The VW Bus Westfalia Camper long ago became iconic, but it started out somewhat differently and evolved over the years. I ran across this 1955 Popular Mechanics , which suggests that the Westfalia kit was pretty new that year, although the original “Camper Box” was first available in Germany in 1951.
Here’s the reprint of that article, and a 1955 Westfalia brochure.
The picture in the lower left corner threw me, until I read the caption.
The original Westfalia gear was a removable “Camping Box” which stowed all the beds and other gear, so that it could be removed again. This was particularly logical for Germany, as VW Transporters/Kombis were almost always used for commercial use. The Camping box allowed a fairly quick conversion.
This 1955 Westfalia brochure cover both the original “Standard” Camping Box as well as a new and different “Export” conversion, which was essentially a full-time conversion, and clearly targeted to the US, where folks were much more likely to be able to afford a recreational vehicle like this.
The Export is what evolved into the common Westfalia conversions in years to come.
Fascinating to see all this, Paul–a nice follow-up to the ambulance a couple days ago. It’s all spartan, but sure looks well thought out.
No campers here, but a VW dealership in Montgomery, AL, late 1950s to very early 1960s. Lots and lots of vans in these photos: https://digital.archives.alabama.gov/digital/collection/photo/search/searchterm/volkswagen
Somewhere in my piles of old Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated I’ve got this very issue. The bookish reclining oldster always amuses me.
“Again with the fish! I’m reading Collette!”
You wouldn’t think old Splits would be so nimble off road, but they really are goats.
They certainly were, especially with that gear reduction axle which increased ground clearance in addition to providing low-speed grunt. My ’71 Westy of course had conventional four-joint IRS but it too did pretty well offroad too.
Pic: CC, 2018
Bays do just fine offroad.
What reactions do you get with that old U-boat mascot painted on the side?
Personally I like it but only in the ironic sense.
Actually, you are the first to enquire! I painted it on there purely out of irony, partly out of the absurdity of a submarine excursion vehicle [and also as a big Das Boot fan], but irony’s in short supply these days so may change it to something else. Like this ice company layout.
Camper has no beetle engine. Only Camper and VW Thing share many parts. Beetle is something else.
Trivia:
It was the Americans (Westmoreland factory) who wanted to put their Superbeetle engine into the bus. But then came the Jetta and the project was stopped.
VW did not fit a different engine in the Type 2 until 1963, when an optional 1500cc unit became available, at least for export. Before that it was the same 1200cc engine as the Type 1.
Actually, the 1959 bus engine was significantly different, and is referred to as the “bastard” engine. Its heads had a different combustion chamber, and they changed the crank bearing thrust to #1, which turned out to be a huge mistake, as they all blew up very soon. They had to all be recalled and machined differently to take thrust on journal #2. And then there were other revisions, called “Bastard #2” and “Bastard #3”. The were transitional engines, and led to the definitive 40hp engine in the summer of 1960. It was still rated nominally at 36hp, but was undoubtedly somewhat more powerful, closer to 40.
Lots of details here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=187275&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Interesting. The ’59 bus I drove over the grapevine did not have the original engine. I know it was a standard 36hp because I had it apart.
Many of those “bastard” engines (I think “38 hp” would be a better term) did not survive, as buses had a tendency to eat up their engines a bit quicker than Beetles. What year did you have it?
I was generally aware of the fiasco with the initial ’59 bus engine, but it wasn’t until I found that thread at thesamba.com that I learned all the details. It was a rare misstep for VW, having to recall every one of that initial series of bus engines and re-machine the blocks and rebuild the engines.
I suspect that folks in the 60s were more likely to just toss a worn out “bastard” engine and replace it with a regular 36 or 40 hp motor when the need arose, as parts were a bit easier to come by.
We had that bus around ’72-’74.
US Type 2s had 1700cc Type 4 engines starting in ’72, years before VW’s Westmoreland factory went operational.
They really, really needed the T4 engine. Bay Window Buses are so much heavier than Splits.
1967 Transporter weight: 2470 lbs
1968 Transporter weight: 2540 lbs
They’re largely the same vehicle, except for a bit of remodeling.
I think they got a bit heavier in ’73 in order to meet front impact protection standards. The Samba has a good picture of the added steel:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=103567
The Bay Bus weighs 3300 lbs in Westfalia configuration and all models (bus, pickup, camper, etc) can weigh up to 5000 lbs gross vehicle weight.
A friend w/ a Bay had occasion to weigh his Westy, it was over 4000 lbs.
