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The History of the VW T3

The History of the VW T3
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The History of the VW T3

Ever wondered on how your Wedge shaped Campervan came to be? We delve into the archives to recount the history of the VW Type 25. If you are in Europe, you may know it as the VW T3 or in USA they were badged Vanagon. Either way, the third generation Transporter was in many ways 'bigger and better' than those before it. Read on to find out more. 

The EA162

Design work began on the T3 as early as 1973, when VW group Chairman, Rudolf Leiding decreed in a board meeting on the 4th of December that the 3rd generation Transporter would be a forward control rear-engined design. Less than a year later, in September 1974 Gustav Mayer's engineering team revealed the first prototype. 

EA162, as it was known, was a complete departure from the previous Bay Window models, gone was the beam axle front suspension set-up, replaced by a more modern double wishbone system, with the rear moving onto a semi-trailing arm configuration.

First produced in Hannover during May 1979 the T25 was Volkswagen's replacement for the Bay Window Type 2 van. Available in several variants including the Transporter, Caravelle, Vanagon, Double and Single Cab, and Multivan, the Type 25 was to prove a very versatile vehicle.

Here are a couple of early T3 concepts, and you can see the influence and styling cues from other VW models of the time. 

VW T3 model variations

Early T3s were offered as either a panel van, single cab pick-up (Pritsche), double cab pick-up (Doka), or bus configuration with 1600cc or 2000cc petrol-powered aircooled engine.  In February of 1981, VW added a 50hp Diesel to the range, the engine being a 1600cc watercooled inline 4 cylinder, previously used in the Golf.

In September 1981 VW launched the Caravelle, essentially a luxury version of the bus,  and interior upgrades included seat cowls, and floor mats throughout. All commercial versions were called “Transporter” and the previously named Westfalia “Camper” was renamed “Joker”. The much favoured 4 square headlight grille was first offered on the Joker models. 

Early and Late models

Early Type 25’s are easily identified by a variety of means, namely twin round headlamps, pressed chrome metal bumpers (or powder-coated black) with plastic bumper end caps, pressed vents on the rear pillars, and no lower front grille aperture.

The appearance of the T3 changed with the introduction of the wasserboxer engine, with the rear vents being replaced by moulded plastic covers, and a 2nd lower grille on the front being added to direct air through the radiator. 

A total of 1.3 million T3 models were made in Hannover between 1979-1992. 

T3 engine options

Initially powered (or rather under-powered) by a choice of 2 aircooled flat 4 engines, not dissimilar to the Bay Window power plants, the bus was offered with either a 50hp 1600cc unit (the CT) or a 70hp 2000cc (the CU) Type 4 engine

October 1981 saw the introduction of the water boxer engine (wasserboxer / WBX), a development of the old aircooled units, and still featured gear-driven cams. Built in an aluminium case the WBX engines came in two different sizes, 1900cc and 2100cc.

The new engines featured Heron combustions chambers, meaning that the heads were flat, and the combustion chamber was actually part of the piston, rather than being in the head, leading to bowl-shaped tops to the pistons.

These pistons were contained within cast-iron liners which were inserted into the water jacket with a rubber lip-style head gasket, a departure from normal methods the liner is then inserted into a recessed cut-out in the head and sealed with compressible metal rings.

Early waterboxers were plagued with unreliability problems, stemming from head gasket failures. These failures were the result of a few design flaws in the engine, the alloy which VW had chosen to use for the cylinders would weaken when subjected to overheating, therefore as soon as the engines reached 90°C the metal would crack, causing coolant to leak into the oil.

Corrosion and the poor placement of some of the engine's sensors were also to blame for these early failures. The waterboxer engine had come into existence due to the original air-cooled motors no longer being capable of meeting the emissions standards set by the ruling agencies in the markets where the Type 25 was being sold.

T3 waterboxer engine codes

  • DH, 1913cc, 83bhp,
  • DF, 1913cc, 59bhp, Digijet fuel injection
  • DG, 1913cc, 76bhp, 2E3 or 2E4 Carburetor
  • EY, 1913cc, 55bhp, 34-PICT Carburetor
  • GW, 1913cc, 89bhp, Digijet fuel injection
  • MV, 2100cc, 95bhp, Digifant fuel injection
  • SS, 2100cc, 90bhp
  • DJ, 2100cc, 112bhp, Digijet fuel injection

VW T3 diesel engine codes

All the diesel engines offered in the T25 were all based on various Golf engines, hence the inline 4-cylinder layout.  They were offered in the following configurations.

