How a son tracked down and restored a 1967 Volkswagen Type 3 that belonged to his father

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Many classic car owners are drawn to the cars they remember from their childhood, but Lynn Fanning went a little further. After 38 years, he tracked down a 1967 Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback that once belonged to his father and spent another four years restoring it.

The Type 3 was VW's third air-cooled model after the Beetle and Microbus, hence the name. It had a fastback body type and was also sold as a station wagon (known as the squareback) and a more orthodox two-door three-box sedan called the notchback.

According to VW, Fenning's father bought a Type 3 in 1967 for $2,200 after the 1965 Beetle was totaled in a collision with a cow. For eight years, the Type 3 served the family well on rural North Dakota roads. The car was then sold to a local farmer and eventually passed on to his son, a friend of Feening's.

As with many good stories involving classic cars, the Type 3 was eventually returned to the barn. At this time, according to VW, Pfining was in technical school and had worked in an automobile factory for 20 years. However, he never forgot his father's Type 3.

Eventually, Feining asked his friend if the car was for sale. Not only was he able to buy the VW, but he bargained for a significant discount.

"Before he could change his mind, I gave him the money and we drove off," Pfining told VW.

The car was in terrible condition. It had been used for cattle drives and had sustained damage to both doors and the front end from various collisions with cattle. The dents were patched with body putty.

In addition to body repairs, the engine needed to be completely rebuilt. It had been damaged by a rat's nest fire in the engine compartment. Feining took the opportunity to increase the displacement from 1,600cc to 1,776cc. He also added a tweed interior and repainted the car in Candy Brandywine instead of the previous Brunswick Blue color. At some point, the body height was probably lowered and the custom wheels seen today were fitted.

The four-year restoration was completed in July 2018 and cost about $40,000. That's a lot of money, but it paid off when he showed the finished VW to his father.

"To share this experience with him . . every penny was worth it," Feining said.

BACKGROUND: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed the version of the Type 3 sold in the United States.