I Drive A 1978 Volkswagen T2 Camper - My First Classic Bus Experience!
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- In today's video, I get to sample a classic VW Camper for the very first time. The T2 replaced the much loved "split screen" T1 at the end of the 1960s, but will it ever be as loved? Here's why I think it should be
#VWCamper #Type2 #Volkswagen
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A few weeks ago I was driving north on M1 (south of Watford) and in high winds I saw what looked like a marquee soaring off vertically up from the other side of the motorway. In my wing mirror I spotted the culprit - it was one of these classic VW camper vans on the back of a flat bed truck. The whole roof had come off, flown about 60 feet in the air and flew off over the hedges on its own side of the motorway. If yours arrived in London missing said roof - it's somewhere in a field near the M1.
To Bennett C. Your story reminds me of The Wizard Of Oz. Dorothy's house took off in a cyclone!
That is one GORGEOUS V-Dub Bus❤!
When I was at school, my best friend’s parents had a blue and white T1. We went on a camping holiday to Europe. The parents slept in the VW, we slept in a tent. And no, it was not fast! The following year, we went on holiday again. This time it was in a white or cream T2. I think it was on the first holiday, we visited the Westphalia factory.
I own a 412 Variant with a 1.7 type 4 motor on Twin carbs. Its a base level South African built Variant. LE were fuel injection 90bhp. My car on factory twin carbs approx 50bhp.
Come down to the southwest and you'll see plenty of these, especially over the summer holidays. If you can't find one just look for the nearest queue of traffic
I had one of those in exactly that colour. Targa Grün was the German name. With the full Westfalia camper stuff in it. Those 2-Litre flat fours are very prone to overheating and the cylinder heads coming loose, particularly if you drive it like an idiot, as I did. Sold it for peanuts back in the noughties. One of my great regrets.
Nope
They only overheat if they are low on oil , have cooling tinware or engine bay seal missing or have the timing set to advanced or are running to lean
As the factory built them , they go on and on
I owned one for seven years. A great fun vehicle. It changes your driving style completely. It doesn't really do push on driving, you just go with the flow or when the engine sounds happiest.
In 1980 my wife and I went to the USA and bought an orange VW Camper in San Francisco. We did an incredible 10,000 mile road trip that took us through Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, down to New Orleans, then up to Washington and New York. We travelled back across the country via Niagra Falls, Chicago, Yellowstone, SLC, Vegas, LA and finally back to SF. We lived in the van, stopping wherever the road took us. We saw almost every major national park, skied all the best mountains and met a lot of great people. One of whom, I see almost every year now. The VW was amazing. It struggled climbing the high mountain passes in Utah and Colorado, but otherwise gave us no trouble. I have fond memories of it and from where it took us. This review brought them back.. thanks James. 😊
Wonderful story. It's been a dream to do a thing like this since I was a pre-teen. How did you decide where to stay overnight? And where did you shower? Do your laundry?
Fun car. That colour is amazing. For me the twin tip exhaust just makes it cool. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
The T2 was very comfortable and could take a lot of punishment offroad. Amazing quality. Back in 1972 I went all around Uganda and Tansania on safari (dust tracks) in one of those as a passenger.
Just being a pedantic Porsche owner -- the 2.0 liter engine used in the T2 was shared with the 912E. The 912E was a one-year model in the US which was a bit of a placeholder between the demise of the 914 and the advent of the 924 in 1977. The "E" in typical Porsche fashion stood for "einspritzung" which means injection, and differentiates the car from the earlier 1966-1969 (long hood) 912s which were all carbureted.
