In August 1961, the German public holds its breath: The Type 3 is presented at the IAA in Frankfurt as the second model series alongside the Beetle, a mid-size sedan that aims to provide a new home primarily for Beetle drivers looking to move up. It is a largely new design that builds on the conceptual basis of the Beetle, but is intended to do many things better.

Visually, it has an understated, almost plain appearance, in keeping with Adenauer’s post-war credo: “no experiments”. The only venture: next to the sedan is a four-seater convertible, almost ready for production, but then withdrawn at the last minute.

The first mid-size VW 1600 Type 3 sedan sold just under 2.6 million units between 1961 and 1973, and the solid Type 3 was still being manufactured and sold in Brazil until 1982. In the fall of 1969, Volkswagen gave the popular car, which was also available as a TL hatchback and a Variant, a facelift. In scene circles, the older models are dubbed short schnauzers and the younger ones long schnauzers, which comes from the fact that they have a longer front hood. On the engine side, the Type 3 was able to trump the Beetle with more displacement and more power. The flat boxer engine, housed under the rear trunk compartment, produced between 45 and 54 hp from 1,500 and later 1,600 cc displacement. For the first time, there are two proper trunks: 180 liters at the front and 200 liters at the rear.