VOLKSWAGEN FOX

The Volkswagen Fox was produced in Brazil and imported to the U.S. from model years 1987 to 1993. Available body styles included a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a two-door station wagon. The front and rear were mildly restyled for 1991, and the two-door wagon was dropped from the U.S. line at that time. Although it looks somewhat like a first generation VW Golf (U.S. Rabbit) with a trunk, the Fox is actually a different car. The engine in the Fox was mounted front to rear, rather than sideways as in the Golf and Jetta. All U.S. Foxes were powered by fuel injected 1.8 liter engines rated at 81 horsepower. Power steering and automatic transmission were not available on the Fox. Early models used a 4-speed transmission. The GL Sport and some later GL and base models used a five-speed transmission. The Fox was sold in Latin America and in Canada, but not in Europe. In Brazil, the Fox sedan was known as the Voyage, and the wagon was called the Parati. There was a very sharp looking small pickup truck version called the Saveiro and a hatchback version called the Gol, neither of which was exported to North America. The Fox sedan was also produced in Argentina, where it was called the Gacel.

1988 2-Door Sedan and Station Wagon

Base Sedan has 12" wheels, GL Wagon has 13" wheels with full covers.

My 1988 4-Door GL Sport

Alloy wheels were standard on the GL Sport.
This car was driven over 160,000 miles before I sold it several years ago.

1989 GL 4-Door Sedan

Owner: Hugh Mailly

1990 4-Door Sedan

Stone deflecting "bra" was a popular accessory

1991 4-Door Sedan

This style wheel cover was introduced in 1991

1993 2-Door Sedan

The restyled front end is obvious in this photo

1993 4-Door Sedan

This is a "Wolfsburg Edition" model.
Aero wheel covers are an aftermarket item.

1988 Gacel from Argentina

This sport model has 100 horespower and a 5-speed transmission.
External gas cap, wheels, and "1.8" emblem differ from U.S. models.
The Gacel was facelifted in 1992 and produced through 1996.
Owner: Cyb Arquitectos

Buby Toy VW Fox (Gacel)

Rare 1:64 scale toy Fox (Gacel) made in Argentina.
It was made in blue, red, and yellow.
I have examples of all three in my collection.

How Many Foxes?
Exact numbers are difficult to come by, but approximations can be made for U.S. Fox imports based on goverment recall data and the VIN numbers of Foxes listed for sale on various web sites. The 1995 recall of 1987 through 1993 Foxes for the underdash heat exchanger involved 164,000 vehicles. Since this recall was after importation ended, 164,000 should be a good number for total U.S. Fox imports. A recall of Foxes manufactured through November 1988 for a steering wheel retaining nut problem involved 104,000 vehicles including all 1987, all 1988, and early 1989 vehicles. The recall of 1990 Foxes for the VECI label involved 20,000 vehicles, which seems reasonable for that model year. The restyled 1991-93 Fox was imported in much smaller numbers than the 1987-90 version. Based on VIN numbers, total Fox imports for 1991-93 appear to be fewer than 30,000 and perhaps as few as 26,000. The best year for the "Fox II" was the final year. During 1993, the Golf II and Jetta II were gone, and the Golf III and Jetta III were just being introduced in limited numbers. The Fox was called on to take up some of the slack, and imports again hit five figures, reaching 18,000 or so for the final year. 1992 appears to be the rarest model year, with only a few thousand imported, followed by 1991 with around 9,000. Overall, the top model year appears to be 1988, followed by 1989, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1991, and 1992 in that order. If anyone has more or better data, please forward it to me at wj2d@comcast.net and I will update this information.

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Updated 9/12/07