VW Type 3
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The Volkswagen Type 3 is a
compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class—predominantly used in North America—that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, before ...
manufactured and marketed by
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
from 1961 to 1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt International Motor Show, the ''IAA'', the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later as the Volkswagen 1600, in two-door
notchback A notchback is a car design with the rear section distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment. Notchback cars have "a trunk w ...
,
fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is not a fastback design with a roofline that tapers downward toward the car's rear before being cut of ...
, and
station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...
body styles, the latter marketed as the 'Squareback' in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's product range beyond the existing models—the Type 1 Beetles, Type 14
Karmann Ghia The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia are a family of three overlapping sports car models produced by Volkswagen, marketed in 2+2 (car body style), 2+2 coupe (1955–1975) and 2+2 convertible (1957–1975) body styles, though German production ended one yea ...
, Type 2 vans and pickups—while retaining Volkswagen's hallmark engineering features: the
air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...
rear-engine, rear-wheel
drive train A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drive ...
, body-on-
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
construction (with a
backbone chassis Backbone tube chassis is a type of automobile construction chassis that is similar to the body-on-frame design. Instead of a two-dimensional Vehicle frame#Ladder Frame, ladder-type structure, it consists of a strong tubular backbone (usually re ...
integrated into the car's
floorpan The floorpan is a large sheet metal stamping that often incorporates several smaller welded stampings to form the floor of a large vehicle and the position of its external and structural panels. In the case of monocoque designs, the floorpan ...
), as well as torsion bar front and rear suspension. Despite using the Beetle's wheelbase, the Type 3 was conceived as a larger car, offering a larger engine and increased cargo and passenger volume—the latter from its increased length and width as well as from its slab-sided, ''Ponton'' styling, maximizing the platform's footprint.


