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The Volkswagen Type 3 convertible from 1961, in newly restored condition.
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New in the Volkswagen Automobile Collection Osnabrück: the freshly restored prototype of the Volkswagen Type 3 Convertible.
03_DB2018AU00232_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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The former manager of the technical research department at Karmann drove one of the two surviving Type 3 Convertibles for many years as his company car.
02_DB2018AU00231_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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The Volkswagen 1500 Convertible was conceived as a 4- to 5-seater and, even today, impresses with its fully retractable soft-top – despite its panoramic rear window.
04_DB2018AU00233_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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The door sills were specially reconstructed for the prototype. As simple replacement of the totally rusted parts was impossible, they had to be painstakingly reconstructed from scratch.
06_DB2018AU00235_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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The electrics, the engine, the gearbox and transmission and the entire suspension of the Type 3 Convertible were just as thoroughly overhauled.
05_DB2018AU00234_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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The door sills were replicated by hand after making a template and a negative cast.
08_DB2018AU00237_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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Pristine condition: the painstaking restoration of the prototype convertible can also be seen in the details.
07_DB2018AU00236_Teaser_Story_Typ 3 Cabriolet
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As if fresh from the production line: the laborious restoration of original parts also takes in even the tiniest details inside the car.
Volkswagen Type 3 convertible, prototype, 1961
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An open invitation: The open-topped Volkswagen 1500 prototype can be seen at the Volkswagen Classic stand in hall 7.0 at Techno Classica 2018.