brand's museum. 

What this Kombi looks like inside: Mechanically, the vehicle comes with a four-cylinder Volkswagen engine, with a power output of 28 hp. The force generated is transferred to the “wheels” by two articulated axles. Stopping power comes from a pedal-activated oil-hydraulic shoe brake system. The car is powered by a four-stroke gasoline boxer engine and a four-speed manual transmission with reverse gear. An interesting aesthetic detail is that the iconic round headlights are not there, as are its taillights. To better comply with railway regulations, the Kombi-train has two white front lights almost on the roof of the car – and that’s it.

Inside, the vehicle has three rows of upholstered seats, totaling eight seats.

In addition, the vehicle has no steering wheel or rearview mirror – which is kind of obvious, since it runs only on rails.

by Mundoquatrorodas