Background

The Type 3 emulated major features of the Type 1 Beetle, using a low-profile version of Volkswagen's rear-engined, 4-cylinder air-cooled engine, as well as body-on-chassis construction (the body bolts to a frame that includes the floor pan), retaining the same wheelbase – but using more contemporary and slab-sided ''Ponton'' styling, in contrast to the Type 1's articulated fenders and running boards. VW finalized the design by 1959 with prototypes ready for testing by 1960. Secrecy was such that even at the 1960 Geneva Auto Show, VW denied they were readying a new design. In 1961, VW announced the new line as the "VW 1500". Production began in August 1961, a month before launch, of the Volkswagen 1500 Notchback, encompassing
three-box styling The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature is the car's roof-supporting pillars, designated from fr ...
in a
Notchback A notchback is a car design with the rear section distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment. Notchback cars have "a trunk w ...
saloon body.
Oswald Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name * Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...
, p 52
Production of the Karmann Ghia 1500 (also known as the
Type 34 Karmann Ghia The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia are a family of three overlapping sports car models produced by Volkswagen, marketed in 2+2 coupe (1955–1975) and 2+2 convertible (1957–1975) body styles, though German production ended one year before that in Braz ...
) with a
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
body commenced in November 1961 and deliveries started in January 1962. The station wagon/estate-bodied Variant (marketed as the Squareback in the US) followed, with the first cars produced in February 1962. Twelve prototype convertibles based on the 1500 Notchback were also built, but never entered production. The Fastback, or TL version, a
fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is not a fastback design with a roofline that tapers downward toward the car's rear before being cut of ...
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
, arrived in August 1965, along with the 1600 engine. Volkswagen's intention was that this model should replace the Notchback, which is what happened in the UK market. However, in other markets, including the German domestic market, the number of customers preferring the older Notchback shaped car was higher than foreseen, and in the end both Notchback and Fastback remained in production until July 1973. Type 3s were made in a variety of trim levels with different features for different markets. Top end models featured more chrome, more brite trim, and full carpeting, and, starting in mid-1968, were available with a fully automatic transmission. Factory installed gasoline powered heaters were a factory installed option available in some markets. Air conditioning and radios were never factory installed but were often available as dealer installed options.
Volkswagen of America Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Volkswagen of America, abbreviated to VWoA), is the North American operational headquarters, and subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of automobile companies of Germany. VWoA is responsib ...
began marketing the Type 3 Squarebacks and Fastbacks for the 1966 model year, but they never imported the Notchback or Type 34 Karmann Ghia. The Type 3 was competing in the market with the
Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a Rear-engine design, rear-engined, Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine, air-cooled compact car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet over two generations between 1960 and 1969. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it was of ...
that had been previously introduced in the United States in 1960, which incorporated a 6-cylinder rear-mounted air-cooled engine in notchback and station wagon body style, as well as a compact van and pickup derived from the platform. It also competed in the US with the
Renault 8 The Renault 8 (Renault R8 until 1964) is a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive small family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the 1960s and early 1970s. It also formed the basis for the larger Renault 10, introduced in 1965. The ...
which also offered a rear engine and rear drive sedan. A unique feature of all four Type 3 models was that configuration of the flat 4 engine gave the cars both front and rear luggage volumes; a fact highlighted in VW's advertising. For the 1968 model year, the Type 3 1600E (''Einspritzung'') models were the first mass produced automobiles with electronic fuel injection available as optional equipment. This was the introduction of the Bosch
D-Jetronic Jetronic is a trade name of a manifold injection technology for automotive petrol engines, developed and marketed by Robert Bosch GmbH from the 1960s onwards. Bosch licensed the concept to many automobile manufacturers. There are numerous variatio ...
fuel injection, which was available only in VW Type 3s for its first two years. The 1600 cc
D-Jetronic Jetronic is a trade name of a manifold injection technology for automotive petrol engines, developed and marketed by Robert Bosch GmbH from the 1960s onwards. Bosch licensed the concept to many automobile manufacturers. There are numerous variatio ...
fuel injection engine was standard equipment for all Type 3s sold in the US for model years 1968 thru 1973, but single and dual carb engines remained as available options for many markets around the world until the end of Type 3 production. In mid-1968, a three-speed fully automatic transaxle became available. With the automatic came a CV-jointed independent rear suspension (IRS), replacing the swing axle (also IRS) set-up. This 1968 mid-year introduction was only available in conjunction with the dual carb 1600 cc Type 3 engine. For 1969, the CV-jointed rear axle became standard with both automatic and manual transmissions, and the automatic transmission was also offered combined with the D-Jetronic 1600 cc fuel injection engine. The swing axle rear suspension remained available for some markets that had poorer quality roads. Type 3 models received a
facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () 'wrinkle', and () 'excision', the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure intended to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are ...
in 1970, with a revised front end, its nose extended by adding to the luggage capacity. At the same time Type 3s received revised square-section bumpers (with integral rubber strips in some markets), as well as larger tail lamps and front indicators. Volkswagen offered the Type 3 in a lower trim level in Europe, marketed as the 1600A. In the US, and for 1973 only, Volkswagen of America offered two trim levels of the Type 3 Fastback in the US, marketed as the ''Type 3 Sedan'' and ''Type 3 Basic Compact''. The Basic Compact trim level featured reduced content, including limited color and upholstery availability; deletion of exterior belt line chrome trim, clock, and electric-heated rear window defogger—and using painted vent widow frames, a black cardboard front trunk liner over the gas tank without a liner on the sides of the trunk or over the firewall, and plain vinyl door panels without door pockets and rubber mats in lieu of interior carpet. While the Type 3 was a more modern design, it never reached the same level of popularity as the Beetle. As Volkswagen started to produce front-wheel-drive water-cooled designs, production ended in 1973 at the
Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...
plant. The Wolfsburg production facilities were then retooled to build the
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
, known as the
Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
in the US., which eventually replaced the Type 1 as Volkswagen's best-selling sedan. Production of the Type 3 moved to VW's new
Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...
plant, which was retooled later in 1973 to build the first-generation Passat (also marketed as the "Dasher"). File:Volkswagen Type 3 Cabriolet (1961) Classic-Gala 2021 1X7A0088.jpg, 1961 convertible prototype File:Volkswagen Type 3 1600 TL pre facelift.jpg, 1966–69 1600 Fastback File:Volkswagen Type 3 BW 2016-09-03 13-28-39.jpg, 1600 Fastback File:1969 Volkswagen 1600 Type 3 Squareback (17106727491).jpg, 1600 Variant/Squareback File:VW Typ 3 1600 L2012-07-15 14-42-30.JPG, 1500 Notchback


