Volkswagen Type 3

Volkswagen 1600TL (Fastback)

Manufacturer	Volkswagen
Production	1961 – 1973 2,542,382 built
Assembly	Wolfsburg, Germany later Emden Germany São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil Clayton, Australia
Successor	Volkswagen Passat/Dasher
Class	Compact car
Body style	2-door notchback sedan 2-door fastback sedan 2-door station wagon 2-door panel van
Layout	RR layout
Engine	1.5 or 1.6L H4
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	2,400 mm (94.5 in)
Length	4,225 mm (166.3 in)
Width	1,605 mm (63.2 in)
Height	1,475 mm (58.1 in)
Curb weight	from 880 kg (1,940 lb)

Volkswagen 1500 (Notchback)

Volkswagen 1600 Variant ("Squareback")

The Volkswagen Type 3 (sold as the Volkswagen 1500 and later the Volkswagen 1600) was a range of small cars from German manufacturer Volkswagen (VW), introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA).

The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's product range beyond the existing models — the Type 1 (Beetle), Type 14 Karmann Ghia, Type 2 (Bus) — while retaining their engineering principles, notably the air-cooled engine and the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.

History

The Type 3 was a follow-on design which would have a more conventional body design that shared little in common with the Type 1 Beetle except for the concept of a rear-engined, 4-cylinder air-cooled engine that was designed to take less space. The design was finalized by 1959 with prototypes were ready for testing by 1960. Secrecy was such at even at the 1960 Geneva Auto Show, VW was denying stories that they were readying a new designs, but by early 1961, VW announced the new line as the "VW1500", revealing a car which looked very different from the Beetle.

The range launched in August 1961 with two models: the Notchback featuring ponton,three-box styling in a notchback saloon body, and the Karmann Ghia 1500 (also known as the Type 34 Karmann Ghia) with a coupé body. The first Variant (known as theSquareback in the USA) with an estate body followed in 1962. The Chevrolet Corvair had been previously introduced in the United States in 1960 which incorporated a 6-cylinder rear-mounted air-cooled engine in notchback, station wagon, and compact-van body styles.

The Fastback, or TL version, a fastback coupé, arrived in August 1965, at the same time the 1600 engine was introduced. Two convertibles were announced with the original models, but did not enter production. Volkswagen of America began importing the Type 3 beginning for model year 1966 in the "Squareback" ('Variant' badges were not used in the US market) and "Fastback" but not the Notchback configurations.

At the end of 1967, the Type 3 'E' (Einspritzung) became the first German automobile in series production with electronic fuel injection (Bosch D-Jetronic) as standard equipment. The larger Volkswagen Type 4 was introduced in 1968 which had a similar mechanical layout with further engineering refinements.

The model received a facelift in 1970, when a 115 mm (4.5 in) nose-lengthening added 1.5 cu ft (42 L) to the luggage capacity.

Volkswagen offered the Type 3 in a lower trim level in Europe, marketed as the 1600Atrim 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 (marketed variously, also as the "Dasher"). 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 (1493 cc) engine based on the air-cooled 1200cc flat-4 found in the Type 1, but given a 69mm stroke it became the basis for the 1300cc and 1600cc 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, allowed greater cargo volume, and earned the nicknames of "Pancake" or "Suitcase" engine. The engine's displacement would eventually increase to 1.6 L (1584 cc).

It used a similar transmission to the Beetle but with higher ratios. Unlike the Beetle (Type 1), the Type 3 engine and transmission unit was mounted into a subframe (which contained the complete rear suspension), 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 32mm carburetor. In August 1963 VW introduced single- and twin-carburetor versions, respectively the Volkswagen 1500N, rated at 45 PS (33 kW; 44 hp), and the 1500S, 54 PS (40 kW; 53 hp) which had high-compression (8.5:1) domed pistons and twin downdraught 32mm carburetors for more power.

The Type 3 engine received a larger displacement (1.6 L) for 1966 (August '65) 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 1600TE & LE version (E designating "Einspritzung" or "injection" in German). A similar Bosch injection system was used in the later Type 4 VW 411, some models of the Porsche 914, 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 (sometimes called IRS by VW enthusiasts to differentiate it from the previous swing-axle type), 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 (trunk) lid. In all four variants (Karmann Ghia, Notchback, Squareback and Fastback), 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 (the '66 model year) 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 (prototypes): 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 panel van body styles, with the latter featuring black wood interior paneling and no side windows. 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" ("the big 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

Brazilian Volkswagen Variant II

The three-box Type 3 was launched in Brazil in 1968 with unique styling (similar to the Brasilia) and four doors. It met with little success, nicknamed Zé do Caixão (after Coffin Joe, a popular Brazilian movie character) for its boxy shape.

The fastback version, the Volkswagen TL, fared somewhat better, remaining in production from 1970 to 1976, originally as a 2-door and later as a 4-door version.

As in Germany, the original Karmann Ghia 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, the Variant II, which was produced from 1977 to 1980.

Unrelated Argentinian Volkswagen 1500

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 (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 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."