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No solution to sadness - VW 1600 TL in the (historical) test

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Created on September 17, 1965

Text:

Jürgen Stockmar

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Volkswagen 1600 TL (1968) - VW's attempt at a youthful "fastback"

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Volkswagen 1600 TL (1968) - a touring sedan for limousine tours, for example to the beach

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Volkswagen 1600 TL (1968) - right-hand drive in an English factory photo

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VW 1600 TL (1966) - Hatchback despite rear engine - Geneva Motor Show 1966

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VW 1600 TL (1966) - sloping rear (fastback) also at Volkswagen - Geneva Motor Show 1966

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VW 1600 TL (1965) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1965 - the American fastback becomes German fashion

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VW 1600 TL (1966) - great interest at all stands on the public days, over 450,000 visitors and thus a record - Geneva Motor Show 1966

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VW 1600 TL (1969) - Cutaway model of engine and gearbox - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1969

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VW 1600 (1967) - Drive train with automatic transmission - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1967

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Volkswagen 1600 TL Automatic (1968) - during short tests at the Geneva Motor Show

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Summary

With the 1600 TL, Volkswagen tried to make the very conservative Type 3 more fashionable and spacious in 1965. In popular parlance, however, the chic "touring saloon" quickly became the "sad solution", as underneath the sleek hatchback shell was basically still a cruciform Beetle. However, this historical test report shows that this was by no means a bad thing. The 1600 TL was also well thought-out and, above all, excellently finished in the VW style - but not overly fast either.

This article contains the following chapters

Same performance, same consumption - but with regular gasoline
Faster and tougher
Sales success guaranteed
Technical data & measured values

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Recent VW advertising has focused so heavily on the Variant that any reasonably attentive observer must have realized that the public was being systematically prepared for a new shape. The obvious conclusion was that a car with an estate rear was coming from Wolfsburg for the IAA - but such speculation was based on two overestimates. Firstly, the public and secondly, Wolfsburg's courage was overestimated. Despite its countless advantages, the Austin 850-style rear end still has the smell of a delivery van in which you can transport all kinds of things, but not people, especially not fine people. The slight aversion of the buying public to such body shapes was well known in Wolfsburg, so they acted according to the motto "No experiments" and had a rear end drawn that had already been bought many years ago. At that time, this shape was called "humpback", today it is called "fast-back" or "fastback".

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