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| C-pillar | The roof support metal between the rear side window and the rear window. On a car with 4 pillars, the rearmost pillar may be called the D-Pillar. Also see A-pillar, B-pillar, and D-pillar |
| Cabriolet | Model name for the convertible coupe version of the Beetle or the Karmann-Ghia Often casually abbreviated as "Cabrio". Most of the Volkswagen Cabriolets were made by the coachbuilder Karmann. Cabriolet original referred to "A two-wheeled, one-horse carriage that has two seats and a folding top." The word Cabriolet originates from the French while the Germans used Kabriolett. |
| Caddy |
Formal name of the Rabbit Pickup. The name which was not used for the
US marketplace. When Volkswagen released the Caddy it first was produced at the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant in Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1982. Forums thread on name origin 
 |
| Cal-Look |
The "California Look". Originally began in Southern California back in the
1950s. The Cal-Look typically consists of a radical lowering job, removal of
chrome, bumpers, and other trim, producing a more
smooth-looking vehicle. |
| Campingbox |
Camping interior manufactured by Westfalia
(beginning in the early 1950s) that could be easily removed from the bus. |
| Campmobile |
The term given to the Westfalia Conversion once it was 'sponsored' by
Volkswagen. While there was never an official link between the two companies
VW started to use Westphalia in its advertising from 1975 (?), giving the
van the title 'Campmobile'. |
| Canadian Standard | The Canadian Standard (sometimes called Canadian Custom) was a class of Type I's unique to the Canadian marketplace. They were effectively dressed up Standards. Well over 99% of the Beetles destined for the export market were Deluxe or Export models. The Canadian Standard can be identified by some features of the Deluxe such as hydraulic brakes, export engines and chrome bumpers with towel bars, combined with features of the Standard, such as small headliner, non chrome breeze windows, no chrome on window rubber, no chrome on running boards. The Canadian dealers usually added a gas heater, block heater and radio as dealer options. |
| Cancer | See Rust-Through |
| Canvas |
Fabric portion of a Single Cab or Double
Cab tilt assembly. See also hoops. |
| Caravelle |
The T3 generation of the Volkswagen Type 2, also
known as the Vanagon in the U.S., as the
Transporter or Caravelle in Europe, and also
to some in Britain and Ireland as the T25, was built from 1980 until 1991.
It was the last of the rear-engined Volkswagens. |
| Cargo Area | Area located behind the front seat area of a Bus. Commonly contains either two seats for a Passenger vehicle or two seats or a wide open loading bay for Commercial Vehicles. |
| Cargo Door |
Side loading doors for a Bus. Usually consists of a set of two
opposite opening doors or a single sliding door assembly. See also Double
Door |
| Cargo Floor |
Metal flooring in the rear of a Bus, commonly termed the
Cargo
Area |
| Carocha | Nickname for the Volkswagen Beetle sedan and convertible in Portugal. |
| Carrozzeria Ghia | Designer of the Karmann-Ghia. From Turin, Italy. |
| Centerline |
Aftermarket aluminum wheel popular with the racers on and off-road.
 |
| Champagne Edition |
The Champagne Edition was a sales campaign that VW did in 1977 and 1978. The
1978 models are referred to as Champagne Edition II. These models included
special colors and accessories. The CEII Bus for 1978 was Fox Red and
Datenut Brown with 3 color tape stripes and a two tone (Beige and Sienna)
corduroy interior. There was also a camper version which was brown with
white top. Both Buses had chrome bumpers with rubber strips. This
campaign extended to other VW models and continued on into the water-cooled
VW era.  |
| Chandelier |
Slang for Westfalia hanging light.  |
| Chassis |
Floor pan and superstructure of a VW automobile. Refers to the
complete rolling assembly underneath the body. |
| Chassis Number |
Identification number stamped into the Chassis of a
VW vehicle. Usually indicates the month/year of manufacture. |
| Check rod | Flat piece of metal on hinge side of door that prevents the door from opening too far out and damaging the hinges and door sheet metal. Cannot be used with 1-piece window glass. After market door stops are made of thick cable which flexes thus enabling the use of 1-piece windows. |
| Checking |
Paint imperfection - Usually appears as
slight breaks in the surface of the paint film. Checking cracks can assume
many patterns, sometimes resembling small squares.  |
| Cheetah | A design study commissioned by VW and executed by Giorgetto Guigiaro's ItalDesign studio. Named the "Karmann Cheetah," the car was based on mechanicals from the Beetle Volkswagen. The Cheetah was intended to be a replacement for the Karmann-Ghia. |
| Child's Cot |
Canvas attached to 2 metal poles at each end with hooks at
each end of the poles. Attaches to 4 hooks, 2 at the door pillars and
2 at the windshield posts inside the front cab of a Bus. When
mounting, it is just above the height of the steering wheel with the canvas
open in the shape of a small hammock. Large enough for a small child
to sleep on.
