Davo found one of these VW notchbacks before I did. I know there’s one or more in Eugene, but I just never caught up with it, which is hardly a reflection on their speediness. Unless they’ve had engine upgrades, which realistically 95% of them have. The 1500 was a really big deal when it came out in Germany in 1961; after decades of dithering and endless prototypes, VW finally came up with an answer to all of the Beetle critics. The result was a mixed bag, and since I just happen to have a C/D review of one handy, I’ll share the highlights.
Somewhat oddly, the 1500 was never imported by VW to the US, as they were production-constrained until their new plant opened in Emden. In 1966, the 1600 arrived (legitimately), but only in fastback and squareback (wagon) versions. But that didn’t keep gray-market dealers from importing the 1500 notchback. It was a hot item among VW-philes at the time; kind of like when Honda introduced the bigger Accord after the Civic built up a similarly enthusiastic following.
The 1500 was obviously very much a VW under the boxier skin: the engine was reconfigured into the “pancake” layout with the blower fan now mounted at the rear of the block. That means there’s actually a flat luggage compartment under that rear lid, which with the larger front compartment addressed one of the Beetle’s biggest shortcomings.
A wider rear track (but still swing-axle), bigger brakes, and a more powerful 65 hp twin-carb engingine in the 1500S version combined with the drastically better visibility and somewhat better interior room to make the 1500 driving experience feel more up-to-date, for the early sixties. And VW’s superb material and build quality was still on full display.
The driving experience was still a mixed bag: better than the Beetle 1200, by a pretty good margin, but the competition was closing in all a round, and the basic VW configuration was showing its limitations: handling quirks, performance, fuel economy, cramped quarters, etc. If it had appeared in 1958, it would have been hailed as a brilliant Porsche sedan. Here’s my CC on the 1600 fastback.
From the rear it makes me think; “Baby Mercedes.” Which to my mind in the styling department is a good thing.
It’s a sharp styling job for sure.
I saw one of these being used as a daily driver in Seattle back in the 80s and 90s. It was blue, and always looked striking to me. Nice design.
The only place I’d ever seen one, was in the VW section of the J.C. Whitney catalog! The section was marked with outlines of the Beetle, Type II and Type IIIs…I was fascinated that there was a Type III sedan, as well as Fastback and Squareback.
I had a low-grade fascination for these cars as a twelve-year-old…air-cooled like a Beetle, trunk forward and load space in the rear. A friend’s grandfather, who also lived in the neighborhood, had a Squareback that he used as a daily driver…his pride-and-joy was his ’55 Cadillac. Not that he got much joy out of it; the plates were five years lapsed, and he had it covered with throw-rugs and light garage trash. The old guy would take it out once a year or so; put gas in it (I expect he drained the tank in the garage, first…gotta have fresh gasoline in it; never know when we’ll need the Caddy for a special event…)
But the Squareback…the dash, to me, bespoke a proletarian luxury, with those round pods. The car was practical; and based on the Beetle, surely fun to drive. Ah, how myths die hard…today, the Type III looks like what it is, a Recovery-Era Euro-car, made for people with less disposable income and less lofty ambitions…
Sometimes memory is a very confusing thing to have. I know I saw these cars regularly but cannot recall where. I was in Canada in 65 and 66. Possibly there. Oh, well. It doesn’t matter. They were sharp and, I agree that it would have an excellent intro in 1961 and could have been done a lot earlier if anyone had chosen. i really never did care much for the fastback.
I remember a few of these in Eugene in the ’60s. I didn’t realize they were gray-market.
We had these in Canada starting mid-way through the 1962 model year. My grandfather ( a long-time Dodge guy) bought one right away, then two years later upgraded to the Squareback. That was the first of a few Squarebacks in the family, along with many other aircooled VW’s.
The notchback was one of my favourites.. probably a 1965 vintage would be my top choice.
The one in the pictures above looks like a grey-market Euro import, as the Canadian cars had red rear signal lights and no sidemarker/ signal on the side of the front fender. Looks like a ’63-’65, but can’t recall exactly the year-to-year differences within that time.
Even after all these years, the notchback still looks a little odd to me…which I chalk up to the comparative ubiquity of the Fastback and Squareback Sedans in their day (because after all, the Microbus/Combi was marketed here as the “Volkswagen Station Wagon”).
So it’s me, not the car…which is actually quite well proportioned.
Every once I awhile I’d see one ’round my neighborhood (north of Pittsburgh) as a kid, or sometimes I’d see one in a car mag. They were much more common in Canada when I lived there for a couple years at the end of the 60′s.
The Type 3 was a similar story to the Honda Accord, but over a decade earlier. Super success with a small car, what next? A slightly bigger, more powerful and more luxurious car, but not giving up on the basic layout and build quality was the answer.
Unfortunately for VW, but fortunate for the rest of the car industry, the air cooled engine’s days were numbered by emissions standards. Fortunately because VW pioneered the first to mass produced EFI in 1968, at least for the US market, paving the way for everyone else some 20 years later.
My father had a Squareback, with the luxury options of automatic transmission and dealer-installed air conditioning.
Paul, have you ever spotted a Type 3 Karmann Ghia in Eugene? Even in LA they are extremely rare.
at first glance, i thought it was some kind of mg coupe. never knew these existed!
Nice choice of visual aid, SAM. Love that model & those MBs weren’t bad either!
Love the design of this notchback. Normally a fastback fanatic, the lines on this VDub are so nice and natural. baby mercedes, indeed.
We had the fastback when I was a little kid, I had never seen one of these in flesh until I was in Germany in the late ’70′s. Even then, they were oldtimers, and many of them were in the back of the VW dealership in the town I was staying in. They were being taken off the road due to the strict German safety inspection system.
In my part of Ohio, all of those cars would have been completely road worthy, as there was little surface rust. But apparently there were bigger structural issues with the cars, and were not fit for Autobahn duty. I think I would have liked one.
Here’s the 1965 that the wife & I owned back in the late 80′s.
Also owned a 63 & had a friend that owned a 62 that when the VIN Number was check through VW Archives it was found to been produced in Sept 1961.
Wished I still had mine but w/two messed up knees & a bad back I couldn’t drive it any more…