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At times I am almost disappointed when I come across what is an otherwise very nice vintage Porsche that is not in one of the vintage colors. We come across many of these colors so rarely that I guess it feels like a missed opportunity. There are no such problems here as this 1964 Porsche 356C Coupe, located in Colorado, comes in the always alluring shade of Irish Green. Irish Green was made available during the mid-’60s and -’70s and while you still can get it as a special order color it has for the most part disappeared. This seems to be the case with many shades of Green, presumably as automakers move towards metallic paints for these sorts of colors. But these non-metallic greens have a great brightness to them, which is made all the better on the 356 by its stretching into the interior to cover the gauge and radio surrounds. It really creates a nice contrast with the color of the carpets and seats, even if tan tends to work somewhat better than the black interior we see here. Still it’s a wonderful vintage color on a wonderful vintage Porsche.
We’ve seen a fair number of Type 3 Volkswagens recently here at GCFSB, notably a rather tasty Type 3 Notchback show up in our Feature Listings earlier this week. However, since we are wrapping up another successful Wagon Week, let’s take a look at the long roof version of the Type 3, the Variant. Known to those stateside as the Squareback, the Variant was a two-door estate model with the familiar “pancake” rear-mounted air-cooled flat four engine. Today we’ll travel across the pond and take a look at a Variant for sale in Lisbon, Portugal.
If it weren’t for trade wars, we might still be able to buy Volkswagen commercial vehicles in the US to this day. Every time I see articles on social media from Volkswagen touting new developments with their Transporter range, I pine for the days when you could still buy a Eurovan stateside. Sure, these vans always lurked at the back of the showroom, but I always marveled at how functional and sturdy they were. With everyone clamoring to buy SUVs this was an unorthodox choice for a people mover, but you still seem them on the road occasionally. Something about them still appeals to the inner anorak in me.
Dial back a few decades before the Chicken Tax came into effect, and you could spec a pickup body based on the old Volkswagen Bus. This 1964 Type 2 Double Cab for sale in Minnesota has an upgraded 12 volt electrical system, newly rebuilt 1600cc motor and wears a patina that wouldn’t make you shy using it for hauling duties.
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 34 was a curiosity at the Volkswagen shows I frequented in my youth. In the rare instances I would come across one, I wasn’t sure what to make of this two-door with the same name as the Karmann Ghia Type 14. This was the flagship model for Volkswagen at the time, styled by Sergio Sartorelli, who was also responsible for the design of the Fiat 2300 S Coupe and Fiat 126. Based on the Type 3 chassis with the pancake flat-4 engine, this was the fastest Volkswagen of the time and cost the equivalent of two Beetles. Just over 42,000 examples were produced over nine years, from 1961 through 1969. This example for sale in Washington state isn’t stock, but could be a good starting point for someone looking to return one to stock.
Curiously, the Volkswagen Type 3 Notchback was never offered in the US market. It was never quite clear why VW decided to bring just the Variant and Fastback versions to our shores, but intrepid enthusiasts have since filled the void throughout the years, importing these two-door sedans to satisfy an unmet need. This Notchback for sale in Miami has been modified a bit, but with a period look and not to an extent that may have the purists shy away.
