]From: jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu (John Gladu)
]
]At  6:34 PM 4/7/94 -0500, derekdrew@aol.com wrote:
]>The story goes that SDP wouldn't agree to build the 4x4 stuff for the Type II
]>for VW unless VW agreed to let SDP assemble the vehicle. VW caved in. SDP
]>then subcontracted the viscous coupling design out fo Porsche.
]
]The viscous coupling is the same one used by Honda in their 4WD Civic
]Wagons.  Unfortunately, I can't remember who invented it - Honda or VW.
]But I have a feeling it was Honda and *they* licensed it to VW...

I thought I read somewhere that Steyr-Daimler-Puch invented the original
technology.  That was the leverage they had to force VW to let them do the
assembly of the Synchro versions (lower royalties if they assemble). VW
already had high-tech all-wheel-drive technology for the Audi Quattros that
they'd developed in house, but it would have been very difficult to adapt
to the Vanagon in comparison the the SDP system.  I knew the Honda RealTime
system was very similar, but didn't know it was the same.  I assume they
licensed it from SDP, too.

-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Jerry Dunham, MSE          hoosier@rider.cactus.org           (512)244-8598
Tandem Computers, Inc.                                dunham@mpd.tandem.com
Integrity Systems Division                          dunham_jerry@tandem.com

  "A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one-and-a-half times his
   own weight in other people's patience."

			        - J. Updike