  • CS, 1588cc, 49bhp, non turbo diesel
  • JX, 1588cc, 69bhp, turbo diesel
  • KY, 1716cc, 57bhp, non turbo diesel

VW T3 camper conversions

The Type 25 was available in a variety of camper conversions including; Westfalia, Holdsworth, Danbury, Devon, and Reimo.

Amongst others, one of the more distinctive conversions was that by Karmann, called the Gipsy, which was a complete coach-built conversion on a pick-up style chassis. Not the most attractive transformation, it appeared almost as though someone had taken a caravan and rather unceremoniously dropped it onto the back of a pick-up, though it offered considerably more living space than the traditional van-based conversions.

We'll put together a more in-depth guide to these models in the future. Plus, we've written a great guide to choosing the right VW Campervan for you too. 

The T3 Syncro

VW also produced a 4x4 version of the T3, in the form of the Syncro. Released in two different versions, a 14” wheeled option, and the 16” variant. The 16” Syncro is a far more heavily engineered version with a 20mm longer wheelbase (extended suspension arms) bigger wheel arches, stronger driveshafts, bigger CV joints, and larger diameter disc brakes as well as a reinforced chassis.

All Syncros are surprisingly capable off-road vehicles, and all benefit from having the underside substantially reinforced and protected with skidplates and bars. Whilst Syncros didn’t come with locking differentials as standard, the customer could specify rear only, or front and rear differentials which helped the T25’s ability off-road and went some way to making up for the lack of axle articulation.  The driver was able to switch the diff locks on and off from the cab, whilst the vehicle was on the move.

South African T3s

1990 saw 2WD T3 production come to an end in Europe, with the Syncro being axed 2 years later, however, the VW T3 was to be given a new lease of life in South Africa.

The South African Type 25s look very similar to their European counterparts from the front and back, with only subtle differences in the rear vents, grille, and lights and larger side windows identifying them. Whilst externally the vans look similar, the South African models feature a 5-cylinder 2600cc similar to that of the Audi 200s.

Production at the Uitenhage factory (now known as Kariega) ran until June 2002. At the time of writing, we couldn't find a reliable source for how many of these models were made in total - if you know, we'd love to know. 

The Oettinger WBX-6

As the name suggests, this mythical MPV was developed as a joint project between Volkswagen and Oettinger. However, in a similar fashion to previous Porsche partnerships, VW pulled the plug leaving the performance model to their partner to deliver to market. 

With a choice of either 3.2 or 3.7 litre capacity, both WBX-6 engines were fuel injected and delivered 165bhp and 180bhp respectively, a 60% increase in power over the top flying four-cylinder wasserboxer engine, and maximum torque delivery higher up the rev range at 3800rpm, not 2800rpm.

Despite its almost 2-tonne weight (1820kg), this was a real weapon if you could stretch to the 100,000 DM price tag to get behind the wheel. (approx $80k). The classic 0-62mph dash could be completed in 13.6 seconds, although fans of three pedals would be sad to know they were only built with a 3-speed automatic box (with Audi Turbo internals) as the 4 and 5-speed VW supplied gearboxes couldn't cope with the extra load. 

The suspension was dropped by 40mm, and there were disc brakes in each corner to help bring the 7" and 8" wheels to a halt as required. 

The Porsche B32

Now you are salivating at the thought of a six-cylinder Type 25, allow us to tell you about the Porsche B32 which took things one step further. With a 3.2 flat-six engine from a 911 in the rear, this exclusive model had 230bhp on tap and could exceed 130mph if required. It is thought only eleven versions were ever built, and are said to have been used as support vehicles for the legendary 959 supercar whilst competing in the Paris Dakar rally. Originally priced at 150,000 DM they very rarely come up for sale today, and when they do the price is understandably very high. 

That won't stop us from keeping our fingers crossed for a barn find at a far more reasonable rate!

We hope you have found this article interesting, and perhaps even educational. Look out for more of our vehicle history articles if you have enjoyed this trip back through time.

Fancy a bit of Type 25 action for yourself? Check out our VW T3 Buying Guide here.  

Andy 

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