On a beautiful summer day we still see a Beetle and the well-known buses of the T1 and T2 generation occasionally pass by. Outside of these three icons, however, air-cooled Volkswagens are virtually extinct. All the more special is the Volkswagen 411 that Joop Heppe sent us.
The Volkswagen Type 4, as this car is also called, was introduced in 1968 as a larger alternative to the previously launched Volkswagen Type 3. Both cars followed more or less the same recipe. The well-known Volkswagen platform with the air-cooled boxer engine in the rear was adapted and made suitable for a body that was not only larger than that of the Beetle (Type 1), but also a lot more square and traditional.
This Type 4 was also a lot tighter than the Type 3. A straight fold over the entire body is a typical feature, just like the large, reclining rear lights. Also characteristic are large, slightly oval-shaped headlight units. Initially it concerned a few copies behind one piece of glass, but in 1969 these lamps were replaced by double round ones.
The car that was spotted by Joop comes from 1973. It is therefore a very late 411, because the modernized 412 was unveiled as early as 1972. The green two-door looks fresh and original, although it is on time-correct light metal. It is an original Dutch copy, which has been with its third owner since 2014. According to Heppe, the 411 is regularly parked at this place in Hoek van Holland and the car is therefore apparently used as usual. That’s how we like it!
Photos: Joop Heppe