Tag Archives: Type 2

Split Screen Forward Control Pick Up – Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up

This month’s monday blog sees a return to the pick up theme, today’s featured pick up is a 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) seen at last years Classic Motor Show held at the NEC in Birmingham.

01 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

The pick up version of the Volkswagen Type 2 was not introduced until 1952 three years after Type 2 production commenced. The pick up variant had the fewest changes of all the Type 2 (T1)’s until the introduction of the bigger Type 2 (T2) in 1968.

02 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

1963 saw the introduction of the 51 hp 1500 cc / 91.5 cui flat 4 cylinder air cooled motor which replaced the 40hp 1200 cc / 72 cui unit first seen in 1959.

03 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

Sales of Type 2 (T1)’s are often incorrectly thought to have been adversely affected in 1964 by the so called Chicken Tax introduced by the United States on imported panel vans and pick ups, a response to the on going trade tariff war between the US and Europe after West Germany had introduced trade restriction on imported US Chicken. In fact President Johnson appears to have applied a 25% tax on imported panel vans and pick ups in order to avert a strike by the United Auto Workers before the 1964 Presidential election and it was the UAW’s President Walter Reuthner who wanted the reduction on such imports.

04 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

Volkswagen pick ups were ready made for transporting racing cars without the need for a trailer, perhaps the single most famous example of such a transporter was run by Fife, WA Volkswagen dealer Pete Lovely who was frequently seen pulling into the Formula One paddock in his VW Type 2 (T1) pickup with his Lotus 49 on the back.

Split screen forward control VW Pick Ups today are highly collectible, I have seen examples in good condition being offered for €22,000, GBP £18,000, US$ 30,000 which is probably a bargain when one takes into account the amount of time and effort it requires to keep one in good condition.

Thanks for joining me on this “Split Screen Forward Control Pick Up” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me tomorrow for the first in a series of two stroke Tuesday’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Jo & Brian – Volkswagen Type 2 (T1)

Being a racing fan who once attempted to give his FIAT 128 a Ferrari 312T2 paint job before thinking better of it, I have always admired those who managed to paint their road vehicles with convincing racing colour schemes. This months Saturday blogs will be a tribute to those who persevered where I gave up.

Gulf VW Type 2 (T1), Gold Cup, Oulton Park

I particularly liked the Gulf Oils paint job on this 1957 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) because the names of works Gulf Porsche drivers Jo “Seppi” Siffert and Brian Redman appear just above the door handle.

Gulf VW Type 2 (T1), Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Not sure why this vehicle is carrying what appears to be a washing machine drum on the roof while it is parked up at Oulton Park for the Gold Cup, but if you have any amusing idea’s please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Thanks for joining me on this “Jo & Brian” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an early Williams Grand Prix car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Last Rear Engined Dubs – Volkswagen Type 2 (T3)

The Type 2 (T3) was the last all new rear engined design from Volkswagen who’s reputation had been founded on the rear engined Beetle stretching back to 1945. By 1979 the water cooled Golf was already rewritting Volkswagen history when the Type 2 (T3) with it’s distinctive squared features appeared on the market.

Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

The Scooby Doo Mystery Machine above belongs to RRElite Ltd and has been kitted out with customised ‘Scooby Doo’ seats for six passengers, flat panel TV screens for the DVD player, state of the art sound system and LED ambient lighting. Of course ‘Scooby Snacks’ can be ordered when hiring this vehicle.

Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), Summer Classics, Easter Compton

German production of the Type 2 (T3) came to a halt in 1992, above is #2494 of the Last Limited Edition of which 2500 were produced in Hannover. This vehicle now boasts a handy 230 hp Subaru flat six motor coupled to a Porsche gearbox and fitted with Porsche brakes to keep it under control.

Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), Summer Classics, Easter Compton

Variations of the Type 2 (T3) include one fitted with a Porsche Carrera motor to support the Porsche 959 Paris Dakar entry, and a water cooled fuel injected alloy six cylinder version which started as a Volkswagen Project but was completed by the German Tuning Firm Oettinger known as the WBX6.

In 1990 production of Type 2 (T3)’s started in South Africa, these were powered by the famous Volkswagen Audi Group fuel injected 5 cylinder Audi motors. The last South African Type 2 (T3) rolled off the assembley line in 2002.

Back in 1992 my then girlfriend and I acquired a 1983 vintage Type 2 (T3) that had served as a builders van and had been fully insulated and paneled inside. We bought it for £950 with one years MOT and tax drove it over 12,000 miles in a year and had so much fun with it we never had time to take a photo and sold it one year later for £1200 with no MOT or Tax and an exhaust that needed repair !

Thanks for joining me on this “Last Rear Engined Dub” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when the blog will be going purple for Americana Thursday. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Wolly Bulli – Volkswagen Type 2 (T2)

In the Autumn turn of 1982 twenty odd college class mates and I made our way from the Untied Kingdom to Paderborn University for the first half of the third year of our European Business Studies course. I overslept on the train and ended up a hundred kilometers further east than intended in Kassel having missed my stop, but I digress.

VW Type 2 (T2) Kombi, Paderborn, Germany

Once in Paderborn we soon made friends with our fellow German students some of whom had banded funds together to buy a late bay VW Type 2 (T2b) Kombi seen above, in Germany these vehicles are known locally as “Bulli”. The Type T2 (T2) was first seen in 1967, it was wider and longer than it predecessor the Type 2 (T1) which I looked at last week. The motor was slightly larger starting at 47 hp wich increased to 70 hp by the mid 1970’s, but the real improvements were in low end torque which helped this heavy vehicle keep pace with the rest of the traffic.