My father owned both a T1 and a T2 back in the 1960s and early 1970s. The T1 was a "Devon Caravanette" model in two-tone surf green and white. It had a foldaway stove built into the rear door and even a water-cooled fridge. We drove it all across Europe (from North Wales to Lisbon one year and from North Wales to Yugoslavia the following year). It only had the 1,2 litre engine so it struggled a bit uphill, especially as there was a big gap between second and third gear, but we made it there and back without any major problems. The engine finally gave up the following year but replacing it was a simple job. You just disconnected it, dropped it to the floor, jacked the car up, draw a chalk line round the old engine, put the new engine in place and reversed the process. The whole job only took a couple of hours.
He sold the T1 and bought a T2 in dark red and white. This had a bigger engine (a 1.5 litre I think) and a roof which could be raised at both ends with two hammocks, one on each side. By then I was making my own holiday plans so didn't do any long trips in it but my younger sister and brother said it was a big improvement. My brother bought and restored a T2 a few years ago and used it for several years but eventually sold it on as he found it too slow.
Today i bought a 1979 type 2 devon moonraker. My dad owned it from 90-99 and i adored it. Kept an eye out for it for 25 years and it finally came up sale so i had to buy it. Cant wait to have some adventures in her.
this makes me so happy for you, congrats and safe travels :)
T3 Owner here: they do drive a lot better than the t2, its worth giving it a shot but you should try to get a TDI swap or the 2.1L Boxer. Then they are also fun to drive (not a sportscar, but pretty good for an old bus)
And they're available with 4wd. :)
Honestly the T3 is allready becoming a classic as well. I personally don't think they are ugly at all. We used to had a t3 westfalia campervan. My parents sold it because it was quite unreliable (it was a tuned diesel by oettinger and the clutch/gearbox simply couldn't handle the increased power). I was only 2 years old at the time and don't remember it but according to them I cryed my eyes out when that thing left our yard.
T3s are really worth a look as well. There are some odd ones out there too! For example Oettinger, the aforementioned tuner, took over the basic building blocks of VWs own water cooled flat-6 engine and finnished the development. There aren't many out there but those things were extremely potent but also expensive for their time.
Love it! If you ever get a chance could you please do a review of the Ferrari Mondial? I think it would be a fine video for someone so well versed in Ferrari to review the "worst Ferrari ever made".
I personally love the car and think it is really neat, it's just not up to the standards of a "modern Ferrari supercar".
Good shout.
Love the sound of the air cooled engine. With the right exhaust they have a kind of V8 sound. Lovely example. Wanted one for 25 years and still no nearer to owning one!
Great video.
Mate, same. My parents had one when I was young, a late bay. It arrived orange but my dad painted it grey. We went on holiday in that thing, all the way to southern France and back again. Yeah, it used to need a push start every now and then, but it only made me love it more. The memories I have of that camper are just wonderful and I can recall them like they were yesterday. Owning one as an adult is probably my no.1 dream. I don't care about the problems that come with them. I just want one. I love them. Someday.
Having only driven my friends 2012ish Multivan, I'd say theres still charm in the newer ones. It really won me over. Actually I would have one if I had spare cash. Think your wrong about the t3 too. Its subjective, but I like the look of those.
“… turns like a wounded rhino …”. - Road & Track
There's something so nostalgic about the sound of an old air-cooled VW.
Memories of these VWs making lots of noise while hardly moving. And 2CVs, always sounding like nornal cars when they go really fast - in reverse.
James, did you borrow someone else’s shirt? Am I on the right channel? Is it a doppelgänger? What is the baby blue 1-pocket short sleever I see here?!
I had a 76 bay window.
Definitely over rated, glad it caught on fire to be honest
The owners are all weird too.
I simply dont get these. Sure they look cute but theyre old, gutless and overpriced. It seems its more a matter of 'look at me' im a vw camper person. Why theyre so widely popular i just dont get it. I went in one once and it was awful.
Can remember going to London when a kid in the 1970s, and all the Ozzies/Hippies used to sell them on the Embankment to other Ozzies/Hippies when they had finished their trails around Europe . Cost few hundred pounds then !
Loved the video, and the T2 in this colour is amazing! Keep making this kind of content please, it will just add value to the channel.
