Volkswagen EA 48
| Volkswagen | |
|---|---|
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| EA 48 | |
| Presentation year: | 1954 |
| Vehicle fair: | |
| Class : | Small car |
| Body shape : | limousine |
| Engine: |
Otto engine : 0.6 liters (13 kW) |
| Length: | 3390 mm |
| Width: | 1474 mm |
| Height: | 1390 mm |
| Wheelbase: | 2050 mm |
| Empty weight: | 575 kg |
| Production model: | none |
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The development contract 48 , shortly VW EA 48 , is a small car project by Volkswagen in the 1950s. According to the manufacturer, the EA 48 is the first vehicle designed from scratch by Volkswagen. Development began on October 1, 1953 and was canceled on February 16, 1956. In 1954 two prototypes were built, the second of which was scrapped. The first EA 48 is now in the Volkswagen Auto Museum in Wolfsburg-Heßlingen.
history
In the summer of 1953, Heinrich Seibt came to Volkswagen, who had previously worked as an engineer at Gutbrod . He should build a front-wheel drive small car that should be located below the VW Beetle . Together with the engineer Gustav Mayer, Seibt began work on the vehicle on October 1, 1953, which was classified as development order 48. The front-wheel drive was viewed with skepticism at VW, however, since the rear-wheel drive of the Beetle developed by Ferdinand Porsche was the only correct concept due to its market success at VW. Various engines were designed. Among other things, a diesel engine was considered, the development of which the then general director Heinrich Nordhoff rejected. The bodies for the two prototypes were ready in April 1954. Testing began in the laboratory on September 16, 1954, as the engine was still under construction. In December 1954, the EA 48 engine was the last component to be completed so that road tests could be carried out. The boxer engine had two cylinders. He was strong enough, but not smooth-running.
In 1955, Ludwig Erhard turned to Nordhoff - possibly at the instigation of Carl FW Borgwards - with fear that a small VW car could endanger jobs and advised against further development of the vehicle. The driving tests with the EA 48 continued, however, up to February 2, 1956, around 2600 km and around 130 km on public roads had been covered on the Volkswagen factory premises in Wolfsburg. The car completed a total of 2837 km including laboratory tests. The project was canceled on February 16, 1956; the second prototype, which probably never drove, was scrapped. The engineer Mayer was awarded 50 DM for the construction of the front-wheel drive with a MacPherson wheel suspension in the EA 48. The first prototype, which was also used for the driving tests, can be viewed at the Volkswagen Auto Museum.
Vehicle description and technology
The EA 48 is a roughly 3.4 m long, four-seater compact car with two doors and a hatchback without a trunk lid or tailgate. There were also no rear side windows, the window line in the sheet metal between the B and C pillars is only indicated as a bead. The pontoon body is self-supporting. The front fenders are integrated into the bonnet so that the entire front end can be reached when the bonnet is raised. The rear fenders are partially welded, above the longitudinal bead they are screwed. The motor is installed in front of the front axle and drives the front wheels.
landing gear
The EA 48 has independent front suspension on wishbones and MacPherson struts . It is the first VW with front-wheel drive and the first vehicle to combine MacPherson struts with front-wheel drive. A torsion bar front axle was planned for the EA 48, but was discarded. The rear wheels are suspended from a pendulum axle and therefore have a positive camber when the car is empty . In the prototype, the spindle steering from the VW Beetle is installed instead of the planned rack and pinion steering . The steel disc wheels, which are attached to the brake drums with three screws, measure 3¼ × 13 inches and are fitted with 4.80–13 SL tires that were specially made by Continental for the EA 48. The car has a hydraulic single-circuit braking system with drum brakes on all four wheels; the handbrake works with cables on the front wheels.
