Is my understanding correct that loan words are usually pronounced according to the donor language? (e.g. "das Handy") I seem to remember V is special somehow too, for historical reasons.
If I am reading Duden right, Version is directly a French loanword:
If I am reading Duden right, Version is directly a French loanword:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Version
while Variation is "influenced" by French:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Variation