1975 Volkswagen Camper
Believe it or not, The Type 2 Camper Van had humble beginnings. It was created to carry car parts around a humongous VW factory in Britain. Before its invention, manufacturers used stripped down VW Beetles for this task. In 1947, a Dutch VW importer, by the name of Ben Pon, came up with an idea for a van based on the Beetle. A mere two years later, the concept, (an alternative to a cart and horse), was released at Geneva Motor. Out of this concept, the first VW camper van was born. In the beginning, it was simply a 170 cubic ft box built on a four-wheeled chassis. Over the next few years, Volkswagen expanded on this concept and came up with almost a 100 different body combinations with a variety of uses including the camper van, pick-ups, ambulances, fire engines, and more.
For consignment, a 1975 version of the Volkswagen T2 Camper. This one has been upgraded with a newer, (40,000 miles when installed), Porsche engine, Bluetooth radio, an easy to clean wood floor, newer upholstery and newer tires. Acadia National Park here we come, or maybe it should be the Grand Canyon, or wait...the wilds of Wyoming. How about all of them. Dream on!
Exterior
The steel body of this camper is showing some rust bubbles and body filler. It's all bathed in white, and panels are somewhat wavy in areas throughout. Including the flat front that has a spare mounted to it with a peace sign covering. The round headlights have an interesting heart shaped covering and glow with love at night, Groovy! The doors offer up easy access to the front buckets, and a sliding side door gives us access to the living space. The roof pops up for plenty of extra space and all the tenting and screens are in good condition. As we move back, the sides have nice open long horizontal windows and even the back allows light to come through the gate with a window. In the drivers rear side glass is a portrait of the queen, Penny Lane? On the back a small lift gate gives us access to the rear quarters, and just below is the "hood" revealing the engine. Black bumpers are plastered with places visited on the back as is the rear glass. Standard steel wheels are covered with shiny moon caps and wrapped in 205/75R14's all around.
Interior
Opening the front doors we see black vinyl panels that have smooth tops and angled embossed vertical panels in the centers. Below is a small panel smooth and it sports a speaker. All black handles, actuator and cranks are seen. Moving inside to the cockpit, up front more black for the molded dash which has an angled upward dash and instrument cluster. In front of the driver is a trio of round gauges in a textured black panel. The flowerpot holder hangs from the right side of this panel and makes me feel peace, love and Kool cigarettes. Next is an aftermarket Kenwood AM/FM/CD player which is bluetooth capable. Below the dash are some "snowshoe" style woven shelves to store more gear. Bucket seats in pedestals are seen in black vinyl more angled panels for the inserts and white piping on the edges. These have nice headrests and present in excellent condition. A slide of the side door gives us access to the living space which has all the amenities of a camper. Behind the driver's seat is a fold down panel to sit whatever on top and the same for the passenger's side only this one is a bit taller. Tucked in now behind the driver's seat is the loo box with a padded vinyl covered pad for an extra seat when not in use. It comes with an extra toilet seat for outside use, (think groover!). An expanse of wood flooring is in the center, and a full couch is in just aft of the side windows. This has comfy cushions and armrests. Behind the couch taking up the back of the bus is a full mattress and a storage cabinet sans doors. Above is another mattress that can be used when the top is popped. Nice wood grained plywood is installed and doubles as the headliner. All the comforts of home, but now on the road. All this will make you a happy camper!
Drivetrain
In the back, tucked under the mattress in the engine bay is a 1930cc flat 4 Porsche engine. It has a 1-barrel carburetor and a 4-speed manual transmission with a 4.86 rear axle. A stainless-steel muffler is seen underneath.
Undercarriage
Underneath some surface rust is noted on the ribbed galvanized steel floor pans, hangers off the frame and heavier in the wheel wells. In the front heavy surface rust and corrosion is noted on the frame and wells. Independent transverse torsion bar suspension is in front, and independent semi trailing arm suspension on back. Some hookup parts are heavily rusted. Disc brakes are reserved for the front, and drums for the rear.
Drive-Ability
It starts right up and runs nicely. Good handling and smooth 4 speed shifting, along with good braking. All is in working order but we did not do any hookups so I cannot speak for those.
A camping we will go, a camping we will go, hi ho the dairy-o a camping we will go! Pop up top, comfortable amenities inside and 2 beds are all crammed into this classic bus camper from VW.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
