VW’s epic “W” Story

Chapter 3 – The Word’s Best Saloon

In the early ’90s, the man himself decided to embark on a pet project, to make a luxury car that could dethrone the Mercedes S-class. So Mr. Ferdinand Piech famously laid out the following criteria to the team responsible for the Phaeton Project:

Even though the Phaeton’s speed was electronically limited to 250 km/h, it did not stop Piech and the team from over-engineering this autobahn missile. Staying true to VW’s rich part sharing history, the D1 Platform of the Phaeton was top-tier stuff which later down the line was shared with the likes of the Audi A8, the Bentley Continental, and Flying Spur.

The concept D prototype presented at the 1999 International Motor Show in Germany was enough of an indication of what was to come. The Concept D with its hatchback design, AWD drivetrain, Air suspension, and the V10 TDI motor was enough of an indication of what was to come, but the W12 was a bigger surprise.