Making a world-famous hit isn’t difficult. Overcoming its glory, on the other hand, is where you need all the muscle. As all entertainment executives know, following a performance that does really well kills your performance. For Volkswagen, its most significant hurdle was overcoming the Beetle Type 1's success.
After years of enjoying the Type 1’s popularity, Volkswagen needed to diversify its product range. The iconic Beetle was getting old, and to move forward, the automaker needed to come up with something else to take on the growing market.
Here’s the truth. By 1960, the German automaker had already released a couple of offerings, including the VW bus (Type 2) and the Karmann-Ghia, otherwise known as the Type 14. But those were more like stutter steps in extending the line.
As a result, at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen introduced the Volkswagen Type 3, offered in three versions: the Squareback (wagon), Notchback, and the Fastback.
Jason of 5150mxVW YouTube channel recently stumbled upon a marina blue 1971 Volkswagen Type 3 Squareback that had been sitting for three years.
To remind you, the VW Type 3 Squareback came into the market in 1962 as a practical family car. Like the Type 1, the Squareback upheld the automaker’s engineering heritage stuffing its air-cooled flat-four engine in the back, rear-wheel drive platform, body on chassis construction, and torsion bar front and rear suspension.
In Europe, the Type 3 Squareback packed a 1.5-liter engine, while the 1966 American variants came with a 1.6-liter powerplant. A four-speed manual transmission came standard across all three versions.
Jason’s 1971 VW Squarebody rescue unit is in solid condition, apart from a few rust spots on the inner corners and back panel.
Jason is looking to give this 1971 VW Type 3 Squareback, like all his rescues, a new chance on the road. Neatly preserved versions of this unit sell for anywhere between $5,000 to $18,000 on Bring a Trailer.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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