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Sat Mar 05, 2005 11:53 pm

i know it is a model of notchback but what does it stand for? i know this is a bomb of a newbie question but i have no clue so feel free to flog me because i don't know. does it mean touring special or something like that? thanks and sorry for the newbie question :oops:

Sun Mar 06, 2005 12:19 am

Touring Sedan

Sun Mar 06, 2005 12:42 am

thanks russ i feel smarter now

Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:52 am

I always thought that TS meant "TheSamba" :lol:

Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:52 am

karfer67 wrote: thanks russ i feel smarter now

TS markings were never used in the US. If a car has them, they were added by a PO, or the car is an import.

Sun Mar 06, 2005 10:54 am

SquareD wrote: I always thought that TS meant "TheSamba" :lol:

Well, there are numerous meanings for TS. But VW related, it is Touring Sedan, and TheSamba. The others that I can think of are not for mixed company.

Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:14 pm

TS on a VW T3 notchback? I really don't think so. I only recall that emblem ever being used on euro-spec Fastbacks. This is why:

In VW's German lexicon of that era, the "T" stands for ?? Some other German cars use a letter T which depending on the model "could" stand for "touring". BMW had a 2002 touring that did not come over to the USA. It was actually a hatchback. Later, they used the name for the 5 Series station wagon. Obviously neither body style is correct for our 2-door Fastback.

The "S" most likely stands for Schraegheck (can also be spelled without the first "e" but then the "a" would have the two little dots above it, those being an "umlaut") which means "slant rear" or "slant back". Pronounced SHRAYG-heck. I do not think that VW would have considered the "S" to mean "sport" as there was nothing sporty about the car except that maybe some people thought its sloping fastback "looked" sporty.

On T3 sedans, otherwise known as Notchbacks, VW used certain letters like a 1500N or 1500S. The "N" would have been on the 'stripped" model and would have stood for "normal". The "S" not only got the higher power dual-carb engine but a bunch more trim. IMO, the S therefore stood for "Super".

Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:32 pm

I have only seen it on Canadian cars. I was under the assumption that it stood for "Touring Sport".

Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:20 pm

thanks for the info Rome thats why mine are for my fastback

Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:56 pm

What does the L stand for? my badge says 1600-L

thanks,
-Ryan

Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:57 pm

73notch wrote: What does the L stand for? my badge says 1600-L

thanks,
-Ryan

Limosine :lol:

Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:15 pm

73notch wrote: What does the L stand for? my badge says 1600-L

thanks,
-Ryan

Luxury. It has a fancier trim level. What Rome is saying is basically correct. Mercedes "T" sedans are also hatchback style wagons. Everybody thinks that a Mercedes 300TD is a turbo diesel, but it isn't. It is a Touring model, or wagon, Diesel. a TDT, on the other hand, is a wagon with a Turbo Diesel. And yes, the "S" in T/S stands for "Schraegheck".
You may have also seen a Fastback badged as a 1600T/L, which is the 'touring/ luxury' package, or a 1600T/LE, the same with Einspritzung, or Fuel Injection.
Is your head spinning yet? :lol:

Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:32 pm

i have a vw 1600 tl badge on my car

Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:44 pm

In the UK a few cars were identified with TS letters (not VW's) they were generally regarded as 'Touring Sports' models.

Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:58 pm

The TS model typically refers to the 64-65 Canadian "S" model. It is identical to a German S model, with the exception of North American options like sealed beam headlights, a MPH speedometer, etc.

Rome,
Your theory of the "S" meaning sounds good but falls apart when we consider that the Squareback was also a "TS" model.

Thu Aug 04, 2005 10:02 pm

EverettB wrote: The TS model typically refers to the 64-65 Canadian "S" model. It is identical toa German S model, with the exception of North American options like sealed beam headlights, a MPH speedometer, etc.

Rome,
Your theory of the "S" meaning sounds good but falls apart when we consider that the Squareback was also a "TS" model.

Blast you, Barnes! If you already had all the answers, why did you let us waste the whole day swappin' lies? See how you are? :lol:

Fri Aug 05, 2005 6:37 am

Alright, boys, this alphabet soup sure is getting confusing. After this post, let's sit down, get some German beer and contemplate more. :)

The "L" in VW's T3 lexicon, or other Euro-Spec ACVWs and even later water-cooleds would defintely be the word "luxury", or in German, "Luxus". One step up from the stripper model. Like a Golf (euro Rabbit) L. Yes, they had a Golf LS too, which might have been available with either of the 2 gas engines below the GTI. But never a Golf S.

Everett, so with a Squareback having a TS badge, that would once again be a Euro model, which would most likely have the trunklid badge "Variant" (meaning not a "version", but one German word for a station wagon- kinda pronounced vahree-UNT)? "Variant 1500TS"? Then, the S would once again mean "super" since the S means it has the high-compression dual carb engine.

Fri Aug 05, 2005 9:52 am

Rome wrote: Everett, so with a Squareback having a TS badge, that would once again be a Euro model, which would most likely have the trunklid badge "Variant" (meaning not a "version", but one German word for a station wagon- kinda pronounced vahree-UNT)? "Variant 1500TS"? Then, the S would once again mean "super" since the S means it has the high-compression dual carb engine.

Canadian Squarebacks have "Volkswagen 1500 S" on one side and "TS" on the other side, of the license plate. The TS emblems were mounted by whatever Canadian dealer trainee was assigned to install it.

The TS was just a Canadian marketing thing. All the literature I have seen refer to the "TS engine" so they are really just referring to the improved performance of the "S" engine. The badges are not official VW badges.

They are Canadian models, not European models.

Canadian models did not say Variant on them, i.e.:

Notchback TS emblem sample:

I've seen various cars (like the '64 Squareback above) that don't have a TS emblem so I think some dealers were lazy about mounting the badges.... or maybe it wasn't a nationwide rule.

I don't claim to know everything about the TS BS so if someone has more info...

Mon Aug 08, 2005 2:35 am

can someone tell me what the luxury ones had that the base ones didnt? what kind of trim?

thanks,
-Ryan

Mon Aug 08, 2005 10:22 am

"can someone tell me what the luxury ones had that the base ones didnt? what kind of trim"

OK, I'll start. Indeed, much exterior trim was an item that was not on the base ("N") models of the first generation bodies, specifically the thin body side moldings that went from the front fenders all the way to near the taillights, front hood forward edge wide chrome molding/grip, and also rocker panel molding.

I think that the wheels on deluxe models got the thin-slit trim rings, the ones that are trapped under the hubcaps and extend to the wheel edge. Don't know if the wheel itself would be painted black to bring out the trim rings' holes, rather than the two-tone stock wheel paint scheme. We're talking about the 5-bolt rims here.

The real specialists can chime in at this point. :)