1973 was the first year that VW produced a non-Beetle car, the Dasher/Passat (basically a rebranded Audi). The Golf/Rabbit followed in 1974, and the Polo/Derby (also a rebranded Audi) in 1975.
There were, however, some style variations of the classic Beetle that jointly constituted the VW Type 3 (Type 2 was the VW bus) with notchback, hatchback, and fastback bodies: this could be one of those (there isn't enough visible to tell). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Type_3 for details.
Since this internet thing is supposed to police itself, I must point out to John Cowan that any reasonable reading of the Wikipedia link he provided would fail to show that Type 3 VWs are Beetles, for any sense of the word "are."
I mis-spent enough of the late '60s building Formula Vee racers to have been thoroughly marinated in Volkswagon lore - I agree that it took more than an air-cooled engine and torsion-bar suspension to make a Beetle. To the in-crowd at VOA the Beetle was the Type 1 only.
Comment feed for ongoing:
From: John Cowan (Sep 16 2007, at 14:48)
Something wrong with that story.
1973 was the first year that VW produced a non-Beetle car, the Dasher/Passat (basically a rebranded Audi). The Golf/Rabbit followed in 1974, and the Polo/Derby (also a rebranded Audi) in 1975.
There were, however, some style variations of the classic Beetle that jointly constituted the VW Type 3 (Type 2 was the VW bus) with notchback, hatchback, and fastback bodies: this could be one of those (there isn't enough visible to tell). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Type_3 for details.
[link]
From: Andy (Sep 16 2007, at 23:25)
Since this internet thing is supposed to police itself, I must point out to John Cowan that any reasonable reading of the Wikipedia link he provided would fail to show that Type 3 VWs are Beetles, for any sense of the word "are."
[link]
From: David Smith (Sep 17 2007, at 09:14)
I mis-spent enough of the late '60s building Formula Vee racers to have been thoroughly marinated in Volkswagon lore - I agree that it took more than an air-cooled engine and torsion-bar suspension to make a Beetle. To the in-crowd at VOA the Beetle was the Type 1 only.
[link]
From: Alex Waterhouse-Hayward (Sep 17 2007, at 15:03)
I found this link that shows a non Beetle car. Note the where the gas entry flap is!
Alex Waterhouse-Hayward
http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2007/06/Squareback_Rr_RH_Qtr.jpg
I would tend to think that the bright yellow colour was a product of the 70s.
[link]