The whole life of the Beetle was marked by the fact that the various Volkswagen Directors, except for Heinrich Nordhoff, have always tried to find a replacement to it. Thus the VW 1500 Type 3 in 1961. Entirely new, this car still has much in common with the Beetle.

First, technically, as the chassis is equipped with two half-floors, the rear axle is equipped with torsion bars, but independant from the rest of the chassis, same for the front axle although it is slightly different and, mainly, with an aircooled flat 4 cylinder, charging at the back of the rear axle, but of a new type as it is a 1500 cm3 (69mm x 83mm), develops 45 bhp at 3800 revs/mn and that its fan shroud is now placed down behind the cylinders. This concept has the advantage to give room for the hood , in additional to the decklid ! (for more technical info)

Three bodies are supposedly produced as from 1961. A Sedan with two doors and a hood (Type 311 to 318, Notchback in the U.S.A.), a Cabriolet derived from this model (which will never be mass-produced) and a Station Wagon (Variant in Germany) 2 doors with a rear backdoor (Type 361 to 368, Squareback in the U.S.A.). The modern body shape, bridge style, increases the visibility and allows a wider inside, the high-size wheels completing the image of a nice Sedan at that time.