Engine and drivetrain

The Type 3 was initially equipped with a 1.5 L (1493 cc) engine based on the air-cooled 1192 cc
flat-4 A flat-four engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-four engine or boxer engine, is a four-cylinder piston engine with two banks of cylinders lying on opposite sides of a common crankshaft. The most common type of flat-four engine is the box ...
found in the Type 1, but given a 69 mm stroke it became the basis for the 1300 cc, 1500 cc and 1600 cc engines that followed in the later Beetle (Type 1) and Volkswagen Type 2 T1 and T2. While the long block remained the same as the Type 1, the engine cooling was redesigned by putting the fan on the end of the crankshaft instead of on the generator. This reduced the height of the engine profile, allowing greater cargo volume and earning its nicknames: the ''pancake'' or ''suitcase'' engine. 1600 cc (1584 cc) engine options became available starting in the 1966 model year, but the 1500 cc options remained available thru the end of Type 3 production. Both displacements were available in low compression and high compression versions, so there were low and high compression single carb engines, and low and high compression dual carb engines. The D-Jetronic fuel injection engine was only made in the high compression configuration. Starting with the 1966 model year, Type 3 engine numbers came with a letter prefix that indicated the engine type. For 1500 cc (all single carb) engines the low compression prefix was M while the high compression prefix was K. For the 1600 cc (all dual carb) engines, the low compression prefix was P and the high compression prefix was T. Fuel injected engines have a U (or X for 1972–73 California cars.) The Type 3 used a similar transmission to the Beetle but with higher ratios (4.125 R&P v 4.375 R&P) and longer axles. Unlike the Beetle (Type 1), the Type 3 engine and transmission unit was mounted into a subframe (which contained the complete rear suspension), which was then rubber-mounted to the floorpan and body, thereby isolating vibration and road noise from the passenger space. The original Volkswagen 1500 used a single side-draught 32 mm Solex PHN carburetor. In August 1963 VW introduced twin-carburetor versions, these were, respectively the Volkswagen 1500 'N' (Normal), rated at , and the 1500 'S' (Super), which had high-compression (8.5:1) domed 83 mm pistons and twin downdraught 32 mm Solex PDSIT carburetors for more power. 1600 cc Type 3 engine options were added in 1966 (August 1965) and in 1968 the 1600 cc Type 3 became the world's first volume production car to feature
electronic fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All co ...
 – designed by Bosch. The Bosch
D-Jetronic Jetronic is a trade name of a manifold injection technology for automotive petrol engines, developed and marketed by Robert Bosch GmbH from the 1960s onwards. Bosch licensed the concept to many automobile manufacturers. There are numerous variatio ...
system was offered on the Volkswagen 1600 TE & LE version (E designating "''Einspritzung''" or "injection" in German). A similar Bosch D-Jetronic injection system was used in the later VW Type 4, and some models of the VW-Porsche 914/4. In mid-1968 a semi automatic 3 speed transmission was introduced installed together with the dual carb engine; this automatic transmission was offered together with the fuel injected engine starting with the 1969 model year. A notable advance from the Type 1 to the Type 3 was the front suspension. Although similar to the Type 1, it was the first Volkswagen front suspension to incorporate transverse round torsion bars, as opposed to the Type 1's torsion leaves. The Type 3's torsion bars are cross-mounted in the lower tube, so that each individual torsion bar spans the full width of the car, the upper tube containing an anti-roll bar that connects the upper trailing links to each other. The complete front suspension unit is rubber-mounted to the car's floorpan. In 1969 the rear suspension was upgraded to double jointed
CV joint A constant-velocity joint (also called a CV joint and homokinetic joint) is a mechanical coupling which allows the shafts to rotate freely (without an appreciable increase in friction or backlash) and compensates for the angle between the two sha ...
semi trailing arm suspension (sometimes called "IRS" by VW enthusiasts to differentiate it from the previous IRS swing-axle type.) The Type 3 offered both front and rear enclosed luggage areas, with cargo accessible via both the boot (trunk) and the bonnet (hood). In each of the four body styles (Notchback, Squareback, Fastback, and Ghia) the engine is located under and accessed by a panel on the floor of the rear cargo area. This engine placement was highlighted in a period Volkswagen televisio
commercial
for the American market. It featured a very young
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
who shows the fastback model and explains its technical features but is unable to locate the engine. The ad closed with the copy, "Come into your Volkswagen dealer. They'll show you where the motor is." The original Type 3 with 5-bolt wheels (5 × 205 mm PCD) used twin leading shoe drum brakes at the front. In August 1965 (the 1966 model year) these were replaced by front disc brakes, coinciding with the introduction of the Fastback and 1600 engine (Australian-built models retained drum front brakes until August 1967). These have 4-bolt wheels (4 × 130 mm PCD) with 8 cooling slots. Rear brakes were always leading / trailing shoe drums.