This is a T2b, also known as a late bay. Different intake vents, tail lights, and front panel to it's predecessor, the early bay. This probably has the later steering box setup too.
The T3 was not the successor to this. It was actually called the T25, the Type 3 was the basis for the squareback, notchback, and fastback.
The 2.0 pancake engine, and its smaller variants between 1600 & 2000 were only available in the T2b onwards. Early bays only had the 1600.
Spent many years rebuilding me father's UK supplied early bay. Genuinely cried when it left us.
Rest of the world calls the T25 the T3, Like Jay explains T and Type are not the same
I had a 2.0 split carb..went like the clappers... so did the fuel. sold it to a motorway policeman who let me off ;-)
@@Ford_TImelord the T & Type issue is essentially just confusion. All buses are type 2. The "T" designation only applies within the type 2 family, and actually stands for transporter, though is often used as an abbreviation for "Type X" for whatever reason. Hence this is a Type 2 T2b, with a Type 4 engine, that being the pancake engine. All previous models ran a Type 1 engine, as designed for the Type 1, and used in early Type 2 models until 1973-ish, when the type 4 lump came into use, alongside the introduction of Type 3 & 4 models.
The "T" designation is also sometimes used to describe specific models using their factory code, e.g. Type 166/165 are often referred to as T166/165, but this isn't how the factory used the designation. Ergo, a T3 doesn't exist, unless as an abbreviation. 👍
@@g.w.customcreations3534 As Matt Ellis has correctly explained. a T25 does not exist, unless you're in Britain. The rest of the world calls the 3rd generation of the Type 2 T3, just as the 2nd Genration was Type 2 T2 (T2a for the early bay windows (1967-1971), T2b for the later ones (1971-1979)). And the first front motor generation was Type 2 T4. Currently we're on T6 for the Transporter and T7 for the new Multivan.
@@Ford_TImelord I used to follow the VW clubs throughout the UK with out trade stand, and the info we got was, the FIRST Type 2 was the splitty, then came the bay windows, then the "Slabby" (for it's slab sided styling!) ....ALL 3 were "Type 2" vans! The T25 was the first of the larger vans, with similar slab sided looks.
As you said, the Type 3 and 4 were cars using 1600, 1800, and 2000cc flat fours, primarily for the US market. The "T" series vans continued with the T4, T5, and lately the T6. There was no further "Type" series vehicles after the US focused Type 4. The introduction of water cooled inline 4 cylinder cars, was heralded by the now legendary Golf, and it's little brother, the Polo. I wonder what happened to them?
Just drove from Rome, Italy, to London England (arrived today) in a VW T3 1983 Westfalia (1.6 D). It took 4 days and it was awesome, but man, the hills, hills become mountains.. Just ask lorry drivers behind me on the French border..
When are you going to review a production Emira?
I’m gutted you didn’t get on the board and catch a wave mate! Those vans will forever be awesome!!!
The Type 1 was the Beetle, the Type 2 the Commercial, including the campers, the Type 3 the 1.6 fastback/saloon/notchback/estate, the Type 4 the large 4 door saloon/estate
Amazing variety recently
PS; also interesting to see polish Dębica tyres yet again on your channel
Always a delight to see one of those old busses around on the streets. You can still occasionally spot a few of them on the road here in Germany during summer. Not as many as I remember seeing as a kid, but still. Ironically enough, those squealy brakes do bring back childhood memories for me when I used to see a lot more of these. Hope to see more classics like this on your channel in the future.
My 1978 Westfalia was Orange- couldn't afford a new engine when it died in 1991. Now I see them for sale upward of $30K!!!
No Transporter discussion is complete without reference to Yorkshireman Major Ivan Hirst who oversaw the Wolfsburg VW plant post WWII. He realised that a van built on Beetle mechanicals would assist greatly in the reconstruction of Germany. The Transporter was born. He also sorted out their quality control as he was an stickler of an engineer. There is a street in Wolfsburg named after him. Fascinating chap.
