Back in the 1970s when Volkswagen was trying to evolve from The Beetle Company to something more, the Type III was developed to go gunning for the mainstream. VW's Brazilian division was essentially it's own little fiefdom; with the market closed to imports and only Karmann Ghias to offer as sports cars. Even the spiffy and rare Type III Ghia was no longer too impressive by 1971. Division head Rudolf Leiding saw the need for a newer sports car and pushed through Project X, which used the Type III underpinnings and placed an attractive and modern coupe body atop the floorpan. Leiding was called back to run Volkswagen proper, but his modern coupe saw some success, and around 10,000 were produced making VW fans worldwide envious of the Brazilian market.
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