Ah the Volkswagen Campervan, from the T1 and the famous T2 through to the newest T6, this beautiful piece of machinery is up there alongside the great and most famous VW’s ever, including the Beetle.
With the growing trend of campervan holidays, and glamping I only see it fit that an article is written paying homage to the VW.
Here we’re going to look at 15 facts about this icon of motoring and camping.
You can often judge the success and fame of a vehicle by the number of celebrity owners it has and the VW Camper doesn’t disappoint, with its members including celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, motoring legends Jensen Button and Richard Hammond, and musicians Roger Daltry, Pete Townshend and Robbie Williams.
If all the campervans ever built were placed end to end it would stretch around the world with ease. In the first year of Type 2 production alone, 9,541 were built.
When the original VW Campervan was first released it cost between $1250-$1900 (£850-£1300), nowadays one would set you back closer to $44,000-$58,700 (£30,000-£40,000).
Around 20% of T2 Campervans are light blue, this is also the most popular color across the VW range.
The T2 was originally fitted with an engine just 0.2 of a liter larger than the tiny VW Up! With its 1.2 liter.
The original VW camper had a maximum speed of 104 km/h (65mph), the new T6 California can reach almost double that at around 193km/h (120 mph).
In the hit TV show Lost, a group known as the ‘DHARMA Initiative’ used several Volkswagen Type 2 vans to transport people and supplies around the Island.
In 2011, a special edition campervan Lego set complete with a split front screen, surf-style décor, and rock & roll bed were released by those wonders over at Lego.
The world’s last factory producing the T2 was a lot later than you thought. Based in Brazil, Production ceased on December 31, 2013, as stricter safety regulations were introduced.
In 1968, the ‘Splittie’, the first design of the camper, stopped production when its successor the ‘Bay’ was introduced.
The first type 2 Campervan went on sale in March 1950 after being revealed in November 1949 at the Geneva motor show.
On September 5, 2015, 50 people squeezed into a VW Campervan setting a world record. Comfort Insurance (UK) achieved the feat, in Malvern, UK at Busfest (a VW Van Festival).
A new Volkswagen Campervan, or the T6, will set you back around $55,000 (£38,000) for the lower-priced California Beach model.
The campervan even takes center stage in literature, being the main character in a book called “Colin the Campervan”.
Volkswagen’s have often been decorated in some very interesting ways, none more than the campervan that took the ‘flower power’ idea to heart, being completely covered in flowers! Of course the windows aren’t floral, they’re hippies not idiots…
Whether you love the idea of the outdoors, being one with nature, or more of the city-goer, the Volkswagen Camper can be loved and used by all, with an adaption for every need.
Personally, I’ve never been the camper, or at least the 2-man tent at a festival camper, but owning a VW and traveling the country & stopping off at the hotspots for these rolling wonders, would be a dream come true.
They are rather pricey these days but who can blame them?
The charm, like a kitten, permeates even the coldest of hearts and I implore each and every one of you to at the very least hire one, try them out.
They really are great fun – and that’s coming from the man who would prefer marble to muddy floors, showers to sandy beaches and a big double bed to a fold-out on wheels.
