We are sure this lovely Type 3 will find a new home relatively easily.  

It can be driven straight away with a delightfully original and unrestored appearance and with plenty of work completed to make it reliable.  

Alternatively, as it is now solid, with a bit of effort, new paint and a bit of re-chroming it could be returned to factory condition. Or perhaps it will be slammed and stanced? Who knows?  

One thing is for sure; the lucky high bidder will be getting a really nice project.

The interior of the VW is basically original with brown carpets and matching vinyl seats. 

Apart from some age related wear and tear it is remarkably well preserved. There is a little corrosion round the gauges and a few marks here and there on the face of the dash.  

The top of the dashboard shows no sun damage or cracking and is pretty much like new. The two spoke steering wheel, complete with horn bar, is also in lovely condition with no cracks. The seats are intact and in surprisingly good condition, with no holes or marks. 

The rear seat back is present and intact, but unfortunately the seat base is missing. According to the vendor it was not with the car when it arrived from Spain. Perhaps it had been removed to get access to the battery and not replaced? He had found a replacement but it was too wide, so it will be up to the new owner to source one if so desired.

The roof lining and sun visors are acceptably clean and in good condition. The carpets are a bit grubby but are intact with little wear and will look much better once vacuumed and shampooed.  

Overall there is little that would require attention apart from sourcing a rear seat base and a bit of cleaning. 

Hiding under the white paint is the original VW finish, a colour we think is called Kansas Beige. 

The white has flaked off in a few places revealing the original colour underneath. Overall the white is acceptable, but flaking away from the car in places. There are plenty of chips and marks, but no serious bubbling or corrosion we could see.  

The panels are all flat with now major dents, and the panel gaps are even and consistent. The glass is all good, as are the light lenses and trim. There is a large tiger decal on the back that has obviously been there for many years.  

Up front there is a delightful mascot sticker from when Spain hosted the World Cup in 1982. Apparently the mascot was called Naranjito, which roughly translates as “little orange”.  

The front bumper has plenty of flaky chrome; the rear bumper has fared slightly better with just a little pitting. Both bumpers are straight and undented.

The wheels are standard VW steels with chrome hubcaps. The wheels are a little corroded, but the hubcaps are very presentable, with only a couple of minor dents. Tyres are Michelins with some life left in them, but they are likely to be quite old.

Overall the outside of the VW is useable as it is, but we think the solid condition makes it a good candidate for restoration.

Until recently the seller was preparing the VW as a gift to one of his children, but now plans have changed and storage has become an issue.  

Although there is plenty still to be done much of the expensive and time consuming work has been completed, with invoices that show major expense with Classic VW Repairs in Dorking.

The braking system has been completely refurbished, with a new master cylinder, hoses and pipework, rebuilt callipers and rear slave cylinders. £950 of welding has been completed in various places around the underside. 

The engine was removed, stripped and rebuilt with new pistons and rings, and the troublesome fuel injection system has been replaced with a couple of new carburettors. 

The fuel tank has been cleaned, but there could still be muck lurking according to a note on the invoice. Spare filters are in the glovebox! In addition to this a new starter motor, fuel pump, sender and filters, new horn, and right hand drive headlamps were installed with subsequent invoices for over £3,000. 

Now the VW starts easily, drives well and it sailed through an MoT in 2019 with play in the steering box as the only advisory. 

Since then it has been driven a mere 40 miles. 

It will be interesting to see what the buyer intends for the VW.  

Much of the hard work has been completed, and from this point forward it should be a fun project. The question is what direction you go; original or radical?