Is your young one dreaming of a VW Bus? Are they hoping to inherit your beloved camper? When is a good time to hand down the family jewels? I inherited my Grandma’s car (a 1966 Pontiac Beaumont Sport Deluxe) when I was 16 and wrote it off in a bad accident a year later, so by my example 16 is maybe too young.
When my kids are old enough to drive, a “beater car” will probably be a 2002 Aztec. Gone are the days of picking an old aircooled VW for a few hundred dollars and grinding the gears until you learn how to work your way through a 4 speed.
These days most split window buses are more valuable than a high end laptop and are appreciating daily. Would you let your kids drive your prized $60k Samba? Comment away.
My friend Vil sent me a couple of clips from a recent Fifth Gear episode. The hosts test a new VW Eurovan California camper and a Brazilian watercooled Bay Window-style Danbury Rio camper, including an “overnighter”. It’s a great segment and they bring up an interesting third option.
Wow. This has to be one of the fastest, if not THE fastest, double cabs. I could probably find better ways to spend $250,000, but it wouldn’t be as unique. Jalopink has the photo gallery.
Jalopnik.com dug up this promo video for the new VW Microbus concept, circa 2001. With all the talk lately about Chrysler producing a new Microbus for VW, we shall see if 2008 looks like 2001 or something from a 2004 Chrysler cutting room floor.
A video is worth 10,000 words so I’ll let YouTube speak for this one, but it’s clear the marriage of a Mazda rotary engine and a bay window bus can have positive results.
A few months ago I was reading the German Car Blog and they were waxing about the New Bus becoming a reality. The New Bus was shown in 2001 as a concept (they even had Camper and Doublecab versions), but shortly there after the project was killed, due to VWs financial woes.
In 2005 rumours started floating around that Chrysler was going to build the platform for the New Bus. Then Chrysler was put on the block by Daimler-Benz.
So where does it stand now? Nobody really knows. The New Bus has yet to show up again at any autoshows. With Honda and Ford releasing new vehicles that are sort of “bus like” one wonders if 2008 will be the right time for the New Bus to emerge, from a much more financially health Volkswagen. I hope so, my 1978 Westy won’t last forever.
Ok, so maybe the Hot Rod bus looked fast, but the Race Taxi has to be the fastest. Check out the project site. To accommodate the Porsche 933 engine there’s lot of widening and welding to be done.
Hot Rod Magazine selected this 1962 splittie in its Top 10 Hot Rods of 2006. I must admit, it’s probably one of the scarier buses I’ve seen, maybe Stephen King should cast it in his next movie.
The London Times has a review of the new Volkswagen Transporter Sportline. In true British style they proclaim “Bloody, hell it’s quick”. If you’re a member of the GTI club and have been dreading giving up your prize to get some thing more “family friendly”, this might be your new VW.
Actually they call it a Caddy Life Tramper. Is it just me or does Traddy Life Camper sound better? Anyway its no Westfalia, but I guess it beats sleeping in a tent. Keep trying Volkswagen.
If you’re like me and didn’t make it to Everybus, in Greensboro, NC this year, fear not! The voyage home (home being Toronto) - all 16 hours of can relived thanks to Greg Potts.
While out shopping a few weeks ago we stumbled onto a Paul Frank outlet store. Of course as soon as I saw this shirt, I had to buy it for Alex. We also grabbed him a bad-ass black hoddie. Both come from the Small Paul Collection. Devil horns back at ya Julius.
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