| Volkswagen Type 3 | |
|---|---|
 1968 Volkswagen Type 3 Variant | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen |
| Also called | Volkswagen 1500 Volkswagen 1600 |
| Production | 1961–1973 2,542,382 built[1] |
| Assembly | |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact (C-segment) family car |
| Body style |
|
| Layout | Rear engine rear wheel drive |
| Related | Volkswagen Beetle VW Karmann Ghia Type 34 Karmann Ghia TC (VW do Brasil) Volkswagen SP2 (VW do Brasil) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.5 or 1.6L H4 |
| Transmission |
|
| Dimensions | |
| 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 | 880 kg (1,940 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Volkswagen Beetle (due to engine type and model purpose) |
| Successor | Volkswagen Passat (B1) |
The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen 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, fastback, and station wagon body styles, the latter marketed as the 'Squareback' in the United States.
The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's product range beyond the existing models—the Type 1 Beetles, Type 14 Karmann Ghia, Type 2 vans and pickups—while retaining Volkswagen's hallmark engineering features: the air-cooled rear-engine, rear-wheel drive train, body-on-chassis construction (with a backbone chassis integrated into the car's floorpan), as well as torsion bar front and rear suspension.
Despite using the Beetle's 2.40 m (94 in) 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.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Oswaldwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Phil Matthews, Australian Volkswagen History—1960–1964, www.clubvw.org.au Retrieved on 20 October 2017
- ^ Volkswagen Type 3 Flat-Four | Hemmings Daily