Great video probably, haven’t watched it as im so early
I miss my '77! That bus took us to Mexico, Guatemala and Canada. It never was very reliable but it always got us there and back! The gas guage only worked for half a tank and it would die whenever it felt like it.
Last month I requested a free gift of a Volkswagen bus and I did not receive an answer please answer if possible thank you.
These vans are something very different. I had a rather tatty one back in the eighties which was still a brilliant thing. You can't judge them by normal car standards though. The late sqaure bodied van was OK. The syncro (4x4) was brilliant though. You should give one a go in the mud, truly superb.
My Dad bought a 1978 T2 1600 Devon Caravette conversion. It was 3 years old and the same green two toned with white on the top half. Not a rocket ship but adequate without 67 mph top speed and 35 mpg on 2 star petrol. A joy to drive, comfortable and lovely sharp turn in when you lift off. The brakes were rubbish but unless you fell asleep you couldn't get into too much bother.
Thank you so much James for taking me back to 1984.
Iconic for certain Lad, buy one before the become the German E type.
T25's are great and have a massive following, you do talk some dribble.
We forget VW made 2 of the most instantly recognisable vehicles ever made the T2 & the Beetle , My parents used to borrow one off a family friend in the early 70's & I used to sit on a wooden box( full of tools) between the drivers seat & passenger seat, imagine doing that now ?, I've driven a T3 hated it & one of the worst vehicle's I've ever driven,
another Great Video James !!!,
This is comment that I was the same as sitting on the wooden box
Back in the late 90s my friend and I were going to a VW cruise event from London to Newquay, we were travelling from Scotland overnight. We both had Beetles which both let us down in the preceding week. Luckily another friend offered us his T2, same age and colour as this one (not a Westfalia though). It was fantastic, cruised down to the meeting point then effortlessly over to Cornwall. When we got there we were so glad we had it as if we’d had one or both of our bugs we would’ve needed to erect a tent, instead we just slept for a couple of hours before joining the big party. Great memories. We both still have Beetles but my friend also has a T3 but not a normal one, it’s a Karmann Gypsy, they are amazing!
I have welded and repaired and restored many Vanks Volkens T4 & 5. Rust buckets. with there lawn mower putt putt air cooled engines. I can not see why people hold them so high (the beach boys and surfers). I would rather go for the MK1 Transit Dormabile made in Folkestone Kent, far far better and lots more room inside. +++
I had one of those in that colour with the same seat trim. Also a westfalia but with the full kitchen inside. And yes, this is while I lived in California in the 80s. Absolutely loved it. Yes 2 litre but was strangled by the tuning to pass the smog tests. Still reasonably nippy though. Used it to commute and go on weekend trips.
1949 to 54 Barn Doors with 25hp motors, 16" wheels are mega expensive especially the 23 Window Sambas buses. 50mph is possible with reduction hubs.
In my eyes simply it's the best, more modern one's are for people who want to take their home on holiday.
We have a 77 baywindow, it was a us import, but someone swapped the engine to a 1.6
We've owned it for 7 years and it just keeps going. Its mot exempt, but i still get it done every year, and its passed 1st time every time, shes as solid as a rock, and the engine is sweet, 50 to 55 all day with no issues.
This is old fashioned driving, where the journey was part of the trip, driving this, you get to be part of the adventure, see whats around you. Its a drivers car, you have to read the road and get the gears right, and steer the thing. Modern day sports cars listed as drivers car are boring, because computer and sensors do everything, compensating your driving, this, you have to drive, its all you.