I had my Split weighed as a condition of obtaining a title, and it came in at 2600 lbs.
I dragged a ’70 Bay into the back yard a few weeks ago, it’s a Westy, but may let it go because it’s just too heavy for me to build what I’d consider a sufficiently powerful engine to shove it along.
You’re missing the point: Of course depending on how they were loaded up with equipment, the weights would vary significantly. The Westfalia weighed quite a bit more than a bare Transporter, regardless of whether it was a splitty or bay window.
My point is the basic vehicle (Transporter) gained very little from the transition from Splitty to Bay Window. They are not “so much heavier” in their basic form.
My first exposure to the Westy was a buddy who had a ’70 camper. The interior bore a pretty good similarity to the featured one here, complete with the plaid. To me, that van represented rolling teenage freedom, and we had some great times in it.
Even my ’81 shares a lot of core similarities to the original campers. The Germans just kept getting better and better at space utilization.
Some people like fast or flashy cars, but these are a much better fit for my taste. Nothing beats a slow cruise to the beach in one of these, where you can pop the top and lounge around all day long.
Perhaps an interesting comparison with the Westfalia, this ‘Devon’ conversion was available for £930 in 1958, equivalent to $2577 at that time.
‘Motor’ noted it’s convenient, compact size
I like how PopMech is excited about the prospect of 15,000 Volkswagens being sold in the U.S. in a single year – just five years later VW would sell over ten times that many!
though the performance was ‘leisurely’. Given this is 1950s Britain, that must equate to slow.
“there must be a comsiderable future for the motor caravan”
Apparently Picture #4 was how the Germans thought Americans looked and acted when we went camping…
And a top speed of 50? That was a recipe for road rage years ago, much less now.
The Interstate Highway System didn’t yet exist when this article was published. Where do you imagine the road was in 1955 where anyone was driving much faster than 50 and traffic density made it impossible to go around a slower driver?
The funny thing was that even when VW buses were pooping along in the first lane on the interstate highways at 45 or 50, people would just roll their eyes and pass because they knew that they were going as fast as they could.
Before the Interstates standardized highway travel there were many places in the US where you could easily exceed 50-55 especially in the west. Many states had extensive state highway systems. What made things bad was highways were 2 or 4 lanes and undivided. Cars and large trucks and even farm traffic shared these roads A slow vehicle had plenty of potential to back up traffic. You just had to bear it until the slow vehicle found a place to pull over.
Mean while over on the oveside of the pond, the first highway, the M1 was being built and didn’t open to the end of the decade. Most UK cars were prewar and” cruised” at 40mph and got 20ish miles to the gallon, if you were lucky. Dad used to cycle from Streatham to Brighton, some 50miles and over took traffic!
Cars overheated driving flat out on the limit free M1 highway. Transport Minister Barbra Castle introduced the “Tempory ” limit of 70mph after press reports of AC testing their LeMans contender at 170mph ,it was at 5 am!. The limits still with us to day. It’s slow but most family cars cruised at 55-60mph due to low gearing. Cruise at its top speed of 60 mph all day and get 30mpg ,like the Beatle .Just a dream…
Yep, the 36hp engine and 6.2:1 final drive topped out at 50, on level ground. It was fun driving one over the “Grapevine” in California in the truck lane and most of the big rigs were passing us. Oh, the claimed 30mpg was for Imperial, not US, gallons.
Yeah, my folks Westy (a 70 model) got 24-25 on trips back in the 55mph era. I think that was pretty consistent for all the buses due to drag from the Twinkie on wheels inspired body until the watercooled versions with the more angular bodywork.
Hey, neat! With that article and this one we’ve got a start at a collection.
I thought that looked kind of familiar, we saw one of those at the Henry Ford museum during the CC meetup in 2017.
I was paying close attention to any VWs that weekend, because I was hoping to pilfer a swing axle boot seal off one…
I only wish they were made with galvanized steel. And that I had a nice one. a|nd could afford it.
My brother has a 1980s camper on a Ford chassis, v8, sleeps 4, is tiny to sit in.
The VW would be like a Japanese tea ceremony to occupy.
I remember in 1970s I filled one up, working as gas jockey, and the Vietnam Vet owner revved the motor for me. A good guy. He said he fit a flat 6 Porsche in it. I think 60 hp would be plenty.
It’s truly hard to believe this was 1955! 67 yrs ago! I drive a 71′ Westfalia, mine doesn’t have 1/2 of these really cool options! It would be so cool to see a retro-mod w/ all of these in it!