Photo: DENWERKS / Bring a Trailer
One of the best-maintained Volkswagen Type 2 campers we’ve ever seen has traveled half the world to get to Oregon. Carefully rebuilt, it is now offered on Bring a Trailer with no reserve, and a bidding war has already started.
The second-generation Volkswagen Type 2 was probably the most popular camper in its heydays. It’s also one of the longest lived, with the Brazilian production going strong until 2013, if you can believe that. It still sparks people’s imagination more than 50 years later, and you can see why by looking at the pictures in the gallery.
Unlike its younger Brazilian builds, this one was produced in 1972 in Germany, and its owner crossed the ocean to take delivery of the camper. The original owner kept the van in excellent condition until 1995, when he sold it. Subsequent owners took care of rebuilding the engine (in 2009) and repainting the exterior (in 2016). There wasn’t much work to be done on the Bus, as the metal was still in excellent condition. Even today, it lacks the characteristic rust stains afforded by its 50-year age.
In the cabin, the seats were recently reupholstered in beige, and you can see in the pictures that everything looks nicely fresh and ready for action. This probably explains why one of the bidders got so excited that he raised the stakes to $200,000 in one swift mouse flick. The confusion was cleared later, and the offer was corrected (it was $20,000), but somehow we have a good impression that this Westy will easily pass the $50,000 mark.
The cabin features the characteristic Westfalia equipment, even though it lacks the two-burner stove usually fitted to these campers. Instead, there’s a huge sink and enough refrigerated space to keep dozens of beer cans ice-cold. Instead of swiveling captain’s chairs, this Type 2 features a second-row bench allowing for face-to-face seating around the flip-up dining table. And, of course, there’s the fold-out bed in the back, while the pop-top tent hides no surprises.
The 1.7-liter flat-four engine is equipped with dual Solex carburetors and was rebuilt in 2009 by Dan Hall’s Automotive Machine of Portland, Oregon. The four-speed manual transmission also got a replacement clutch assembly at the same time. There are clearly no signs of leaks on any of them, and this Westy should still offer many years of enjoyment.
The Type 2 Westfalia is offered on Bring a Trailer with no reserve, but this didn’t prevent people from pledging big money on this. The highest bid at the time of writing is $26,000, and there are still four days until the auction ends.
Unlike its younger Brazilian builds, this one was produced in 1972 in Germany, and its owner crossed the ocean to take delivery of the camper. The original owner kept the van in excellent condition until 1995, when he sold it. Subsequent owners took care of rebuilding the engine (in 2009) and repainting the exterior (in 2016). There wasn’t much work to be done on the Bus, as the metal was still in excellent condition. Even today, it lacks the characteristic rust stains afforded by its 50-year age.
In the cabin, the seats were recently reupholstered in beige, and you can see in the pictures that everything looks nicely fresh and ready for action. This probably explains why one of the bidders got so excited that he raised the stakes to $200,000 in one swift mouse flick. The confusion was cleared later, and the offer was corrected (it was $20,000), but somehow we have a good impression that this Westy will easily pass the $50,000 mark.
The cabin features the characteristic Westfalia equipment, even though it lacks the two-burner stove usually fitted to these campers. Instead, there’s a huge sink and enough refrigerated space to keep dozens of beer cans ice-cold. Instead of swiveling captain’s chairs, this Type 2 features a second-row bench allowing for face-to-face seating around the flip-up dining table. And, of course, there’s the fold-out bed in the back, while the pop-top tent hides no surprises.
The 1.7-liter flat-four engine is equipped with dual Solex carburetors and was rebuilt in 2009 by Dan Hall’s Automotive Machine of Portland, Oregon. The four-speed manual transmission also got a replacement clutch assembly at the same time. There are clearly no signs of leaks on any of them, and this Westy should still offer many years of enjoyment.
The Type 2 Westfalia is offered on Bring a Trailer with no reserve, but this didn’t prevent people from pledging big money on this. The highest bid at the time of writing is $26,000, and there are still four days until the auction ends.
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