My 1973 Fastback

[nam1600E]

Hi all,

This is a great Type 3 & 4 website. I live in Bangkok, Thailand and its glad to bring back my fastback back home to UK (by this UK website) because my fastback was bought by my dad in UK in 1976 and imported to Thailand in 1978. My dad was working as a Thai diplomat then and bought the car because of easy to maintenance and no need to be worried of adding water.

I hope you like the photos. I am trying to find missing original parts for her and restore to original condition. The colour is Alaska metallic.

Here's a photo took in Sweden in 1978 with my mum, sister and brother (I'm standing next to my sister) while my dad took us travelling in European countries. We went far as Finland, I recall.

Nam

[nam1600E]

Here are some current photos





Here is details of my fastback in her VW service manual. I believe she a 1972 model. Can anyone please help to confirm? Please note the UK newspaper ad of the original owner selling her at 1050 pounds at the left socket of the manual. Still keeping the ad since 1976! I also still have all her manuals too.



My fastback is a 1600E. Used to be fuel injection but now changed to dual carb. I had the UK licence that she used in UK reproduced as shown below.



Some interior photos. Next project is to change the air conditioning - planning to use the fresh air vents on the top dash and two in the front as the air con vents and install my Emden IV radio (just bought but still finding the original mount) and hide my existing radio somewhere. Still haven't install my NOS parcel tray yet as well.




Here are photos of the seat belt accessories that was fitted with her when bought. Haven't seen it in any other vw before but the plastic pattern looks the same pattern as the dash and other original vw parts. Can any one confirm that it is an original vw accessory?




Here is the engine. Next project is to do some cleaning up and repainting the engine.



She's a RHD and here is the photo is the right hand mirror. Can anyone help advise about the genuine left hand mirror? Does the orginial have a
short neck as the right hand mirror or a long one similar to those used for bugs? Would appreciate a photo of an original left hand photo if possible.



I chromed her jack.



Lastly, this is her spreading her wings.


Thanks
Nam

[Editor]

That's a lovely Fastback, Nam, and a fascinating history.
First, it was made around the end of 1972/beginning of 1973, but is a 1973 model. These were produced from August 1972.

Take a look at the front panel - at the left end as you look, there is a 3" x 1/2" plate, painted over. Across the end it has 78 stamped - the factory code for Alaska Blue metallic. Then the plate has numbers like 12-3-4567. The 12 would mean week 12 of the year, so I would expect yours to be 50-something (end of Dec 1972) or 02 or something small, (beginning of January 1973).

The -3- would be Wednesday!

Time for a bit of detective work, I think.

Notice how the VW guarantee was only for 6 months or 6,000 miles. No-one would stand for that these days.

There is at least one other forum member from Thailand - Red Bear - who has a red Fastback and lives in Phuket. She's not been on for a while.

[nam1600E]

Dear Editor,

Thank you very much for your reply and advice.

I understood that she was a 1972 Model and produced in Dec 1972 because of the Chassis Number 313 2060 000 stated as Dec. 1972 in another page but was always not certain because the production plate says she was produced in the 6th week as shown in photo below.

Very happy to be clear now that she's a 1973 Model and was born on Tuesday in the second week of Feb 1973.

Yes, the production plate does state 78 as her colour code. Stupid me, I chipped all the paint off from the production plate not knowing that it should be painted until I read the Type Three information from this informative website that it should be painted.

Thank you again for you advice and this wonderful website.
Nam

[type3willy]

Really nice!!!.

The fasty has a water cooler system in front, isn´t it?.

[nam1600E]

Hi.

Thanks.

Its actually the radiator for the air condition. She still air-cooled. I just took the radiator out yesterday and will put it underneath so I could put the wheel well back in.

Nam

[Editor]

Funny about the chassis number - I was trying to remember the end of Dec cut-off for '72, but you're right - or the production plate is anyway. I have a 1973 Alaska blue metallic Variant (very rusty project) here, also built in week 06 and its chassis is 3632068540, so very likely made the same day as it's only 123 different! This was confirmed by VW in a letter as being built on Tuesday 6th Feb. Yes, that would make yours 06-2-xxxx, so yours was built that day too. If you want a hard project (!), you can have this one - they would look good next to each other, same birthdays and colour.

Just for information, they did make the RHD in batches. I once had 3 1971 Variants together on the drive here at home made on successive days.

My Alaska blue (also RHD) was bought in Germany by someone in the British army serving in Germany - this was common - and he collected it in Germany. It may be that yours was also bought in Germany, and sold off when the soldier returned to the UK after his tour of duty. They had to own it 2 or 3 years to avoid paying back the tax concession they had been given. Mine still has a customs warning in the log-book, but it's not a problem any more.

What a coincidence.
Dave.

[nam1600E]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the information.

Wow! yes, what a coincidence: our fastback and Variant born on the same day and having the same colour!!! I would love to have the Variant but afraid my wife would .... me (we have 3 other japanese cars at the moment - too many already).

However, would it be possible to show some photos of your Variant? And how much would the Variant cost?

I also noticed that there's a great late fastback at the following link http://home.clara.net/hallvw/type3.htm Is it Alaska blue as well? There aren't many Type 3 with this colour, aren't? That fastback is in excellent original condition! Would love to see some interior photos of her.

Can't remember whom in UK my dad bought the fastback from - will check with him.

Thanks
Nam

[Editor]

The Fastback RAR 730L is Biscay blue - deep blue but not metallic.

The '73 Variant project is quite a lot of work, but I can't see myself doing it any time soon. I doubt it would go for more than a few hundred, if that! Since it is outside the range of our free tax years, it might not be very attractive (£160 per year more than another 2-month older car).

Thinking about your car, it has an 'L'-reg, which is right for '73 - mine has a 'P'- reg which ties in with it being imported to the UK in 1975, after being in Germany for 2 years or so.

[nam1600E]

Hi Dave,

Many thanks for your advice again. You are very thorough - a true Type 3 guru - now I have some knowledge of the "L" in my reg.

Merry X'mas and a happy New Year to you and every one else!!!

Supasith