The popularity of the VW Transporter, in particular the early Split Screen models, continues to grow and it has become a cult icon. This publication brings together, for the first time, the complete history of the Split Screen Transporter from 1950 - 1967. Topics covered include: Transporter history; Explanation of every vehicle code; Transporter production details; Month-by-month specification changes; Full listing of factory-fitted optional equipment; Comprehensive guide to paint and trim colors; Details of Transporter export and Transporters built outside Germany; and Information on Special Models. Bus enthusiasts world-wide have shared their knowledge in the compilation of this unique publication, which has taken five years to collate.
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.
This comprehensive guide is the first one to tell the whole story of the Volkswagen Bay-Window Transporter, produced from 1967 - 1979. This new paperback edition deals with the Transporter's development, its technical evolution, the model codes, the specification detail changes, the factory fitted M-codes and Transporter export.Using this book, Bus enthusiasts can crack the codes of their own specific vehicle, to find out the factory-fitted specifications like paint and trim colours, engine and transmission types, and even the date of manufacture, model and destination code.The first guide to tell the whole story of the VW Bay-Window Transporter. The photographs took over three years to collect from Volkswagen archives resulting in an invaluable source of crucial information for restoration. Superbly illustrated with 470 colour photographs. Vincent Molenaar and Alexander Prinz are keen experts on Bay-Window buses.
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.
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.
Since its introduction in 1950 the Volkswagen Transporter has become legendary for its versality and adaptability to many commercial uses. Known originally as Sonderausfhrungen, abbreviated to SO, these Special Models were usually converted by specialists, companies and coachbuilders approved by VW. Using archive, promotional materials and period and contemporary photographs, this book traces the development and variety of these SO and other Special Body conversions from 1950 - 2010, across the five generations from T1 to T5.
This is the story of VW's timeless classic, the Type 2 Transporter, universally known as the "Bus". It is sixty years since the idea of VW's Transporter was conceived by Dutchman Ben Pon after seeing motorized trollies conveying components around the British-managed Wolfsburg factory in the mid-1940s. With blueprints complete by November 1948, the "Bulli" as it was known in Germany went into production a year later. The 100,000th Transporter was built in October 1954, the millionth in 1961 and the 3 millionth in 1971, the total number of vehicles exceeding 6.5 million. The Transporter changed little in concept throughout decades of production, and remained in production in Brazil until very recently, nearly six decades after its postwar German debut. Researched in incredible detail, this book explores the story of the VW bus, from early origins through to the present day. This entirely new edition includes details of many of the different camper conversions, and examines the social history and the T2's evolution. Including full specifications, production figures and buying advice, this totally reworked classic is an interesting, highly informative read and a must for any VW enthusiast.