Engine and power transmission
The engine is a two-cylinder boxer gasoline engine with 594 cm 3 displacement installed in front of the front axle , which has some design features in common with the VW Type 122 Beetle engine : light metal crankcase, air cooling with a fan and the Solex 28 PCI downdraft carburetor. The central spur gear-driven camshaft actuates the hanging valves via push rods and rocker arms. The two valves of each cylinder are arranged in a V-shape, unlike the Beetle engine, in which they are parallel to each other. The originally planned radial cooling fan on the crankshaft and the one subsequently used on a trial basis from the Lloyd 400 did not convey a sufficient amount of cooling air, so that the oil temperature at 3000 min −1 reached values of 120 ° C. Only the V-belt-driven fan of the Porsche Type 171 assault boat engine, which was only temporarily installed, was able to keep the engine's operating temperature within a safe range. The performance of the EA-48 motor is about 18 horsepower (13 kW) at 3800 min -1 . Other engine designs were considered, including a series motor and a 700-cm 3 -Boxermotor that have not been realized.
The drive power is transmitted from the engine via a single-plate dry clutch to a fully synchronized four-speed gearbox that is interlocked with the differential . The top speed of the EA 48 is around 95 km / h.
Furnishing
The body is painted gray both inside and outside; only the floor is covered with rubber mats. The two front seats are made of tubular steel and covered with fabric. To adjust the seating position, the seats are inserted into various holes in the vehicle floor. The rear seat bench and the trunk are only accessible via the front doors, the spare wheel is attached behind the rear seat bench, the trunk has a volume of 180 liters.
In contrast to the VW Beetle, the EA 48 has hanging pedals. The four-speed gearbox is shifted with a center lever according to the H-scheme. Behind the three-spoke steering wheel or left under the dashboard the lever is mounted on the hand brake, the left side of the steering column of the lever for the direction indicator ( winker ), the right is the dimmer switch. A speedometer with an odometer that reaches up to 100 km / h is centrally located in the dashboard . To the left and right of it there are two pull switches, on the outside left for the windshield wiper, next to it for the light, on the right outside the choke and next to it hand throttle . The heating is regulated with two pull buttons in the middle under the dashboard. The engine is started with the ignition key and not with a starter button like the one in the first VW Beetles.
The EA 48 has two windshield wipers, two headlights at the front and two taillights and two rear reflectors; they are standard components from Hella . Additional features include a non-lockable storage compartment on the passenger side, an interior mirror and crank windows in the doors. The car battery is located between the passenger cell and the engine compartment under the bonnet, the filler neck is at the rear right next to the license plate.
Technical specifications
| engine | |
|---|---|
| Engine type | Two-cylinder boxer engine made of light metal |
| cooling | Air cooling by fan |
| Valve control | V-shaped hanging valves, two per cylinder, operated by a central camshaft
via push rods and rocker arms |
| Mixture preparation | Downdraft carburetor Solex 28 PCI |
| Bore × stroke | 74 mm × 69 mm |
| Displacement | 594 cm 3 |
| rated capacity | 18 HP (13 kW) at 3800 min -1 |
| maximum torque | 40 Nm at 2500 min -1 |
| landing gear | |
| Front suspension | Lower wishbones, MacPherson struts with progressive coil springs and telescopic oil-pressure shock absorbers |
| Rear suspension |
Pendulum axle , spring-damper units with progressive coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers |
| steering | Spindle steering (14.15: 1) |
| Braking system | Single-circuit braking system, hydraulic, acting on brake drums on all four wheels, handbrake acting on the front wheels |
| bikes | Steel disc wheels, 3¼ × 13 in. (82.55 mm × 330.2 mm) |
| tires | 4.80-13 SL |
| body | |
| design type | Self-supporting all-steel body, front and rear fenders can be removed |
| Dimensions (L × W × H) | 3390 × 1474 × 1390 mm |
| wheelbase | 2050 mm |
| Other Information | |
| Vehicle mass | 575 kg |
| Maximum payload | 295 kg |
| Trunk volume | 180 l |
| Fuel consumption | 5.5-6.5 l / 100 km |
source
- The first of its kind - Small revolution from the 50s: the Volkswagen EA 48 . In: Volkswagen Classic , 2011
