Servin‘ USA

After World War II, the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg came under the control of the British military government and was temporarily renamed Wolfsburg Motor Works. Production of the Volkswagen, which had begun pre-war in 1938, resumed as early as the late summer of 1945. The VW Type 1, popularly known as the Beetle, was the only model to roll off the production lines in Wolfsburg until 1950, and the Beetle’s subsequent success is now legendary.

For internal transport purposes within the factory, several so-called panel vans were built, with the seat and controls positioned at the rear above the engine and an open flatbed at the front. In 1947, Ben Pon, who later became the Dutch general importer, saw these panel vans and proposed a commercial version. However, the Dutch authorities would not approve any vehicle with a driver sitting behind the load. At a meeting with Colonel Charles Radclyffe of the Trade and Industry Division of the British Military Administration, Ben Pon drew up a sketch of a closed van based on the Beetle with the steering wheel positioned in front of the front axle. This sketch, which later became world-famous, is now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Heinrich Nordhoff, appointed General Director in 1948, commissioned the development of the VW Type 2, or the first T1 Transporter, based on this sketch. From March 8, 1950, until its replacement by the T2 in 1967, around 1.8 million T1s were built in Wolfsburg and Hanover. Production of the T1 in Brazil only ended in 1976.

While the Beetle still had cable brakes, the Transporter, due to its higher overall weight, already had hydraulic brakes. The first versions of the T1 had a 1.1-liter engine with 25 hp, which enabled a top speed of 85 km/h. Officially, the sales names for both the closed transporter and the pickup truck were simply VW Transporter, and for the car with side windows and additional rows of seats, VW Bus. From 1963, in addition to the base engine, which had now been enlarged to 1.2 liters, a 1.5-liter engine was available for an additional charge. This 42 hp engine accelerated the car to a top speed of 105 km/h. But regardless of the engine chosen, a T1 was always a rather leisurely vehicle, with which one could cover long distances quite comfortably thanks to the rear engine and the resulting relatively quiet noise level in the front rows. This reduction to the essentials brought the car a veritable boom in the USA, where the car essentially served as a social counterpart to the huge, gas-guzzling road cruisers. The VW Bus, known in the USA as the Bulli, even became a status symbol of the hippie generation of the 1960s during the flower power era. The car is still associated with the myth of the 1969 Woodstock music festival in Bethel, New York State. It is less the relatively luxurious vehicle, officially called the Samba Bus with skylights in the roof, but rather the simpler VW buses of the type T1 that symbolize the attitude to life of non-conformism and free love.

This T1 bus was produced on August 30, 1963, and delivered to Boston, USA, on September 5, 1963. The two-tone paint scheme was mouse gray L325 and pearl white L87. At first glance, the interior appears to be made of fabric seats, but is actually made of high-quality basalt gray synthetic leather, a rare find these days. At the time, synthetic leather wasn’t considered a cheap substitute for real leather, but rather an easy-care, washable leather for which no cows had to die. Today, some manufacturers would sell this as vegan interior. On August 26, 1978, the bus passed into its second hands, to a Mr. Roller in Torrance, California. In 2014, the vehicle, in excellent condition and in its original condition, was brought back to Germany, completely overhauled, and the mouse gray paint on the lower part was renewed. During the general inspection on April 15, 2015, by TÜV Nord in Duisburg, the mileage was certified at 73,196 miles. During the MOT on June 17, 2020, at DEKRA, the mileage was 73,901 miles. In 2022, the car received German papers and was registered to a furniture manufacturer in Breisgau. This manufacturer also had the pearl white areas of the body repainted. The paint layer thickness is between 350 and 700 micrometers all around, corresponding to a single repaint. Hard to believe, but the seat covers, side panels, headliner, and floor panels are completely original! The same applies to the front static two-point safety belts, which were already mandatory in the USA. The collector from Breisgau purchased another vehicle from us and therefore lent us this sensationally well-preserved VW bus for sale. The original odometer was replaced with a kilometer odometer immediately before the car arrived at 73,974, which was then reset to zero. The total mileage today is 119,099 kilometers. The old odometer is still in place. On March 23, 1963, The Beach Boys performed the song “Servin’ USA” – somehow fitting for this 1963 VW T1 bus.

We subject each vehicle to a systematic inspection – from the body to the engine to the electrical system. Based on this, we prepare three offers. You decide which offer suits you best.

Economy – €58,700
Fully operational and functional vehicle with a H-certificate and a general inspection that expired in September 2024.

Standard – €62,900
Plus a major service, oil change, new tires, taillights with amber indicators, and a new MOT.

Supreme – €64,800
Plus 20 mm whitewall tires, as well as cavity and underbody protection with wax.

We’d be happy to send you the details of the three suggested offers. Or you can simply call us and we’ll explain everything to you personally.