Busted VW

The German carmaker, Volkswagen, manufactured VW buses. The first production of the Transporter, which is another name for VW bus, was in 1947 shortly after the World War II. VW buses generally fall under the following models: Volkswagen Type 2(T1), Volkswagen Type 2 (T2), Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), Volkswagen Type 4, and Volkswagen Type 5. Germans view the Volkswagen buses as a symbol of national pride. Overseas, the VW buses had a quirky reputation.

Volkswagen Type 2 (T1), generation T1

Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) is the first variant of Volkswagen Type 2 with production lines in Europe, US, and Brazil. Production started in 1950 and ended in 1975. Within which time there was about three assembly plants worldwide; two in Germany (Wolfsburg and Hannover) and one in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. It was the first ever Volkswagen Transporter T1 with split windshield hence it was nicknamed the split screen. Other names are microbus, and Splittie.
The launch of the bus in a highly saturated and competitive market with the likes of Corvair 95 Corvan, and others did not stop the car from gaining popularity as a cargo cum pickup truck in the United States. It also came in handy as a passenger van. Ben Pon, a Dutch Volkswagen importer first came up with the idea of renovating generation T1 into Volkswagen Type 2 (T2): As it turns out, in 1946, Ben Pon was in Wolfsburg to export VW buses to Holland. He came up with the idea of improving on Volkswagen Type 2(T1), but the idea only translated into Volkswagen Type 2 (T2) four months later. There are different models of Volkswagen Type 2. Two popular models are the Samba bus and, panel van.

Ferdinand Porsche founded Volkswagen in 1938. It was his believe that an affordable and mass-produced German sedan that needs little maintenance is what the German auto industry needs to blossom. The first Volkswagen Transporter was launch in 1947.It soon became part of the American hippie culture.

In the first department of things, the VW buses became enshrined in the American hippie culture mainly because they were low-cost buses. In the second department of things, the price and the functionality of the bus as a second home diluted the quirky reputation. It was common to see VW buses adorning painted designs. Families and rock bands were caught up in the ‘’melee’’ when the public realized that a VW bus could accommodate more than eight adults. To many, it was a moving house.
Ferdinand Porsche pressed ahead with his gargantuan dream of an economy car despite Volkswagen well-known reputation as a quirky carmaker. Under his guidance, Volkswagen engineers designed and produced the first ever VW bus also known as the Transporter. He moved the engine to the back; a design consideration necessary to build simpler engine models. Air-cooled engine technology was use instead of a water-cooled engine; another design consideration that employs naturally flowing air. His love for minimalism helped reduced design cost and would later be a major reason why VW buses were so cheap that every young man that is willing to work can easily afford it after some couple of months.