Life is fast these days, we dont have time to see it passing, when i drive this, i become detatched from the modren world, and start to see whats passing, and actually enjoy driving again
The T3 or Vanagon (for our yank friends) is a huge pull in the van life scene, they really do have their own following. this is esp true of the syncro
This may be a collector's item, but I would NEVER use it as a camper, it is obsolete, way underpowered. (I live in the US and was considering a camper). GOing 35 MPH on an interstate highway is qworse than watching paint dry. ALSO this pos is UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED compared with half-decent MODERN cars. SO, it's fine to COLLECT it, its' STUPID to drive it extensively as a CAMPER.
Thanks J, glad you enjoyed it, think they're already a classic! 🙏
My absolute favorite VW van. That's the one I remember from childhood. ✌🏻🇺🇸
JM is quite right about the CRAZY prices of campers, new or used. I'd choose a Mercedes with all the trimmings, luxurious interior etc, and it will fetch more than $100,000 EVEN USED (slightly). BAre bones campers like more modern and safe VWs than THIS POS are ALSO way more expensive for what miserable accomodations and lack of luxury they offer. MAybe it is a COVID thing, when everybody and their mother in law went to campers and away from mass transportation, hotels, organized vacation groups and the like.
IT'S CALLED A BUS !!!!!!!
The problem with VW camper vans is the price they command.
Wow! I had a '79 that looked exactly like that! Same color inside, outside, tent canvas, EXACTLY! It had the gasoline heater so it had instant heat. I loved that bus and did a ton of camping in it. And yes, I wish I still had it! Wasn't much fun going over mountain passes, but other than that, it was awesome. With a Porsche engine in it, I would totally have one again.
You know nothing about these campers? You don't need to, they were junk from about the 2070s, over-rated, smelly, 22 mpg, screaming at 60 mph, and ALL of them have been welded to death. They are like old wooden boats - a hole (in the water, or air in this case) into which you pour money. They are no fun to drive, ride like a boat, and burn a hole in your pocket. Just saying.
Awesome review. We had a 1968 VW bus growing up and I had great memories in it.
The epitomy of something built-up out of all proportion, old, slow and generally inefficient. It's like any classic vehicle, good to look at but the craze has overruled the reasoning of why these things have been replaced. Indeed the later, more modern variants are resultantly way overpriced for what they really are. Still that's human nature I suppose, but it ain't gonna turn you into a surfer....I don't like camping anyway though, so I guess I'm bias.
James in a normal shirt !!!
I trust you pleaded not guilty😇
I was taken to see star wars in 1977 as a 12 year old with a friends family in a mini bus one of these.
Youre driving a beautiful classic. Im trying to buy one , a Westfalia if possible, like the one i owned back in the late seventies. Anyone out there got a good one for sale at a reasonable price for a pensioner?
Weird Type 4 Estate Car? How DARE you, sir! My favourite! Rest of film is good.
my mom got me as a gift a 1978 transporter automatic transmission fuel injected flat 4 engine it has a porche 911 engine color beige i had it for 7 yrs now and i love driving it
Ive watch 10 seconds & the intro alone has made me smile keep up the good work.
Ooow, no, not for me but I understand each to their own. Not something I would expect on your channel though.
I thumbs upped to a fello cayenne owner today he shook his head at me then I saw in the rear view he had the V6 model 🤣🤷♂️🙈
Saying he's a lovely man doesn't sound right. Why not say he's a nice man??????????????????????????????????????
The one time you needed to wear your most craziest shirt you don't wear one 😊
In Australia that colour was known as "Martini Olive".
Actually looking to buy one now before they hit t1 prices
I love these old things. But finances do not allow me to indulge.
Hopefully you are now deemed more trustworthy :)
Those noisy brake's would drive me mad
A good sailboat has a bit of "weather helm" for stability. The bus I had at my disposal for a time ca: 1980 had extreme lee helm, such that I had to hold the wheel by the spokes near the hub so I could react quickly to cross winds. A capsize seemed all too likely in a stiff breeze.
