They sure don’t make ’em like they used to.
When I was a kid, the family for a brief time owned a 1971 VW Squareback, essentially a 2-door wagon version of this exact car. I remember liking it, despite its semi-jalopy status (if I recall correctly, the paint was, uh, less than perfect). It was a roomy alternative to our other family car of the era — my Dad’s 1978 280Z 2+2 — and carried the family around in relative comfort, with the tall side windows and roomy cargo area.
For those not familiar with this type of VW, these cars are rear-engined like the Beetle. So in our Squareback, the engine was pretty much inside the same space as the passengers, separated only by a thinly-insulated tin panel. For an innocent kid like me, it was fine, if a little noisy. Compared to the highly refined (and front-engined) cars we’re all used to now, I have to guess that it would be close to unbearable.
Anyhow, one day we were driving along the 17, my Uncle Mando in the car along with me and my Dad, when all of a sudden, flames started erupting from the cargo area, or more accurately from the engine beneath it. The engine pretty much exploded and caught on fire. Lucky for us we were near an exit and were able to limp off the freeway onto a surface road. We weren’t far from home so things turned out ok.
I don’t recall what happened to the VW but I don’t have too many other memories of it.
This Notchback, spotted in SOMA, was — unlike our example — in terrific shape. The car just looked great in that gunmetal grey paint. The body was clean, the chrome and other bits all looked ship shape. I really like the clean design – no grill, hardly any ornamentation or surface embellishments. Authentic bauhaus, no? The owner, who I spoke with, has had it for 16 years, restoring it from pretty dismal condition, he says. Among other things, he’s installed a sunroof and replaced the original (carburated) engine with a fuel-injected motor. The interior also looked great, aside from a sagging headliner.
I can’t recall seeing too many of these Notchbacks, ever. Most similar VWs that I spot are of the fastback variety. It was a treat to see this cherry Notchback running around the city.