Junkyard Jewel: 1971 Volkswagen Fastback

After 19 years of writing about junkyard cars, my first VW Type 3 Fastback.

Apr 17, 2026

Since I started writing articles about interesting vehicles in car graveyards, back in 2007, I’ve done pretty well documenting air-cooled Volkswagens. Dozens of Beetles and Transporters, a few apiece Karmann Ghias and Squarebacks… and zero Fastbacks. Until now.

I’m in California at the moment, having driven my 1997 Lexus LS 400 Coach Edition out from Denver. Naturally, I shot some junkyard photos in Nevada and even more after I arrived in the East Bay.

This VW now resides at the Pick-n-Pull in Newark, just a few miles up the Nimitz Freeway from the Tesla Factory. You sharp-eyed readers might notice that Peugeot 404 three spaces to the west; this car got a Junkyard Heads-Up! post yesterday.

The Type 3 only came in two forms for the United States market: a two-door wagon and a two-door fastback. These were marketed as the Squareback and the Fastback, and the Squareback was the much bigger seller of the two.

The Type 3 was bigger and more powerful than the Type 1 Beetle, though it shared the same basic chassis layout.

The biggest difference between the Type 3 and the Type 1 could be seen in the engine compartment. The Beetle had a belt-driven engine cooling fan in a “doghouse” atop the engine, while the Type 3 had a crank-driven fan inside a shroud at the engine’s rear.

This meant that there was room for a cargo area above the engine. It got warm in there, sure, but it was useful storage.

The frunk was roomier than the one in the Beetle, too.

Unfortunately, the cooling air had to take a circuitous path after being sucked into the vents above the rear wheels, going around several corners before being blown across the cylinders and heads. This engine setup suffered from engine-cooling difficulties in the hot weather and high-speed freeway driving of the United States, and these cars became notorious for frequent overheating and engine fires.

Air-cooled VWs are very rust-prone, even in California, but this car appears to be nearly corrosion-free. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a less rusty air-cooled Volkswagen in a junkyard.

The interior isn’t great, but the remaining sheet metal is in beautiful condition.

Most VW 1600 engines that show up in a self-service boneyard get yanked right away, but the Beetle and Transporter people seem afraid of the Type 3 motors. This is a fuel-injected 1600 and most of its guts will interchange with those of a Type 1/Type 2 engine, of course.