Bliss 🙂
My wife has a Japanese knock off….. Mazda Bongo Friendee free top (no really 🥳) which are all private imports, not rare, but hers is, as it’s 2.5TD 2WD manual…… effectively a Mazda pick up running gear. (AKA Ford Freda)
I had a pair of Bay Window camper projects 25 years ago, which I more or less gave away, just before the value went into orbit (lucky me 😥).
I recovered one a while ago, 1970’s bay window, with a huge radiator faired into the front, so I suspected a later Golf power swap, only to find it had a carburettor 3.5 Rover V8……. I fear the owner was insane. The last Mexican ones had a water cooled rear engine and used a dummy spare wheel cover on the front to hide a radiator…. Neat !! I’ll wager they pull a whole lot better……..
I was always told that the Type 2 started life as a factory project to provide a cab forward utility truck for use in the factory, using (as you say) the Type 1 floor pan and running gear…… it then evolved into the iconic bus/combi/camper.
Digressing, there used to be a late Beetle 1303(?) in Brentwood Essex, custom painted with Carlos Fandango wheels and “ThunderBug” written on the screen…… sporting a Porsche flat six……😳💥 which routinely ripped off its “boom tube” exhaust, leaving traffic lights on its back wheels……
Here's a tip: My 1967 splitscreen bus was tweaked from 44bhp to 120bhp (2110cc with mild cam and twin 36mm carbs) and not only did it wipe the floor with modern vans (Transits, Trafics) but the fuel economy was WAY better than when it was stock as it didn't have to work so hard. I later sold the engine and went back to a standard 50bhp 1600cc and yep, my fuel economy was immediately 25% worse. I'd never run a stock engine again, even a mild tune makes a major difference to one of these things.
🙏🙏
Can anyone explain the German obsession with Scotland and Tartan? Queen Victoria and Prince Albert loved to summer at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, This Type 2 wears Tartan upholstery, as does the Golf GTI...
Jay - some of us learned to drive in one of these - in my case with a 1600cc engine and if anyone reading this had this experience they will know what I mean. They way they drive is wonderful and I even still have a 1988 Caravelle (yes one of the ones you don't like) with a 2100cc engine to play with and remind me of those happy days!🤣
These things have been selling for increasingly silly sums of money for decades. I understand the appeal of campers in general but these I haven't got a clue? Maybe it is all down to the VW campers links to the hippie and surfing trends as otherwise these are far too slow, poor handling, noisy and inefficient in every possible way when compared to a more modern equivalent. One thing I do understand is the Beetle/Camper following as back in the early 90s (just after passing our driving tests) I had several friends with Beetles. We went to Bug Jam and other weekend long shows which were great fun (especially, as a non VW lover, as The Prodigy played live several times) The camaraderie was amazing and I loved the way other VW drivers would flash their lights or (if they were our generation) give the 'hang loose/no worries' type hand sign to each other. I think the early to mid 90s had to be the peak of the VW craze as I went to later weekender events in the early 2000s and the turnouts were considerably smaller than before. So I understand buying to be part of the movement but you'll make a lot of sacrifices (comfort, safety, any kind of remotely modern performance, poor Camper practicalities) If forced into air cooled VW ownership I'd say the Beetle is the considerably more appealing proposition.
Kombi down under:
ruclips.net/video/XfR9iY5y94s/видео.html
In 1977, I owned a '66 Microbus Westy. My girlfriend at the time & I took 3 months to drive from Ohio to Washington State. Many adventures & wonderous places...
We had a bay in around 1995 -1998... Memory is not my strongest point from that era. So many tales were created in those years. I'll admit I bought a shed. An oxide shed. The sills were apparently made from papier-mache and chicken wire. So those were replaced. The front axle was held together with holes and, yes, more oxide. So I found a replacement item from Spain and replaced it in my In-Laws garden. I also had to source a rebuilt engine and plugged it in, again using the aforementioned garden. The highlight of ownership was pulling up at a petrol station after the thing was stuttering and banging. Stuck the nozzle into the petrol filler, squeezed the pump handle, and wondered why there was a splashing noise... Long story, short... the tank had vacuumed and popped off the rubber connector. Petrol all over the forecourt.
