The Volkswagen Type 3 was Volkswagen’s first major attempt at making a family-oriented car. It was a new type of vehicle for Volkswagen, as such it became a huge landmark for the company. Due to everything relating to the car being new territory for Volkswagen, there are many interesting facts about the Type 3 that may not be well known.
It was the fourth car produced by Volkswagen
The name- Type 3- might suggest that this was the third car from Volkswagen, but this would be incorrect. However, it is incorrect only to an extent. While the Type 3 is the fourth car produced under under the Volkswagen name, the Karmann Ghia was developed externally (Designed by Ghia, built by Karmann), which meant that it did not have a standard Volkswagen codename, instead being called the Type 14. This meant that the Type 3 was the third car developed internally at Volkswagen, hence the name.
There was a Karmann Ghia based on the Type 3
The standard, well-known Karmann Ghia (Type 14) was based on the Beetle’s platform. However, when the Type 3 was released, Ghia decided to design a more premium and faster version of the Type 14 based on the longer and wider platform of the Type 3. However, this newer Karmann Ghia was not as popular as the Type 14 due to its polarizing design and limited marketing by VW, with under 50,000 34s being produced, compared to over 400,000 14s.
It was the fastest Volkswagen at launch
When the Type 3 was launched, it was offered with a 1500cc 4-cylinder boxer engine. In 1961, this was the largest and most powerful engine made by Volkswagen. This, combined with the Type 3’s light weight, meant that it was the fastest Volkswagen when it was released to the public. However, it did not hold this crown for very long as the Karmann Ghia also received this engine. This restored the Karmann Ghia to its previous status as the fastest car made by Volkswagen.
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