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VW Type 2 T1 - Bulli - versatile commercial vehicle flying high

Name: VW Bus 1965
Brand: VW

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Created on January 23, 2019

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge / Werk

VW Nutzfahrzeuge Presse

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Bonhams

Volkswagen

Nathan Leach-Proffer - Courtesy RM Auctions

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge / Werk

VW Nutzfahrzeuge Presse

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Bonhams

Volkswagen

Nathan Leach-Proffer - Courtesy RM Auctions

Archiv

69 1

VW Type 2 T1 Transporter (1966) - space for eight to nine people

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VW Type 2 T1 Transporter (1966) - completely restored

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VW Type 2 T1 Transporter (1966) - the round front was formed in the wind tunnel

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VW Type 2 T1 Transporter (1966) - leaves the site with a hoarse boxer sound

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VW Type 2 T1 Transporter (1966) - two-tone

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VW Type 2 T1 Transporter (1966) - it doesn't really feel like a commercial vehicle

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VW Type 2 T1 flatbed truck (1965) - the simple transport solution for racing car owners

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - the length of the loading area is not quite long enough for a Formula Vee racing car

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VW Type 2 T1 flatbed truck (1965) - ready for the trip to the racetrack

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - all three side planks can be folded down

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - the "flatbed" was the cheapest entry into the Type 2 world

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VW Type 2 T1 flatbed truck (1965) - off to the racetrack

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - runs at over 90 km/h even with a load

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VW Type 2 T1 flatbed truck (1965) - a much more comfortable way to transport the racing car than with a trailer

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VW Type 2 T1 Platform Truck (1965) - Driving into the evening sun

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - gliding instead of braking

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - space for three in the cab

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VW Type 2 T1 platform van (1965) - sober interior

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - flat-bottomed steering wheel

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VW Type 2 T1 flatbed truck (1965) - a speedometer as an instrument must suffice

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - who needs a rev counter ... or a fuel gauge?

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - Pedals and long gearshift

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - flat windshields, separated by a center bar

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - View into the engine compartment

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VW Type 2 T1 platform truck (1965) - the crane was custom-made

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VW Plattenwagen (1948) - it all started with the Plattenwagen; Ben Pon designed the first VW Bus on its basis.

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Instead of the central tubular frame, the bus has a self-supporting body that sits on a ladder frame. The engine has a displacement of 1131 cc and delivers 18 kW at 3300 rpm. The bus carries up to eight passengers.

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VW Transporter Type 2 T1 (1950) - Transporter construction in its early days, initially ten bodies were built a day in Wolfsburg

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By the end of 1950, 8001 vans had already been built. Demand is huge, especially as it is affordable for tradesmen and dealers with prices starting at 5,850 Deutschmarks.

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1950 - Insight into the van body shop in Wolfsburg

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VW Transporter Type 29 T1 (1949) - panel van prototype

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VW Transporter Type 2 T1 (1956) - The first Transporters roll off the production line in Hanover on March 8, 1956

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VW Transporter Type 2 T1 (1954) - Binz built a crew cab from 1953 to 1957

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The 100,000th Transporter rolls off the production line in Wolfsburg on October 9, 1954

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VW Transporter Type 2 T1 (1958) - The backrest of the outer middle seat can be folded to make it easier to access the third row of seats

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VW T1 Bus (1962) - the nine-seater is a special model with 21 windows, also known as the Samba

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VW T1 Bus Samba (1963) - special model with 21 windows

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VW 1200 (1960) - The Beetle next to the VW Bus, both with sunroof

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VW Type 2 T1 (1963) - with practical doors for the passengers

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VW Type 2 T1 (1963) - Volkswagen do Brasil, six-door shared cab

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VW Transporter Type 2 T2b (1972) - as a flatbed

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VW Type 2 T1 (1952) - Advertising - Offer Switzerland

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VW Type 2 T1 (1953) - Advertising - available at short notice

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VW Type 2 T1 (1954) - Advertising - the offer

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VW Type 2 T1 (1962) - Advertising - 1 million built

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VW T1 (1954) - VW bus of the first generation at the Techno Classica 2014

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VW T1 "Bulli" (1955) - Samba bus at the Rallye Historique of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2014

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VW T1 "Bulli" (1955) - VW bus at the Rallye Historique of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2014

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VW Bus T1 Camper (1962) - behind it a Samba - at the Rallye Historique of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2014

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VW Bus T1 Samba (1963) - at the Rallye Historique of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2014

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VW Bus T1 "Lufthansa" (1965) - at the Rallye Historique of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2014

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VW Bus T1 Samba (1966) - at the Rallye Historique of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2014

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VW Bus 21-Window Deluxe Micro Bus (1966) - as lot 259 at the RM Auction in Monterey on August 15/16, 2014

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Volkswagen VW Bus T1 (1965) - at the Rallye Historique on the occasion of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2015

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VW Bus Type 2 T1 (1964) - at the Rallye Historique Schloss Bensberg Classics 2016

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VW Bus T1 - in style with surfboard and caravan in matching livery - on the OSMT train on August 7, 2016

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VW Type 2 Samba 21 Window Bus (1966) - as lot 006 at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction on August 24, 2018

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VW Deluxe 21-Window Microbus (1966) - as lot 272 at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Monterey on August 24/25, 2018

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VW Bus (1962) - Samba bus always arouses enthusiasm, even among the little passengers - Oldtimer Sunday Morning Zug on August 5, 2018

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VW bus (1964) - with matching trailer and load, all hatches open - Vintage Sunday Morning train on August 5, 2018

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VW Type 2 Microbus Deluxe (1963) - offered as lot 065 at the Bonhams Scottsdale auction on January 17, 2019

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Summary

If the Volkswagen people in 1947 had suspected what a hit their Dutch importer Ben Pon was proposing to build, they would probably have hurried a little more with the development of the VW Transporter. But it was already on sale in 1950 and became a successful model, without which even the German economic miracle might have looked different. And by the end of the 1960s at the latest, the VW Type 2 T1 had become a cult model, which today is the only commercial vehicle that regularly makes it to the biggest classic car auctions. This driving report tells the story of the first "Bulli" and shows it in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

From the sketch to the road
Wind tunnel tested
(Almost) a passenger car
Limited long-distance capability
Model diversity
Evolution
Successful model
Behind the wheel
One is followed by two
Further information

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It took a Dutchman to bring the Bulli to life. And the VW Transporter was not initially allowed to be called a Bulli. The first drawings were created in 1947. On August 8, 1947, Ben Pon became the Volkswagen importer for the Netherlands. In the first year, he imported around 50 VW Beetles. But he was convinced that, in addition to the Volkswagen passenger car, there was also a demand for a light commercial vehicle. At the factory in Wolfsburg, he saw a platform truck that had been built on the assembly line from Beetle parts. However, he could not imagine a front loader for Dutch craftsmen and so he drew a panel van with a large transport volume and Beetle chassis and presented it to the British directors at the post-war VW plant.

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