Which led to me meeting the Buzzcocks drummer in Manchester.
Also, your knees are the crumple zone... Ahh, happy daze.
Can I buy the Volkswagen
I love it, it is gorgeous.
My parents had a green and white camper from that period. It had 2 bench seats facing each other in the back. As teenagers my brother and sisters would sit in the back playing card games and Monopoly as we drove through France on holiday.
After learning to drive in the van my dad let me drive it. The gearbox felt like stirring a pudding when trying to find the gears. The 1.6 engine lacked poke, the Brakes were fairly marginal and the heating was hopeless. But it had so much character.
My dad swapped it for a T3 and later a T4. Loved the 5 cylinder diesel in the T4. The T3 not so much. It was a complete rot box.
Slept over the front seat s in the hammock as a 6-7 year old. Traveled all across the USA in one in 1972. Great memories. I'd go with a more modern camper van if I was in the market. But the VW Campers are great.
The running costs are not "cool" 20mpg and regular maintenance as in engine rebuilds 😂.. but absolutely love them so fun to drive.
Classic air-cooled VWs of any decade have only increased in value. The Microbus/campers especially.
I talked my parents into buying an early 1.6l '70s fixed roof T2 camper and they spent many happy years driving it around Europe. Later vans are fine but I loved the fact that in the T2 (& T2.5/T3) you sit almost forward of the front axle line with your nose about 6 inches (feels like) behind the very front of the bus, with a panoramic forward view. The engine is not powerful but my father drove his to southern Spain with a zodiac inflatable and outboard motor inside while towing a small caravan.... Second gear was essential up hills on Spanish motorways.
I like the T5 n T6 ^^
Taiga green is the color name.
I love an old bus but the T3 is starting to come into its own and has it's own charm (on and it's famous now thanks to Stranger Things). I have an '87 Westy with a Subaru 2.2 conversion so it has enough power to use on the freeway (Motorway) or to go up a mountain :-) I'd offer for you to review mine but I live in Seattle so it's a bit of a trek, but if you ever made it here you could do a back to back with my '79 MGB 🙂
You can’t have too many exhausts.
I had a 1987 Vanagon GL for 8 years. Believe me, it was a big improvement over the T1 1960 cargo van that I spent some time in the late 60s. I have to say thought, we painted that whole van with action comic book characters from the time, with Thor flying head on at you in the front. Needless to say, we were always a target of the cops .
I think that the T3 Vanagon was the best driving version overall, and that it's far superior to its predecessors in so many ways. Also, I really liked its look. I used it for windsurfing, and covered over 130,000 miles in it from Hood River, OR to mid Baja, Mexico many times.
It should be noted that Vanagon has its cult following in California, and prices for them has been growing significantly over time. The 4 wheel drive Westfalia versions are at the top in desirability, and they can command a princely sum.
Did my first engine rebuild when I was 15 on a 1600cc one of these. Didn’t have a licence so wasn’t allowed to run it in :(
Campers with sliding doors waste all the space where a kitchen can go in the hinged door version. Also an opening windscreen can be useful when it's very hot.
Du solltest echt häufiger nach Deutschland fahren. :)
A friend had one in the early 90s. He decided to sell it, and parked it near a roundabout. A guy arranges to see it early on a Sunday morning. My friend was slightly annoyed when he said ‘oh no. I don’t want to buy. I just wanted to look’. Then an album shows it being lifted onto ships, as it travelled round the world. It was at this point my friend discovered from odometer photos, it had done 100,000 more miles than he was led to believe 😂
I own a '74 Type 2 VW Westy in Vancouver, Canada. Cheers!
You are a good presenter.
Where's your 8Track player