Technical data


Production figures

German production: *1500/1600 chassis and works prototypes: 311 *Type 351 1500/1600 Convertible (prototypes): 12 *Type 31 1500/1600 Notchback/Fastback: 1,339,124 *Type 36 1500/1600 Variant: 1,202,935 Brazilian production: *Notchback: 24,475 *Fastback: 109,515 *Variant: 256,760 *Variant II: 41,002


Australian production

The Type 3 was manufactured at Clayton in
Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
, from 1963 in sedan,
station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...
and
sedan delivery A panel van, also known as a delivery van (United Kingdom), blind van, car-derived van or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind ...
body styles. In 1965, the
Fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is not a fastback design with a roofline that tapers downward toward the car's rear before being cut of ...
was introduced, fully imported from Germany.Volkswagen Cars in Australia
Retrieved on 17 October 2013
Panel van versions (based on the 1500 'N') feature a marine ply wood loading area with zinc plated steel protector strips, one sun visor (for the driver), a clock delete panel, and no fixed side windows. All Australian-assembled panel vans were fitted with a metal ID tag behind the spare wheel with a prefix of PV, followed by the number, stamped by hand. There are approximately 10 known surviving panel vans from the estimated original production run of 500 and a further 10 to 15 from German manufacture. Following the cessation of all local manufacturing by Volkswagen Australasia in 1968, the Type 3 was assembled from CKD kits by Motor Producers Limited at the same Clayton facility through to 1973.Phil Matthews, Australian Volkswagen History—1971–1975
Retrieved on 12 August 2011


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Brazilian Type 3

The
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Type 3 was launched in
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in 1968, it was heavily based on Volkswagen's EA 97 prototype of 1960 with some restyling penned by
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) for its boxy shape. It was discontinued in 1970. The fastback version, the Volkswagen TL, fared somewhat better, remaining in production from 1970 to 1976, originally as a two-door and later as a four-door version. As in Germany, the original
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was replaced with the Type 3-based Karmann Ghia TC (Touring Coupé), but with a distinct look from the German Karmann Ghia Type 34. Neither enjoyed as much success as its estate-bodied sibling, the Variant. The 3-door Variant was produced from 1969 to 1977, followed by an updated successor with squarer body (similar to the Brasilia), the Variant II, which was produced from 1977 to 1981. Brazilian Type 3s used the front suspension from the Type 1 with its laminated half-width torsion bars in top and bottom tubes and solidly mounted to the floorpan, unlike the German Type 3's rubber mounted unit with full-width crossed round bars in the lower tube and anti-roll bar in the top one. The only exception among the Brazilian Type 3s was the Variant II, which was equipped with a front
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Argentinian Dodge 1500-based Volkswagen 1500

A "Volkswagen 1500" unrelated to the Type 3 model 1500 was sold during the 1980s in
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based upon the Dodge 1500 manufactured in that country. In 1980, Volkswagen bought the Argentinian company ''Chrysler Fevre Argentina SAIC'', inheriting some
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models and renaming the company ''Volkswagen Argentina SA''. One of the models was the Dodge 1500 (also the Dodge 1800) which the newly taken-over company re-badged as Volkswagen 1500 for the Argentinian market. The estate was known as the Volkswagen 1500 Rural. Both variants continued to be sold until 1988. The car, which was based on the
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, had also been sold in Brazil, where it was known as the
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. This version ceased in 1981, shortly after Volkswagen's purchase of the tooling in Argentina. The same car was available earlier in the 1970s in North America as the
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. No parts of the Dodge 1500/"Volkswagen 1500" overlap with the Volkswagen Type 3 model 1500, or any other Volkswagen product. Furthermore, the 1500 is the only front-engine, rear-wheel drive passenger car line ever sold as a Volkswagen.https://www.theautopian.com/has-volkswagen-ever-built-a-front-engine-rear-drive-car-the-answer-isnt-clear/


References

*


External links


Unique Cars and Parts (Australia) Volkswagen Type 3Type 3 Registry
for Volkswagen Type 3 Vehicles (1961–1973)
Type 3 Wiki
for Volkswagen Type 3 Vehicles (1961–1973) {{VW Cars of Brazil Rear-engined vehicles Type 3 Cars powered by boxer engines Cars introduced in 1961 Compact cars Sedans Station wagons 1970s cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Coupés