 |
| Chopped | Slang term referring to Chop-top.
 |
| Chop-top | This term
refers to the practice of lowering the roof on the body of the vehicle by
cutting portions of the frame and door frames and reinstalling custom
glass for a custom look. |
| Church Key |
P or T-shaped metal "key" used to open the decklid on
1955-1965 Buses, the gas door on 1952-1966 Trucks and 1955-1966 Buses, and the
Treasure Chest on 1952-1966 Trucks. 
  |
| CKD | Complete Knock Down - A complete kit needed to assemble a motor vehicle. Pre-made in Germany, these vehicles were shipped to countries such as Brazil and South Africa for assembly. CKD production started in 1953. CKD kits were often used so that local labor could perform the final assembly of vehicles, either to provide tax benefits or to help provide jobs for local personnel. |
| Class 11 |
Open wheeled-Stock VW Sedans. Vehicles must be a stock VW sedan as delivered
in the United States. Class requirements |
| Clay Bar |
Paint & Body product, most frequently used to remove paint over spray or
contamination on a car. |
| Clean | Slang term used to identify a straight or nice attribute of a vehicle, e.g. "That Beetle has a clean interior" or "That Bus has the cleanest sides I've ever seen." |
| Clipper |
Trim level/accessories package used for a short period of time on the
Deluxe Kombi Bay Window
Bus. Included large metal sunroof, front and
rear bumper trim, rear window jail bars, and
chrome trim on the interior, among other items. The Clipper name was
discontinued due to copyright issues with Pan Am, who owned the Clipper
term.
 |
| Clone | Slang to indicate a particular vehicle or part is not original but has been modified to appear as such. Example, a "cloned" 21-Window Bus, meaning a Bus that was not originally a 21-Window has been altered to now look like one. |
| Clown Bus | Slang for lowered bus. |
| Coach-built | Vehicle construction method employed by small volume manufacturers usually creating sporting or cabriolet versions of standard models. Due to the small scale nature of the work, the bodywork was usually hand formed over wooden bucks or with an English Wheel and then welding the small sections together and lead loading and grinding smooth the joins. The term "coach-builder" refers to the days when you would take your bespoke carriage chassis (and later automobile chassis) to a coach-builder to have your own special bodywork constructed. The most famous coach-builders involved with Volkswagen include Hebmuller, Karmann, Drews, Dannenhauer & Staus, Binz, Denzel, and Rometsch. |
| Coat Hook | Small hook used in various VW
models to hold a coat or other item.
 |
| Coccinella | Name given to the Beetle in Italy. Translated literally, the word means "Ladybug" in Italian. |
| Coccinelle | In French: "Lady Bug". Widely-used nickname for the Beetle sedan and convertible in France. |
| Coco Mats | Woven fiber mats, originally
available as a dealer accessory for the
Volkswagen. Created from the natural fiber extracted from the
protective husk of coconuts. NOS Type 3 mats |
| Combi | A version of the VW Transporter produced in Mexico. The Combi is a Bay Window Bus with a VW Golf-style engine and transmission. It has an 1.8L 4-cylider front wheel drive engine. |
| Commercials | Collective slang term for all Volkswagens in the commercial class. |
| Commercial Vehicle | VW Panelvan, Kombi, Single Cab, Double Cab, and other truck or hauling vehicles. |
| Concours | Denotes an elegant gathering of
vehicles, usually in a park or lawn atmosphere. Typically used to
describe the highest quality restoration, one that can be inspected with
white gloves and still come away clean. Often misspelled as concourse. Concourse - A large open space for the gathering or passage of crowds, as in an airport. |
| Condition |
Vehicle condition can be
specified as follows:
