VWCV Classic Vehicles restores iconic, one-off Half-track Fox
Expert engineers rebuild unique chain-driven Bulli designed for tough Alpine terrain
Engineers at VWCV Classic Vehicles have completed one of their most ambitious projects to date – the 60-year-old restoration of the “Half-track Fox”, one of the most unusual and capable Bullis ever built.
Known as “Master of the Peaks”, the T1 was transformed at the hands of a resourceful Viennese Volkswagen mechanic into an Alpine specialist, with the goal of helping mountain workers, hunters, foresters, doctors, ski-lift engineers and everything in between. Its unique half-track design meant it was just as at home on sand, stones, grass, streams and woodland as on the slopes.
Creator Kurt Kretzner, a keen skier, spent four years designing and building the vehicle with three on record in 1968 when production ceased. The newly-restored vehicle is the only remaining “Fox”.
At first, I had a look around, but couldn’t find the vehicle I was dreaming of. So, I decided to build it myselfKurt Kretzner
Under the orange paint is a steered double axle with dual rough-tread 14-inch tyres at the front, twinned with another double axle with chain drive at the rear. The chains are mounted on 13-inch wheels and a construction of Kretzner’s own design made of aluminium elements with rubber blocks two centimetres thick to spare the asphalt.
This gave the Half-track Fox a turning circle of less than 10 metres, meaning it was almost capable of turning in its own circumference. Kretzner fitted each wheel with a brake and an automatic limited-slip differential ensured evenly distributed forward propulsion even in deep snow.
The T1 was powered by a standard 25 kW / 34 PS flat engine with a cubic capacity of 1,192 cc. The Half-track Fox reached a top speed of 35 km/h (22mph) making it only slightly slower than the animal that it’s named after.
The new, ideal, easy-to-drive Half-track Fox that lets you safely and comfortably master all difficult terrain. Snow, sand, stony ground, mountain meadows, small streams and woods can all be driven through in this vehicleKurt Kretzner
The unique model was rarely seen after production ended until 1985 when it appeared in Vienna. In the early 90s, it was bought by the Porsche Museum in Gmünd before being passed over to the ‘Bullikartei e.V.’ – a society of lovers of the first Bulli generation. Initial restoration attempts were made in 2005 but progress stalled.
In 2018, VWCV Classic Vehicles took possession of the “Fox” and expert engineers began a painstaking restoration process. The bodywork was stripped of paint, repaired, given a cathodic dip coating and repainted in the original and eye-catching matt orange.
The mechanics were rebuilt to as-new condition under the principles of “Erinnern. Erleben. Erhalten.” (Remember. Experience. Preserve.), while inside the engineers were given creative freedom as there was little existing specification. Beech and pine components were individually adapted to the space inside the Half-track Fox, and practical tool holders installed.
In 2022, the Half-track Fox once again took to the slopes, ready to master whatever terrain stood in its way just as Kretzner had always intended.
