Junkyard Find: 1975 Audi Fox
No, this car isn’t this kind of Fox, though it is a sibling of the first Volkswagen Passat aka Dasher. The Fox was the name given to the Audi 80 for the United States market, and we can all be forgiven for not knowing this (as very few were sold). This completely used-up, not-so-quick brown Fox jumped over the lazy junkyard dog after a life spent almost entirely in the East Bay, and now it rests in a self-service wrecking yard about two miles from its owner’s longtime place of employment.
I know this because of the thick stack of Oakland Airport North Ramp employee-parking permit stickers on the bumper.
Looks like at least 30 stickers here, so we may be looking at a one-owner car.
I thought I might pull this Motometer clock for my car clock collection, but it turned out to be a case full of broken gears. Sadness.
The interior was completely cooked, which suggests that the car spent its entire life unprotected from the California sun.
According to Audi tradition, the timing belt should be located where it’s the first thing to get crushed in a minor crash.
Other than the usual California surface rust around the back window, this car is fairly solid in spite of all the bent metal.
I couldn’t find any US-market TV ads for the Fox, so we’ll go back to Germany.
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.
More by Murilee Martin
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Wolfwagen I have worked as a manager in both union and non-union locations. The best union employees were the ones who were indifferent to the union or told them to get bent. The worst ones were the ones who would run to the union for every little thing, even when it was their own actions that caused the problem or because they could not understand their own contract
- Harry HOW i RECOVER MY LOST OR STOLEN FUNDS:You should gather and document all relevant details about the theft, such as transaction IDs, wallet addresses, and any communication with the scammer if any, and then proceed to message SYLVESTER. G. BRYANT to get back your lost/ stolen funds by sharing the evidence you've compiled. he was the only one who was able to recover my funds I was so surprised he got back my money worth $52k but glory be to God and all thanks to him.. here is his contact below: Instagram: Yt7crackerszEmail: Yt7crackersz@ gmail,com
- Daniel J I had read an article several years ago that one of the issues that workers were complaining about with this plant is that 1/3 of the workforce were temporary workers. They didn't have the same benefits as the other 2/3 of the employees. Will this improve this situation or make it worse? Do temporary workers get a vote?I honestly don't care as long as it is not a requirement to work at the plant.
- Kosmo Tragic. Where in the name of all that is holy did anybody get the idea that self-driving cars were a good idea? I get the desire for lane-keeping, and use it myself, occasionally, but I don't even like to look across the car at my passenger while driving, let along relinquish complete control.
- Bof65705611 There’s one of these around the corner from me. It still runs…driven daily, in fact. That fact always surprises me.
Comments
Join the conversation
My first recollection of the Audi brand was the Fox one of my counselors had when I went to summer camp in the summer of 1979. I don't know how old the car was, but it was brown (what other color is there for a Fox?) and 8 year-old me thought it would be a good place to get some engine grime so that I could dress up like a mechanic for costume day. He didn't think that was such a good idea. Or particularly funny.
In Canada they used the Fox name on 2 distinct cars. In the mid 70's an Audi. In the mid early 80's a rebadged VW (Polo?) sold as an entry level vehicle. Both had problems with oil leaks and self destructing exhaust systems. VW also sold Sciroccos and 'Dashers' in Canada in the 70's. We didn't own either of those but did own a 3 series and a 4 series as well as 2 Beetles. The 3 and 4 series were both what I believe are called 'flying brakes', 2 door station wagons. Not a great idea because most people buying a station wagon have kids so entrance to and from the back seat was compromised.