1 - Excellent - A close to perfect original or a very well restored vehicle. Generally a body-off restoration, but a well done body-on restoration that has been fully detailed may qualify. The vehicle is stunning to look at and any flaws are trivial and not readily apparent. Everything works as new. All equipment is original, NOS, or excellent quality reproductions. 2 - Very Good - An extremely presentable vehicle showing minimal wear, or a well restored vehicle. Runs and drives smooth and tight. Needs no mechanical or cosmetic work. All areas (chassis not required, but may be) have been fully detailed. Beautiful to look at but clearly below a #1 vehicle.3 - Good - Presentable inside and out with some signs of wear. Not detailed but very clean. Body should be straight and solid with no apparent rust and absolutely no rust-through anywhere. Shiny, attractive paint but may have evidence of minor fading or checking or other imperfections. Runs and drives well. May need some minor mechanical or cosmetic work but is fully usable and enjoyable as is. 4 - Fair - Runs and drives OK but needs work throughout the vehicle. Body shows signs of wear or previous restoration work. Any rust should be minimal and not in any structural areas. Cosmetics, body, and mechanics all need work to some degree.5 - Poor - In need of complete restoration, but is complete and not a rust bucket beyond repair. May or may not run and drive. Not roadworthy. 6 - Parts or Salvage - Incomplete vehicle most useful for parts. |
| Connecting rod | A rod that is the vital connection between the piston and the crankshaft. It is connected to the crankshaft and allows the piston to move freely up and down in the cylinder. |
| Continental | OEM tire manufacturer
for Volkswagen. |
| Conversion | Used to describe a Volkswagen that has been formally modified by an aftermarket company. For example: Camping conversion |
| Convertible | See Cabriolet |
| Cookie Cutters | Type of rim.
Originally equipped on Porsche vehicles.
 |
| Corner window | Term used to describe a
15-Window or 23-Window Bus
due to the 2 "corner windows" at the rear left and right surrounding the
rear hatch. |
| Country Buggy | Produced in Australia from 1965 through 1968,
the Country Buggy used the Beetle engine and floor pan with
Bus trailing
arms on the front and reduction boxes in the rear. It had a respectable
ground clearance of 230mm. Country Buggies were available with 1200 cc
and 1300 cc engines. The 1300 was standard. The electrical
system was 6-volt. The body was designed in Australia and built from folded
flat sheet steel for ease of manufacture and extreme ruggedness;
strengthening ribs were included along the sides, and the very high sills
prevented flooding when crossing streams. Only 1,956 Country Buggies were
made, including about 400 left-hand drive examples. It debuted on April 1,
1965 and were sold until October, 1968 when low sales volumes and design
problems prompted VW Headquarters in Germany to end production. |
| Coupe | Two door, hardtop body style, like the Karmann-Ghia. |
| Cover Car | Term used (mainly by the seller/owner) to describe cars that have been featured on the cover of one or more VW Magazines. |
| Cow Catchers | Slang term for protective guards
such as Hurst bumpers that were used to
protective Buses or other vehicles from possible livestock damage.
Also see Roo Bars. |
| Crabs | Term used to describe the 15 X 4.5
Porsche Fuchs, because of the leaf portion
sticking out of the rim. This term originated in the early 80's in East Los
Angeles.
 |
| Crank Apron | Term to describe a Beetle or Bus
rear apron with provisions for crank-handle
usage. Typically consisted of a small hole for the crank handle to
pass through to access the crank-nut
 |
| Crank Handle | Bent steel bar used to crank over
the engine in case of battery failure or for usage on an Industrial
engine
 |
| Crank Nut | Nut used in the center of the
engine pulley for the crank handle to rotate the
engine. Industrial nut & handle |
| Crankshaft | A shaft consisting of a series of cranks to which the connecting rods of an engine are attached |
| Crank Start | The action of rotating an engine with the crank handle and nut in order to start it. |
| Crashbox | Pre-1953 transmission with no synchros. Requires double-clutching to change gears. Split-case design but not to be confused with a split-case transmission |
| Crew Cab | See Double Cab |
| Crotch Coolers | Front quarter
panel vents on '51-'52 deluxe split window
Beetles.
 |
| Crow's Foot | Slang term identifying the 15" Bus wheel that
has indentations around each lug nut hole.
 |
| Custom | General term to indicate any
non-factory modification of a vehicle, from mild to radical. Opposite of stock
 |
| Cut | Slang term to describe alterations to the body panels of a VW. Most often seen in the wheel wells, dash, and vents. |
| CV Joint | Axle joint used for an IRS
rear end. |
