Stock Photo - Mar. 03, 1973 - The first shipments of 12,000 VW Safari to the US start march 15, 1973. The Volkswagen Safari has so far not been exported to the Us in commercial quantities. The Safari is the latest relative of a military type landrover originally built for Rommel's desert warfare. The VW plant in Puebla, Mexico started to build the Safari in November 1970. A big expansion in the Mexican production of VW cars has originally been planned to satisfy not only the Mexican market, but to be shipped to all parts of the globe. In an official celebration Pres. Echeverria sent off the first trucks loaded with Safaris. The Safari has 11 basic colors plus more combinations. She does not have a roll-down window, the top is canvas, but not 'convertible'. Technical comparison: Volkswagan Safari Weight potential 1740 lbs more than2200 Gear ratic 1st 3.80:1 2nd 2.06:1 2.06:1 3rd 1.60:1 1.22:1 4th .89:1 .82:1 R 3.88:1 3.61:1 (Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)