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The Type 4, known as the 411 and 412, came about during a time of change at Volkswagen. NSU Motorenwerke was bought by the Volkswagen Group in 1969, and that brought about the K70, VW’s first foray into the front-engine, water-cooled segment. At the same time, the Type 4 was the largest, air-cooled passenger car on offer from VW, which would ultimately be the last air-cooled VW for the mid-sized segment. The Type 4 won out in the sales race, but was to be succeeded in 1973 with the Passat, which is still VW’s mid-sized entry in the sedan and estate segment. This 1974 412 Variant for sale in Illinois represents the final year for the 412 and rarely do they come this nice.
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.
The Type III Squareback is not generally the classic Volkswagen many people think of. Outside of the many Beetle variants, there’s the Karmann Ghia if you want Porsche looks without the price. If you want to embody the surfer vibe, there’s of course the many Transporters and Buses that always draw strong money. And if you want something a little different from everything else, there’s the Thing. But the Squareback has a faithful following, and with good reason – many people had these reasonably dependable, cheap wagons as family transport back in the 1970s and have a soft spot for them as a result. But not many are in the shape of today’s fully refreshed 1971 example:
We’ve featured a few Squarebacks in the past few months, the most recent being a neat resto-mod 1967 model that remains for sale with bidding…
Before I was born, my parents had a Squareback. I’ve always loved the variations of the Type 3, each with its own unique character, and…