VW Type 2 (T2) Kombi, Paderborn, Germany

Above I can be seen sitting at the wheel of my friends Type 2 wrapped in a blanket in the middle of February as I was about to return from Wolsburg where I had a placement at Volkswagen to Paderborn. To reduce the intake of exhaust fumes, because the heat exchangers were breaking up, the heating pipes were blocked up and the windows were kept open hence the blanket was necessary to keep warm in the well ventilated unheated bus.

Type 2s went through three distinctive body developments from ’67 to ’71 the early bay T2a was characterised by low front indicators and rear light clusters inherited from the Type 2 (T1), from ’71 to the early 1990’s the late bay Type 2 (T2b) is characterised by high front indicators and larger vertical oblong rear light clusters. By the early 1990’s production in Mexico and Brazil moved to the Type 2 (T2c) which has a raised roof and the latest models now built only in Brazil have duel fuel water cooled engines which run on petrol or ethanol.

Type 2 (T2) Camper, Shakespeare County Raceway

Chris Maddog Antell’s VW Type 2 camper van seen above at Shalespeare County Raceway is an early bay Type 2 (T2a) with low front indicators and small rounded rear light clusters he runs it with a 2276 cc / 138 cui motor of yet to be determined origin, if you know please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Volkswagen Type 2 (T2c), The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Type 2 (T2c) as seen above at The Classic Motor Show is still in production in Brazil a couple of years ago they were being manufactured at a rate of 100 a day, some of these vehicles can be seen in Europe where they are often used as camper vans. The latest news courtesy of mariner at The Nostalgia Forum is that Type 2 (T2c) production is planned to come to a halt in Brazil next year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Wolly Bulli” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”. I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ben’s Bus – Volkswagen Type 2 (T1)

In 1946 production of the VW Beetle was in full swing at maximum capacity at the Wolfsburg plant when Dutch importer Ben Pon paid the factory a visit and observed an improvised parts transporter which he recognised could be vastly improved upon with a new vehicle using a stock Beetle Type 1 chassis pan. Pons first doodles of his proposed vehicle were dated 1947 and two and a half years later the first type 2 rolled off the production line.

VW Type 2 Transporter, Goodwood Revival

The split windscreen was not part of Ben’s original design but was incorporated to improve the aerodynamic efficiency after wind tunnel testing showed marked improvements of the split screen at the University of Braunschweig. The original Type 2 with just 25 hp were rated to carry 1,500 lbs / 690 kgs. Above is a 1959 Type 2 with hinged rear door used by leading historic race car restoration specialists Crosthwaite & Gardiner who pride themselves on manufacturing everything from a Bugatti nut to an entire Auto Union Grand Prix car.

VW Type 2 Camper, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

It was not long before the versatility of the Type 2 began to shine through with, panel vans, 2 and four seat pickups, buses, campers being offered while 3rd parties converted Type 2’s to run on railway tracks and a myriad of other applications. It was not long before Type 2s were manufactured in a new dedicated plant in Hannover.

VW Type 2 Transporter, Goodwood Revival

The Type 2’s underwent continuous development by 1967 a larger motor was producing 54 hp and the load capacity had increased to 1000 kgs / 2,205 lbs. production of the Type 2 (T1) ceased in Germany in 1967 but continued in Brazil until 1975. Above is a 1964 Type 2 Transporter that appears to have served the Kapellen Stadt Moers volunteer fire brigade in North Rhine Westfalen. Like all today’s featured Type 2s it’s a left hooker which goes to show just how popular these vehicles still are in the UK.

VW Type 2 Transporter, Rare Breeds, Haynes International Motor Museum

The period from 1947 to 1991 is often referred to as the era of the Cold War between the Western Allies and East Bloc, a period punctuated by tensions in which mutually assured nuclear destruction reared it’s head as a possibility from time to time. What I did not realise was that the Western Allies were not in a particularly harmonious economic relationship at the time.

Each member nation was keen to preserve it’s own industries from the predatory monopolism of it’s neighbours and alleged friends. This culminated in 1963, soon after the Cuban missile crises, in the Germans and French placing restrictive tariffs on imported US chicken, in return to protect it’s automotive industry the US placed restrictive tariffs on Type 2s, designating them as commercial vehicles, which cut US sales by two thirds at a stroke. These tariffs are still in place today and Ford who these tariffs were to aimed at protecting among others has resorted to importing vehicles built in Europe which comply with passenger vehicle ordinances and then taking them to a warehouse in Baltimore for the passenger vehicle compliant items to be stripped and shredded turning said vehicles to commercial applications.

Above is a 1966 Type 2 which unusually has sliding rear doors on both sides, this vehicle served the Fire services at Zurich Airport and then a small Swiss village before being returned to it’s original colours and converted for use as a race car tow and support vehicle. With the introduction of the Transporter (T4) in 1990 all previous Transporter/Kombi’s/Buses were retrospectively given T1 to T3 identities so original iteration Type 2’s built between 1950 and 1975 became Type 2 (T1), 2nd iteration Type 2s with larger bodies built from 1968 to present became Type 2 (T2) and third iteration wedge shape Type 2s became Type 2 (T3) also known as T25.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ben’s Bus” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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