Volkswagen
Iltis – 1980 Paris–Dakar winner

Why it matters

A Race Iltis won the 1980 Paris–Dakar Rally outright, and three more Iltis finished in the top ten. Volkswagen presents this as the start of four-wheel drive's rise in rallying.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The Iltis was shown in a civilian version at Geneva in 1979, and a sports entry in the Paris–Dakar Rally was decided on to raise interest in it. In 1980 the Race Iltis won, with other cars finishing 2nd, 4th and 9th, and even the service vehicle was flagged down in 9th place.

The winning car with start number 137 is kept in the Autostadt museum.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The factory identifies the winning car by its start number 137; it is displayed in the Autostadt museum. Volkswagen's image archive also carries a picture captioned as the Race Iltis that won in 1980.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Volkswagen Newsroom – Iltis (1978–1988) Level A

   • 1 the single works Race Iltis that won the 1980 Paris–Dakar outright ("A Race Iltis wins the Paris-Dakar")

   Accessed 2026-11-12