Volkswagen SP2: The coolest VW you've never heard of

When car companies’ subsidiaries developed models specifically for their markets (as some brands did in South Africa, until the early-Nineties), the results were often quite interesting… and appealing. Consider the SP2, developed by Volkswagen Brazil.

Volkswagen do Brazil developed the VW SP2 for – you guessed it – the Brazilian market. Produced between 1972 and 1976, just over 10 000 of these svelte air-cooled coupes were manufactured. Only around 2 000 units were ever exported, and they were never made available in South Africa.

Brazil has a very close connection to Volkswagen, and enthusiasts will know that for a short period during the late-70s, South Africa, for example, also imported VW Kombis from that country.

IMAGES: Justin Pinto

Based on the Wolfsburg-based brand’s Variant (Type 3) that was available at the time in Brazil and fitted with a 1.7-litre, flat-4 air-cooled motor (dubbed “the pancake”, for its packaging), may not be a sportscar in terms of performance, but its exotic looks and sheer rarity in South Africa, makes it rather exceptional.

Specifications:

Model: 1976 Volkswagen SP2
Engine: 1.7-litre flat-4, petrol
Power: 56 kW at 4 000 rpm
Torque: 113 Nm at 3 000 rpm
Top speed: 161 kph
0-100 kph: >16 seconds
Gearbox: 4-speed manual
Wheelbase: 2 400 mm
Weight: 890 kg

Its owner, Gerhard Ryksen, is a respected figure in the local Volkswagen community. He bought his 1st Volkswagen, appropriately a Beetle, when he was 16. He started working on that Beetle and drove it, before he eventually got busted for driving without a licence!

“I had to sell it, but I bought another 1 – and that is how all of this started.” It has been a long journey that took several years, and eventually, Gerhard opened the Volksie Museum outside Bloemfontein.

He has arguably the neatest Volkswagen collection in South Africa, and he is constantly either busy restoring a car, driving across the country buying and selling cars and parts or maintaining his collection.

When we interviewed the Freestater, there were only three SP2s in South Africa. None of the other 2 were on the road, but 1 of them belonged to a good friend of his (and could be on the road by now).

The history of how this car came to South Africa is worth mentioning. Gerhard is only the 2nd owner; the 1st owner saw an SP2 while on business in Brazil, and he convinced VW Brazil to ship one to Mzansi.

“One of the highlights for me is the design of the SP2. A friend of mine owns a cream-coloured one, and that was the first time I saw an example of these cars. I just fell in love with the SP2,” said Gerhard.

“Back then, we thought it was the only 1 in South Africa. Then we heard there was a red one, and we heard rumours of this car. Nobody knew where it was and if it even existed. By pure chance, I found it.

“It took a lot of time (about 5 years) to convince the previous owner to part with the car. In fact, I used to phone him almost every month, but I eventually managed to secure it, and I’ve now owned it for 16 years. The happiest moments were the day I saw it for the first time, and the day when I went to collect it.”

When Gerhard bought the car, he restored its paint finish, but mechanically, it didn’t need a lot of work.

At the time when Cars.co.za filmed this car (in 2020), Gerhard said that he’d clocked up 7 000 km in the time he had owned the Volkswagen SP2: “It runs so well, drives smoothly and even the seating position is comfortable. I once drove 800 km in a single day; usually, I don’t do those distances with my older cars.”

It is hard to believe that after standing in a basement for 10 years, Gerhard basically started the car, drove it to a car wash, and then went on a 400 km road trip.

In Gerhard’s own words: “That was one of my best drives ever… in any car.”

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