Type 1 - its a beetle, nowt more, nowt less.

  Type 2 - VW vans, split, bay, wedge even some LT's, they are all type 2's.

  Type 3 - notchback, squareback (variant), fastback.

  Type 4 - the 411 and 412, its not a Transporter.

 Type numbers come from the chassis number, all beetles (type1) chassis numbers start with 1. All vans start with 2 hence type 2 etc. etc. (except 1980 on vehicles that start with w but that's another story!)

This is where the confusion starts, the Germans shortened Transporter to T so...

  T1 - is a split screen van (1948 - 1967)

  T2 - is a bay window van (1967 - 1979)

  T3 - is a vanagon,Type25 (1979 - 1990)

  T4 - is a well... T4! or a Eurovan for our American friends (That mean Transporter 4 NOT type 4!!)

Does that make sense?

 Now things can get a little complicated when a type 34 comes along, well its not that complicated, honest.
The first three digits of pre-'80 chassis number give you three different pieces of info.

  1st digit is the chassis type.

  2nd digit is the body type.

  3rd digit gives you the year of manufacture.

So the type 34 is based on a type 3 chassis (same as fastback etc.) with a number 4 body (Karmann). Easy!!

It's the same for the type 14 or Karmann Ghia, that's based on a type 1 (beetle) chassis with a karmann body.

 So, the Type 25, its also a T3, and a vanagon (in the US) but to add confusion the type number for the pickup and crew cab models start with 24...so that screws that up don't it!!
And while we're at it, it's only the UK that dubbed the 3rd generation of transporter the "Type 25". Most other countries have adopted the T3 name, which in my estimations is a much better name seeing as though if you look back through lists of old vw type designations listings you find that a real type 25 is infact a fire truck!

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