Volkswagen Passat LS
The first Passat looked like a hatchback, but its rear window stayed fixed and luggage went through a small boot lid. In LS form, its 1.5-liter engine drove the front wheels—a big change for a Volkswagen family car in 1973.
1973 Volkswagen Passat LS · Lebubu93 · CC BY-SA 3.0
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More than a set of wheels.
Series production began on May 14, 1973. Volkswagen adapted the Audi 80 platform and body, then Giorgetto Giugiaro reshaped the rear to create the Passat's sloping fastback profile. The LS combined the stronger 75-PS launch engine with the better-equipped L trim. This exact early car predates the large, roof-hinged tailgate that entered production in January 1975.
Look a little closer.
Volkswagen's museum owns a 1973 Passat B1 LS with vehicle identification number 2—the oldest surviving Passat identified by the company.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A fastback before the full hatch
The 1973 body had a sloping rear but only a conventional luggage lid below the fixed rear window. Volkswagen did not put the large roof-hinged hatch into series production until January 1975. Calling this launch car a fastback saloon, rather than assuming it has the later full hatch, preserves an easy-to-miss identity detail.
Source: Volkswagen Newsroom — Techno Classica 2023: 50 years of Passat ↗Audi bones, a Volkswagen shape
To control development cost, Volkswagen used the Audi 80 platform and core body. Giugiaro revised Hartmut Warkuß's Audi design, especially at the rear, and the result replaced the rear-engined Type 3 in Volkswagen's range. The engineering shift mattered as much as the styling: water cooling and front-wheel drive pointed toward Volkswagen's next generation.
Source: Volkswagen Newsroom — Passat B1 (1973–1980) ↗Why LS means the middle engine
At launch, the lower-output 1.3- and 1.5-liter engines could be ordered in basic or L trim, while the 85-PS TS had its own twin-headlamp identity. The LS therefore pairs L trim with the 75-PS 1.5-liter engine. Volkswagen's engine table gives 1,471 cc, 75 PS and 112 N·m; it should not be blended with the TS tune or the 1.6-liter engine introduced later.
Source: Volkswagen Newsroom — Passat B1 engine versions ↗Where these facts come from
- Volkswagen Newsroom — Techno Classica 2023: 50 years of Passat
- Volkswagen Newsroom — Passat B1 (1973–1980)
- Volkswagen Newsroom — Passat B1 engine versions
- Volkswagen Newsroom — Passat B1 vehicle data
- DIE ZEIT — 1973 Passat technical data
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.