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> > This special order RHD Variant 1600L, built Feb 1973, came from the factory > > with intermittent wipers, among various other unusual extras like cloth > > high-backs (when the UK normally got vinyl low backs - yes, even in 1973). > > Was the high-backs another part of the L equipment? My car has vinyl high-backs > (resting in my brother's attick) but I have no other 73 to compare with. Anyone > know? The reclining (usual?) high-backs were specified on this order. I don't know how common they were on European spec Type 3s. Most of the UK ones were ordered as fairly low trim spec to keep the cost down as import duty made them a lot more expensive than British cars. The VW importers were not owned by VW; they just ordered the cars they expected to sell. Since some weren't registered for 6 months or even more, maybe they didn't always get it right. The UK Aug '72 (73 model) sales brochure I have shows almost all have low backs, though one photo seems to show high backs. All seat fabric is black vinyl. The German version of the same brochure however does show the high backs, and illustrates them on the options page. Lots of colours and fabrics available too. The dealer pictures all show low backs, as do most of the other views. However, while reversing most pictures for RHD, the same car in the same position in the identical landscape with identical (reversed) reflections on the windows is pointing at the opposite angle, has mirror image headlamp rims, but has bumper rubbers and the UK one doesn't, while the UK one has the black later wiper arms (parking the wrong way!) and the German one has earlier silver ones with the acorn nuts (correct parking). There is no mirror image filler flap on the UK car either. The air-brushers must have been working overtime to tidy all this detail up, but why put different wipers on the UK then park them the wrong way? The three body shapes are shown in the German one, while the Notch is face on in the UK so you can't see the back, as they didn't normally offer the Notch. Last weekend I dated (!) a 15th Dec '72 Fastback (73 model) so the owner could claim free road tax, and that had tan high backs, originally in Turquoise metallic. It was first registered after August 1st '73 on an 'M' plate (in the UK you can tell the year of first registration from the single prefix or suffix letter on the number-plate). I think safety aspects of the headrests had become established by then, so I would expect them to be specified more often. I understand it had the tan high backs from the start. I wonder if it was a personal import used abroad for a time; this might explain the later UK registration and different spec (as with my project '73). I would expect a special order to be registered straight away. Dave. UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/ ------ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Too much? Digest! mailto:type3-d-request@vwtype3.org Subj=subscribe