Automotive Journal

The Type 2 VW Camper Van has become a classic design. The split screen and rounded shape with the sweeping V front and huge badge is highly endearing – and enduring. The bay window camper, made from 1967 was also very popular. We all seem to like the rounded shape and nostalgic lifestyle of the original VW Campers.

The campervan symbolises the freedom of the open road, travel to faraway places, surfing, sunshine and happy, carefree times.

Humble Origins
The VW Camper had very humble beginnings. The idea was based on little flatbed trucks based on the Beetle chassis, used to move parts round VW’s factory. On a visit to the factory in 1947, Ben Pon, a Dutch VW importer, saw the little trucks. The sketch which resulted was a Beetle based box van.

The inspiration led to the design of the VW van, which was first rolled out in 1950. The VW bus was next, and fitting it with bunks and storage was a logial next step. The VW camper was born.

The 1950’s were a period of reconstruction in Europe, so a cheap camper van made huge sense for families wanting to take touring holidays. The VW camper took off due to its tiny fittings and furnishings that epitomise the 50’s home from home. Before the era of cheap charter flights and package holidays, the VW camper enabled families to take economical camping and touring holidays.

Opening the barn doors let the outside in, and the small-scale fiitings made th best use of space. Hinged and pop-up roof were introduced later and the side and rear opening roofs became popular on the bay window campers.
Fitting out of the VW Camper was subcontracted to Westfalia, a coach building company located in the German town of the same name. The internal alayouts were quite varied. An innovative ‘Tourist Delivery Scheme’ encouraged people to collect their campers from Germany, helped spread VW campers. US servicemen stationed in Germany shipped many back to the US, which accelerated their popularity. Dealers round the world were soon selling the VW camper.

The first model was highly successful
The splittie had opening windshields and V-shaped panel moulding. These buses were 170 cubic feet (about 4.8 cubic meters) in volume and were spacious enough to hold a 15-hand horse.

The bus had the engine and axles of the Beetle but had a unitary construction supported by a ladder frame instead of the central frame platform. The engine was small – only 1100cc, but later it was increased to 36hp; still tiny by modern standards. So it was rather slow.

The rock n’ roll bed was a ore part of the configuration, with a number of different seat arrangments and fold- out elements. Plywood panels were used to line the inside and there were wooden storage cabinets in different layouts.

Some models had a sink and there was water storage with a pump plus an electrical hook-up. Screened windows, plus curtains and a table came as standard.

Optional equipment for type 11 VW campers included pop up tops and attachable or stand-alone tents and side awnings. Mod cons available included a portable chemical toilet, a camping stove and other camping equipment, but by today’s standards they were very basic.
There were also ingenious options for a child’s sleeping cot slung in the driver’s cab plus a range of storage boxes and a swing table. The headroom and space overall is tiny compared to modern RVs.

In the 1960’s, the VW bus was adopted by the hippy counter-culture as by then the older models were available cheaply, and both the VW camper and the samba bus suited the carefree outdoor hippy lifestyle. It is this association which seems to have ensured the enduring popularity of the type 2 VW camper van.

VW Campers Now
50 years on, VW campers and buses enjoy a large following and command high prices among classic car enthusiasts. There’s a great sense of community with large VW campervan events held around the world where owners and enthusiasts gather to share the VW camper lifestyle for a day or two, show off their Campers and admire beautifully restored examples with lowered suspension, tinted windscreens, V8 engines and groovy paint jobs.

It’s a long way from Ben Pon’s basic box van idea of more than 60 years ago.

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