Celebrate properly - but when?
First of all, the question of what is to be celebrated should probably be allowed: The 50th birthday for sure, the 70th - too? Or should it be the 75th? What about 40 years, or 60? And just as important: what should be celebrated? The birth of an idea, the world premiere or even the start of production? Of course, we are talking about automobile anniversaries or, in this case, the birthday of the VW Bulli.
VW Transporter Type 2, prototype of the 1949 panel van with just one windshield wiper and vertical cooling air vents
It was put into production on March 8, 1950, which means that since that date, a VW Transporter has always rolled out of a corresponding factory somewhere in the world. Or was there a time when this was not the case? During the factory vacations, for example? Insiders might be able to help us out here. But item: It is probably an honest birthday that is being celebrated because of the start of production. It is probably also the most fitting of all the possibilities, as the world stage is rarely open to a commercial vehicle at its premiere - as is the case with passenger cars or even sports cars. One might remember the DS in Paris in 1955 or the Jaguar E in Geneva in 1961.
However, Volkswagen could have celebrated its Transporter for the masses last year, as 2024, November 12, marked the 75th anniversary of the Volkswagen Type 2's presentation to the press. It can be assumed that many of those present at the time were not really aware of the significance of the event.
However, the creation of the VW Bus sketch by Ben Pon, the world's first VW importer from Holland, who had just been born in 1947 and had given the British military administration the suggestion to build a VW commercial vehicle in April of the same year, would have been a fitting moment.
A national treasure: Ben Pon's sketch for a VW Transporter to the British military administration of the VW plant from 1947 is now stored in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam NL
Whether all those VW Bus enthusiasts who will come together at the Salzburgring from May 15 to 18 for the "75 Years of the VW Bus" anniversary meeting to celebrate "their" bus is an open question. After all, this community can celebrate just as well - 75 years or not!
The last VW Bulli Festival in Hanover in 2023 - Swiss delegation. This should actually have taken place in 2020 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Type 2 on Fehmarn and was canceled for known reasons.
