A comprehensive guide to original factory specification and equipment of VW Split-screen and Bay-window transporters. 265 photographs of 25 vehicles from Germany, the UK and the USA illustrate not only the people carriers but the many variations panel van, pick-up truck, double-cab pick-up and highroof panel van.
The Volkswagen Transporter is one of the best-loved and most recognisable motor vehicles of all time. The preferred transport for surfers and hippies everywhere, the Volkswagen Type 2 'bus' was born in 1950, and became the first of a new breed of vehicle, the ancestor of today's people carrier. Available in various versions, including panel van, pick up and minibus, Transporters were often converted into campervans for a newly motorised class of holidaymaker. This book looks at the development, production and use of the class first, and second, generation Transporter. With archive illustrations including many colour photographs from old brochures this book is also a great evocation of the 1950s and 60s.
See the entire chronology of air-cooled Volkswagens in The Complete Book of Classic Volkswagens, a beautifully illustrated overview of one of the oldest and best-known foreign car brands in America.
This illustrated history celebrates the 75th and 70th anniversaries of Volkswagen's two most iconic vehicles, from the first Beetles spearheaded by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1940s to the buses that became synonymous with a generation. Volkswagen is one of the most beloved brands in motoring history, thanks largely to two instantly recognizable vehicles: the Beetle (a.k.a. Bug) and the Bus. More than 23 million VW Beetles have buzzed into the world since 1945, while the VW Bus presaged the minivan by thirty-plus years. Volkswagen: Beetles and Buses examines and celebrates all aspects of the vehicles and the many cultural associations that have swirled around them for more than seven decades. The diminutive rear-engined and easily mass-produced Beetle became the most popular imported car in America during the 1960s. Its success was due to its familiar face, its wildly clever ad campaigns, and the sheer numbers produced. The equally compact yet spacious Bus (a.k.a. Kombi, Microbus, Type 2, Transporter, and simply “van”) has won millions of fans around the world with its practicality, simplicity, and design. In this beautifully illustrated and authoritatively written celebration, author Russell Hayes looks back at the vehicles while focusing on the classic air-cooled VWs that ran into the late 1970s. Along the way, readers witness the Beetle and Bus at work and at play and learn about vehicle development and growing roles in popular culture, including star appearances in films like The Love Bug, Little Miss Sunshine, Footloose, Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as well as television shows like Lost and Once Upon a Time and on the covers of the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ album. The story is brought up to date with coverage of the New Beetle and plans for the VW Buzz, a modern electric version of the iconic Microbus due in 2022. Volkswagen: Beetles and Buses deserves a place in the motoring libraries of VW owners, automotive enthusiasts, and those simply interested in pop culture. It's the ultimate illustrated history of these beloved vehicles.
Patina Volkswagens is the first book to look at how and why Volkswagens with original paint and patina have become so popular. The book explores the many different facets of this trending hobby, from the cars themselves, to the owners and the global scene surrounding them.
Learn how to rebuild a Volkswagen air-cooled engine! This guide will teach the reader how to troubleshoot, remove, tear down, inspect, assemble, and install Bug, Bus, Karmann Ghia, Thing, Type-3, Type-4, and Porsche 914 engines. All models from 1961 on up are included.
The original design was inspired by the flatbed vehicles used in the Wolfsburg factory. After initial problems with the cars were solved production of the Kombi and Panel Van began in 1950. Official variations began in the early 1950's and the Type 2 came in almost any shape a buyer wanted. To keep up with demand a new factory was opened in Hanover in 1956 and the millionth type 2 was produced in 1962. By the end of production in 1967 nearly 2 million had been built. This volume deals specifically with VW's Microbus, pick-up, Kombi, Transporter and Landmark models, and includes contemporary road and comparison tests, technical and specification data, touring, variations.
Visit any VW show and what do you find? Correct - wall-to-wall Campers. Interest in the numerous conversions offered over the years spirals ever-upwards as do asking prices for even the most dilapidated examples of the first three generations and 40-years of VW Bus conversions. But are there books to match? No - not, that is, until VW Bus - 40 years of Splitties, Bays & Wedges was conceived. As a direct consequence of the lack of print available, author Richard Copping has collected a wealth of contemporary brochures from all the leading converters, knitted them together and produced a unique and vibrant story of the VW Camper from the first and often rustic conversions of the 1950s to the sophisticated homes on wheels of the late 1980s. Stripping out the original text, Richard has carefully replaced it with his own lively yet informative story - while carefully retaining both the popular look and nostalgic feel of the age. From the untangling of the many stories that contributed to VW Camper history to a restorer‘s dream of detailed specifications and from the quirkiest of marketing strategies amazingly and endearingly primitive in the 1950s to suavely sophisticated in the latter days, if the word Camper is in it, it's covered. The meticulous reproduction of advertising brochures, many of which can easily be the best part of 50-years old, make this a hard to put down coffee table volume for some - a book with very much in vogue nostalgic visual appeal. For others, the lure of a lively and informative story peppered with carefully detailed pictures will ensure the book is a useful reference to visit over and over again. This extensive collection of rarely seen advertising material provides a unique background to a much-needed book, designed to delight the multitude of VW Camper fans far and wide.
VW Bus: Camper, Bus, Van, Pick-up & Wagon Malcolm BobbittThe full and fascinating story of the Volkswagen Bus from the earliest split-screen types through the bay window models to the later generation vehicles. Filled with development history, technical appraisal, variants, customized buses, production figures and specs, plus a listing of clubs and specialists. Hdbd., 8x 9 3/4, 16 pgs., 143 b&w ill., 27 color.