The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen
from 1961 to 1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show,
Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, the Type 3 was marketed as the
Volkswagen 1500 and later the Volkswagen 1600, in three body styles: two-door
Notchback, Fastback and station wagon, the latter marketed as the 'Variant' in
most markets, and 'Squareback' in the USA.
The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's product range beyond the existing models
– the Type 1, Type 14 Karmann Ghia, Type 2 – while retaining their engineering
principles, notably the air-cooled engine, all round torsion bar
suspension, and the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.
History The Type 3 followed the Type 1,
utilizing a low-profile version of Volkswagen's rear-engined, 4-cylinder
air-cooled engine, as well as body-on-chassis construction while
featuring ponton styling in contrast to the Type 1's articulated fender and
running board. 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 in a notchback saloon body. Production of the Karmann Ghia 1500 with
a coupé body commenced in November 1961 and deliveries started in January 1962.
The estate bodied Variant followed, with the first cars produced in February
1962. Two convertibles based on the 1500 Notchback were also announced with the
original models, but did not enter production.
The Fastback, or TL version, a fastback coupé, arrived in August 1965, at the
same time the 1600 engine was introduced. Volkswagen's intention was
that this model should replace the Notchback, which is what happened in the
UK market, but 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 body shapes
remained in production until July 1973. Volkswagen of America began importing
the Type 3 in 1966 in the "Squareback" and "Fastback" but not the Notchback
configurations. The Type 3 was competing in the market with the Chevrolet Corvair
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 derived from the plaftorm.
In 1968, the Type 3 'E' became the first German automobile in series production
with electronic fuel injection as standard equipment. The larger
Volkswagen Type 4 was introduced in 1969 which had a similar mechanical layout
with further engineering refinements. For the 1968 model year, 1969 in the
USA, a three-speed fully automatic transaxle became available, noted for
extremely low internal friction. With the automatic came completely
independent rear suspension, replacing the swing axle set-up. For 1969, the IRS
rear axle was standard with both automatic and manual transmissions.
The model received a facelift in 1970, when a 115 mm nose-lengthening added 1.5
cu ft to the luggage capacity. Volkswagen offered the Type 3 in a lower
trim level in Europe, marketed as the 1600A trim level. In the US, and for
1973 only, Volkswagen offered two trim levels of the Type 3 Fastback in the
USA, marketed as the Type 3 Sedan and Type 3 Basic Compact. The Basic Compact
featured reduced content, including limited color and upholstery
availability and without belt line chrome, clock, electric rear window
defogger – and with painted frames around the vent windows, a black
cardboard front trunk liner over the gas tank without a liner on the sides of the
trunk or over the firewall, 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 plant, with production moving
to VW's new Emden plant, which was later retooled in 1973 to build the first
generation Passat. The Wolfsburg plant was retooled to build the Golf, which
eventually replaced the Type 1 as Volkswagen's best selling sedan.
Engine and drivetrain The Type 3 was initially equipped with a
1.5 L engine based on the air-cooled 1192 cc flat-4 found in the Type 1, but
given a 69 mm stroke it became the basis for the 1300 cc and 1600 cc engines that
followed in the later Beetle 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, allowed greater cargo volume,
and earned the nicknames of "Pancake" or "Suitcase" engine. The engine's
displacement would eventually increase to 1.6 L.
It used a similar transmission to the Beetle but with higher ratios and longer
axles. Unlike the Beetle, the Type 3 engine and transmission unit was mounted
into a subframe, in turn 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 single- and twin-carburetor versions,
respectively the Volkswagen 1500 'N', rated at 45 PS, and the 1500 'S', 54 PS
which had high-compression domed 83 mm pistons and twin downdraught 32 mm Solex
PDSIT carburetors for more power. The Type 3 engine received a larger
displacement for 1966 and in 1968 became the world's first volume production car
to feature electronic fuel injection – pioneered by Bosch. The Bosch D-Jetronic
system was offered on the Volkswagen 1600 TE & LE version. A similar Bosch
injection system was used in the later Type 4 VW 411, some models of the
Porsche 914, Opel Admiral, Diplomat and Commodore, and available for the Volvo
P1800. Also introduced for 1968 was a fully automatic transmission.
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. In 1968 the rear suspension was upgraded to double jointed CV joint
semi trailing arm suspension, a design feature that previously appeared on the
VW Type 2 in 1967. Like the Type 1, The Type 3 offered both
front and rear luggage areas, with greater volume and easier rear cargo
accessibility via a rear-opening boot lid. In all four variants, the engine
was located under a panel in the rear trunk. The Type 3 also featured
wall-to-wall carpeting, and was available with air conditioning in the
US. The original Type 3 with 5-stud wheels
used twin leading shoe drum brakes at the front. In August '65 these were
replaced by disc brakes, coinciding with the introduction of the Fastback and
1600 engine. These have 4-stud wheels with 8 cooling slots. Rear brakes were
always leading / trailing shoe drums. Production figures
German production: Type 31 1500/1600 Notchback/Fastback:
1,339,124 Type 36 1500/1600 Variant: 1,202,935
Type 351 1500/1600 Convertible: 12 1500/1600 chassis and works prototypes:
311 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 from 1963 in sedan, station wagon and sedan delivery
body styles. In 1965, the Fastback was introduced, fully imported from Germany.
Panel van versions feature a marine ply wood loading area with zinc plated steel
protector strips, 1 x sun visor, a clock delete panel and no side windows. All
Australian assembled panel vans were fitted with a metal ID tag behind the
spare wheel with a prefix of PV then the number hand stamped in. There are
approximately 20 known surviving panel vans from the estimated original
production run of 150. 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. Related models
= Type 34 Karmann Ghia= Launched as the "VW 1500 Karmann Ghia
Coupé" but informally known as "Der Große Karmann" in Germany, the Type 34
Karmann Ghia was a larger, restyled development of the original Type 14
Karmann Ghia based on the Type 3 platform.
= Brazilian Type 3= The three-box Type 3 was launched in
Brazil in 1968 with unique styling and four doors. It met with little success,
nicknamed Zé do Caixão for its boxy shape. It was discontinued by 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 Karmann Ghia
was replaced with the Type 3-based Karmann Ghia TC, 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, the Variant II, which was produced from 1977 to 1980.
Unrelated Argentinian Volkswagen 1500 In 1980, Volkswagen bought the
Argentinian company Chrysler Ferve Argentina SAIC, inheriting some Dodge /
Chrysler models and renaming the company Volkswagen Argentina SA. One of the
models was the Dodge 1500 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 Chrysler Avenger, had also been sold in Brazil,
where it was known as the Dodge Polara — 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 Plymouth Cricket.
These cars have no parts related to any other vehicles in the Volkswagen range,
including the Volkswagen Type 3 known by the same Volkswagen 1500 name.
Advertising The placement of the engine under the
rear trunk of the Type 3 was highlighted in an American television commercial for
Volkswagen in the 1960s. The commercial featured Dustin Hoffman showing the
interior of the Fastback model and explaining the car's technical features
but unable to locate the engine. The commercial closes with a title reading,
"Your VW dealer will show you where the motor is."
References Oswald, Werner. Deutsche Autos
1945-1990, Band 3. Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-613-02116-1.
External links Volkswagen Type 3 at DMOZ
VW Brazil History with pics Unique Cars and Parts Volkswagen Type 3
Type 3 Registry for Volkswagen Type 3 Vehicles
Type 3 Wiki for Volkswagen Type 3 Vehicles