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| Radars | Type of rim, made by Sears. |
| Raders | Type of rim, made by EMPI. |
| Rag Top | Generic term for any convertible. Refers
to the fabric top opening of a sunroof. |
| Raked | Slang - A car that is completely lowered, but slightly more in the front than in the back |
| Randars | Radar reproduction rim manufactured in Southern California. |
| Rare | Infrequently occurring; uncommon. The often over-used term to describe a scarce or hard-to-find VW part. |
| Rat Look | Distinct VW "Look" characterized by
visible rust and an extreme lowering job. Usually performed on a
rusty or otherwise unrestorable VW.
 |
| Rat Rod | See Rat Look |
| Razor Edge Ghia | See Type 34
 |
| RdA | See Reichsverband der deutschen Automobilindustrie |
| Rear Apron | Rear center area on a VW. On a Beetle,
the U-shaped lower portion of the rear clip.
On an early Bus, the removable metal piece bolted
to both corners.  |
| Rear Clip | Area on a Beetle
from the bottom of the rear window downward. Similar sized areas on
other VW types.
 |
| Rear Hatch | Opening rear door on various VWs - Buses,
Squarebacks, etc.. Usually contains a
window.
 |
| Rear Mat | Vinyl, fabric, hardboard, or rubber mat used
to provide a more appealing trunk or cargo area
appearance. |
| Rebuild Kit | General term to indicate a series parts needed to rebuild something. For example, a carb. rebuild kit might include all new paper and rubber seals, a new needle valve, and a few other small parts. |
| Red Needle Gauges | Slang term to describe the gauges
used in 1961 to mid-1964 VW Type 3s. They
had red/orange needles as opposed to the later white needle gauges. |
| Reduction Boxes | Additional gear boxes, primarily used on swing-axle VW Buses, that reduce the transmission gearing to provide additional torque at lower speeds at the sacrifice of top speed. This allows a smaller VW engine to be able to push a large amount of cargo down the road. As a side benefit, they provided additional ground clearance. |
| Reflectors | Glass or plastic diamond-pattern items that
reflect light when hit by the headlights of passing cars. Provides
additional visibility at night. Most commonly used when referring to
early VW Bus reflectors, such as those used on all 1950-1955 Buses and 1955-1957 US-delivered Buses.  |
| Regulator | Electrical component of the VW charging system the regulator keeps the generator output at a common level. 7.4v for 6v vehicles and 13v for 12v vehicles. See also Window regulator. |
| Reichsverband der deutschen Automobilindustrie (RDA) | The German Automobile Industry Association: the pseudo-official association of automobile manufacturers that was charged by Adolf Hitler with the responsibility for producing the "Klein auto". A contract between the RDA and the Porsche Büro eventually resulted in the development of the KdF-Wagen. |
| Repop | Slang for Reproduction. |
| Replicars | Refers to "Replica" cars of rare or famous ones built on a VW chassis out of fiberglass. |
| Repro | Slang for Reproduction. |
| Reproduction | General term for a non-VW produced part made in modern times. |
| Reserve Valve |
Switchable valve used on the bottom of the gas tank befoer gas gauges were
standard. The valve had two intake tubes: A tall one and a short one.
As the gasoline level in the tank drops, your car began to sputter from loss
of gas, at which point the driver would turn a lever (Beetle/Ghia) or pull
the reserve cable (Bus) switching the valve to the shorter tube which was
still submerged in gasoline. See Auf-Zu.
 |
| Resto | Slang for Restoration. |
| Resto-Custom | Style of VW usually consisting of a generally stock
restoration but can often include a lowering
job or a few custom components. |
| Restoration | The process of restoring a VW. "It underwent a 3 year restoration". See pan-off restoration. |
| Reuters, Bernd | Brochure illustrator from 1951-1960.
Extremely stylized, he emphasized the round
forms of the cars and drew the passengers slightly smaller than correct
scale to give the Volkswagen a larger and smoother look.
|
| Rev | Slang for "revolutions per minute". Usage: Rev the engine so I can locate that strange noise. |
| RHD | Right-hand drive. |
| Ribbed Bumpers | Bumpers used in the front and rear on pre-1959 VW Buses.
aka pressed bumpers. |
| Ribbed Door | Term used for early Beetle doors where there
is a metal "rib" visible above the door panel on the inside. |
| Rims | Aluminum or steel frame that provides a framework for the tire; wheels. Common Volkswagen rims include: Radars, Raders, Sprint Stars, Fuchs, etc. |
| Riviera | Riviera
Motors was the Beaverton, Oregon based regional distributor of
Volkswagens. At some point they decided to contract with
ASI (Automotive
Services, Inc.), based in the Vancouver, Washington area, for Type 2
camper conversions modeled after Westfalia Campmobiles.
 |
| Roadster |
A hardtop vehicle that has had the roof permanently removed with no
intention of providing a top.
 |
| Rocker |
Outside area of a VW Beetle, Type
3, or other sedan, to the exterior of the heater channel, underneath the
front doors. On a VW Bus, the area under the cargo
doors or a similar area on the other side where a Double
Door Bus might have cargo doors.  |
| Roll it | Slang; Just drive it, as advice to someone instead of making a repair, e.g. "Should I fix this, or just Roll it?" |
| Roller | Slang; A chassis that has the complete front beam and a transaxle so it can be towed. |
| Rometsch |
Rometsch was a specialty coach-builder that, like Hebmüller and
Dannenhauer und Staus, produced a number of very exotic cabriolets.
 |
| Roo Bars | See cow-catchers. |
| Roofrack |
Accessory rack for the roof, used to carry luggage or other cargo.
 |
| Rugbrød | Danish: Literally "rye bread". In Denmark, a nickname for the "Bay Window" Transporter. |
| Rust |
The reddish brittle coating formed on metal especially when chemically
attacked by moist air and composed essentially of hydrated ferric oxide. |
| Rustbucket |
Slang for an incredibly rusty car.
 |
| Rust-Through |
Describes locations an a VW where rust has completely eaten away the
metal leaving a hole. Often found on the rockers,
floorpan, roofline,
etc.
 |
