Turbo powered Notchback
- Friday, 9 November 2007
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Christian Wilms' Turbo Notchback
When a young Dustin Hoffman famously appeared on TV with a VW 1600, he waxed lyrical about its appointments, its powerful engine and the fact that "It's got a trunk up front where most cars have their motors and in the back where most cars have their trunks, we have a... a trunk... a large trunk." How we all laughed! Still today you can see people looking quizzically at you when you pull up at a petrol station, lift up the bonnet and put fuel in where most people think the engine should be. And it's even worse when you then open the boot and check the oil in your suitcase...
But what do you think Mr Hoffman would have said had he been presented with Christian Wilms' Notch in the studio that day in 1965? "It's got a trunk up front where most cars have their motors and in the back where most cars have their trunks, we have a... a turbo... a bleedin' great big turbo!" Yikes. That's precisely what we thought when we saw this car at the European Bug-In earlier this year. Since we hadn't seen very many turbocharged Type 3s in our time, let alone obvious street cars with draw-through turbo systems like this, we knew we had to delve deeper.
Turns out the car began life as a '67 1600L model, coming with the 1600cc motor rather than the 1500cc motor common to the A models. As well as the undoubted benefits of dual-circuit brakes and 12-volt electrics, '67 Type 3s also came with the more safety-conscious soft plastic dash knobs, recessed inner door handles and a collapsible steering column as standard, while L models had the option of an automatic transmission, IRS and such luxuries as a heated rear screen, headrests and hazard lights. Despite extensive research, however, nowhere can we find an option code for a Holley carb and turbo...
For the full story on this fabulous Notchback check out the December 2007 issue of VolksWorld magazine. On sale on 2nd November to 30th November and then available through back issues.
