The last VW Camper...

[Boris Bajic]

The last REAL VW camper died in 1979-ish... when production stopped in Germany and it all went front-engined.

The aircooled bus was built in South America until some years ago, but went water-cooled (!) some years back.

I once sold the beautiful 1971, one-owner Devon conversion of a friend's parents down on Upper Ground. It must have been about 1983 or 84. It had been the family car for as long as I could remember, but the kids had grown up. I sat in it one summer Saturday with the side door open and filter coffee in my flask.

By lunchtime I'd driven it and the cobber who bought it back to the family home for the transfer of cash.

I fell in love with it (and the whole VW philosophy) that morning and wanted to out-bid the guy with money I didn't have.

The coolest pedals ever, that you just pushed gently into the floor, and a aircool clatter that was very quiet and very far away from the driver's seat.

I still remember many of the 'buying tips' that I learned that morning from the Aussies who used to buy and sell there. The main one was "If you have to slam the sliding door, walk away". It should close with the pressure of one finger.

Gorgeous, gorgeous vans built for leisure and pleasure. The Friendee and the Bongo (favourites of divorced 'weekend dads' everywhere) are just a pale immitation. Bring back formica and lino.

 

[Born2die]

Here's my little beauty

 

[Fnaar]

I'd love one, but kind of impractical, me being a mechanical numpty and all...

 

[avalon]

Here's my little beauty View attachment 29920 View attachment 29921

Does that picture just look upside down because I'm in Australia or can you all see it?

 

[Born2die]

Looks good top me lol

 

[Linford]

Last one I saw was on fire on the Witney Bypass with a frantic owner apparently fanningthe flames..

 

[Dave Davenport]

I drove a 1966 split screen round Australia in 1984/85. Top speed was about 50mph, 40 into a headwind, I fitted cruise control for the long stretches (i.e. a brick on the accelerator), the six volt, dynamo charged headlights, gave you about 20ft of vision in the dark.
It was easy to keep running with very basic tools, gaffer tape and wire, I even changed the clutch (which meant dropping the engine) in a campsite in Victoria. I paid 600 dollars for it and sold it for 300 a year later. Happy days.

 

[Mark Grant]

I've got a '72 Bay window in the garage undergoing a slow restoration.
Was like this.

Like this at the moment.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

VW shocking Orange is the right colour for a VW camper.
I had a 73 Devon Conversion for many years. It was so unreliable that I was on first name terms with half the RAC staff in England. It had the standard 1.6 air cooled Beetle engine. 1584cc's kicking out a huge 67BHP if my memory serves me.....so it was slow, unreliable, uneconomical, cold in winter and hot in summer and I loved it!

 

[marknotgeorge]

Too scene (read expensive) for me. I'll have one of these instead:

 

[slowmotion]

Drive down the A30 on a spring weekend and you will see a whole lot of surf dudes/dudettes pootling down to Newquay in VW campers. The Run to the Sun. Some are even decorated with peace signs.....Man.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I have never really got into any of VW cars from the Beetle, Camper to the Golf etc. Having 2 (yes was stupid enough to buy another) Mk1 Scirocco's in the late 80's did not help at all. They were both rubbish, rusty and unrelaible. Sleeping in the second when the head gasket went at about 2 a.m was the last straw. I just liked the look of them they were a bit Alfa/Lancia-like in my eyes at the time.

I still feel a hint of sentimentality when I see the Mk 1 Scirocco in the original Dawn Of The Dead film when they are driving it around the shopping mall shooting zombie's out of the hatchback. But that's all it is I have no desire to ever own a classic VW I could think of other cars from my youth that I would rather have.

Still everybody to their own and the camper was/is iconic to many people.

 

[MarkF]

I think that they are beautiful machines, but the image is now very naff, somebody near me has turned a lovely machine into "distressed one", lowered it and covered it with fake rust paint and vinyl stickers. The T25 seems naff free for the mo' and I like those too.

The rust thing puts me off, think I'll stick with vintage Vespas that are easy and economical to fix/bodge.

 

[Acyclo]

Everyone should get a Bongo:

 

[asterix]

Have had 2. The first was bright orange devon conversion, 1.6 petrol, air cooled of course. P reg, 1976. It was 'only' 9 when I bought it from a dealer. They made a truly awful job on the engine leaving the timing right out, among other things. After they ignored my complaints I got on to the top man at VW UK (yes really!) and he told me to take it to the nearest local dealer and would put all right, which they did. c. 1989 I parked it in a dodgy area of Manchester and it got deliberately rammed and seriously damaged. Somehow I persuaded the insurers to pay for a back-end rebuild. Sold it in 1991 and had to fight off the buyers.

Later (c.1999) I bought one of the square versions, most of them had water cooled engines but this was a very rare air-cooled version, 2 litres rear-engine but still slow. 'W' reg so 1982, I believe. We went all over in it, from Poole (our first trip), the Lakes, up to Inverness and also round Ireland. Great days. Sadly it was a tad rusty so we regretfully sold it.