Volkswagen Type 3

Volkswagen Type 3
Volkswagen Type 3
	1968 Volkswagen Type 3 Variant
Overview
Manufacturer	Volkswagen
Also called	Volkswagen 1500 ; Volkswagen 1600
Production	1961–1973 ; 2,542,382 built
Assembly	Germany: Wolfsburg/Emden; Brazil: São Bernardo do Campo (VW Brasil); Australia: Clayton; South Africa: Uitenhage;
Body and chassis
Class	Compact (C-segment) family car
Body style	2-door Type 31 Notchback; 2-door Type 34 Karmann Ghia; 2-door Type 36 Variant/Squareback; 2-door Type 36 Estate Delivery; 2-door Type 31 Fastback; 4-door Notchback and Fastback sedans (Brazil);
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	4-speed manual; 3-speed semi-automatic;
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.