The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car built from 1961 to 1973 and shown at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show as the Volkswagen 1500, later the Volkswagen 1600. It came as a two-door Notchback, a Fastback and a station wagon sold in the United States as the Squareback, and it widened Volkswagen’s range beyond the Beetle, the Karmann Ghia and the Type 2 while keeping the air-cooled rear engine, rear-wheel drive and body-on-chassis construction. It used the Beetle’s 2.40 m wheelbase but was larger inside and out, thanks to slab-sided Ponton styling and a longer, wider body.
Volkswagen Type 3 at a glance
| Maker | Volkswagen |
|---|---|
| Production | 1961–1973 |
| Debut | Frankfurt Motor Show, 1961 |
| Names | Volkswagen 1500, then Volkswagen 1600 |
| Bodies | two-door Notchback, Fastback, Variant (Squareback in the US) |
| Layout | air-cooled flat four at the rear, rear-wheel drive |
| Construction | body on a chassis with a backbone integrated into the floorpan |
| Suspension | torsion bars front and rear |
| Wheelbase | 2.40 m, as the Beetle |
| Fuel injection | Bosch D-Jetronic optional from 1968, standard in the US |
| Automatic | three-speed transaxle from mid-1968 |
| Luggage | compartments at both ends |
History of the Volkswagen Type 3
The Type 3 emulated the Beetle with a low-profile version of the rear-engined air-cooled four, body-on-chassis construction in which the body bolts to a frame that includes the floorpan, and the same wheelbase, but with more contemporary slab-sided Ponton styling instead of the Beetle’s articulated fenders and running boards. The design was finalised by 1959 and prototypes were ready for testing by 1960; secrecy was so tight that Volkswagen denied preparing a new design at the 1960 Geneva show. In 1961 the new line was announced as the VW 1500, and production of the 1500 Notchback began in August 1961, a month before the launch.
The Karmann Ghia 1500, also known as the Type 34 Karmann Ghia, went into production in November 1961 with deliveries from January 1962, and the Variant estate followed with the first cars built in February 1962; twelve prototype convertibles based on the Notchback were made but never produced. The Fastback, or TL, arrived in August 1965 together with the 1600 engine. Volkswagen intended it to replace the Notchback, which happened in Britain, but in other markets, Germany included, more buyers preferred the older shape than expected, so both stayed in production until July 1973. Trim levels varied by market, with more chrome, brightwork and full carpeting at the top, a fully automatic transmission available from mid-1968 and factory petrol heaters an option in some countries; air conditioning and radios were never fitted at the factory but were often dealer options.
Volkswagen of America sold the Squareback and Fastback from the 1966 model year but never imported the Notchback or the Type 34. A distinctive feature of all Type 3 models was that the flat four gave the car luggage compartments at both ends, something Volkswagen highlighted in its advertising. For 1968 the 1600E models were the first mass-produced cars to offer electronic fuel injection as an option, introducing the Bosch D-Jetronic system, available only in Type 3s for its first two years; the injected 1600 was standard in all American Type 3s from 1968 to 1973, while carburettor engines remained available in many markets to the end. The three-speed automatic of mid-1968 brought CV-jointed independent rear suspension, which became standard in 1969, although swing axles stayed available in markets with poor roads. A facelift in 1970 revised the front, extended the nose by 115 mm and added 42 litres of luggage capacity, along with square-section bumpers, larger tail lights and front indicators. In Europe a lower trim level was sold as the 1600A.
Design and features
- Two luggage compartments: one at the front and one over the rear engine.
- First electronic injection: Bosch D-Jetronic was optional from 1968, two years before any other car.
- Three body styles: Notchback, Fastback and Variant, the last sold as the Squareback in America.
- Beetle layout, bigger body: the same 2.40 m wheelbase with more space inside.
- Automatic from 1968: a three-speed transaxle with CV-jointed rear suspension.
Volkswagen Type 3 versions
- 1500 Notchback (1961): the original three-box saloon.
- Karmann Ghia 1500 / Type 34 (1961): the coupé built on the same running gear.
- Variant / Squareback (1962): the estate.
- Fastback / TL (1965): the fastback with the 1600 engine.
- 1600E (1968): the fuel-injected model.
- 1600A: the lower trim level sold in Europe.
The Type 3 sat above the Beetle and below the Type 4, and its running gear was used for the Karmann Ghia Type 34. More cars are in the Volkswagen collection.
Sources
- Volkswagen Type 3, English Wikipedia: design, models, fuel injection, automatic, facelift
