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.
Other models are:

• Late 1970s T2b Ambulance
• Brazilian Water-cooled Volkswagen Type 2
• The 1968 Volkswagen Type 2
• The 1979 Volkswagen Type 2
• Brazilian Water-cooled Volkswagen Type 2
• Brazilian Volkswagen Type 2
• Volkswagen Kombi

Volkswagen Type 2 (T2)

Volkswagen Type 2 (T2) is the second variant of the Volkswagen Type 2 commercial buses manufactured in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Of the three production plants, only the one in Brazil still manufactures the VW bus to date. German plants are located in Emden and Hannover. T2 comes in two separate transmissions: the 4-speed manual and the 3-speed automatic with a 2,400 mm and 4,505 mm wheelbase.

Volkswagen Type 2 (T3)

First production was in 1980 and another name for it is the T25. It was originally design with an air-cooled engine and the technology was later abandon in favour of the water-cooled boxer engine. The T3 is larger, and heavier than earlier Volkswagen T2 variants.
Volkswagen Transporter (T4), generation T4

The first set of Volkswagen Transporter (T4) (Volkswagen Eurovan) roll out the production line in 1995. T4 was the first water-cooled engine and front-mounted Volkswagen bus— the two things that make T4 Volkswagen different from earlier variants.
Production of T4 started in 1990 and ended in 2003. It is one of the longest productions in length for a VW bus model. The T4 has five body types and two standard wheelbases. The body types are the kombi Van or Halk-Panel, the Panel Van, Westfalia, Doka, and Caravele/Multivan.
Volkswagen plants in Hannover, Germany and Jakarta, Indonesia handled productions of the Volkswagen Transporter (T4). Production started from 1990 and ended in 2003. T4 is a light commercial vehicle with 4-door minivan, 3-door minivan, and campervan body style. It is available in both 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual. There is also a short-wheelbase as well as long-wheelbase versions.
Volkswagen Transport (T5)

Volkswagen Transporter (T5) is light and a superb commercial vehicle with a van body style. T5 is the fifth generation of VW bus and first production was in 6 October 2002; however, full production was delayed until the 25 April 2003. Some models run on either petrol engines or diesel engines with transmission ranging from 5-speed manual to 7-speed DSG.
The Volkswagen Transporter (T5) was very popular in Turkey, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Production of the Volkswagen Transporter (T5) continues to this day with assembly plants in Germany, Poland, and Indonesia. The T5 is also nicknamed Volkswagen Multivan and Volkswagen Caravelle.

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.

To the Germans, even to this day, the Volkswagen is a national icon. Volkswagen of today holds its strength to Adolf Hitler and the events that followed World War II. The Volkswagen beetle (Type 1) was the model produced during the war and after which era management fell under the control of the British Empire just after the defeat of Hitler. Ford Company turned down demands, by the allied forces, to run the company. Harry Ford refused to have a subsidiary with a quirky reputation. Therefore, management of Volkswagen was back to the Germans and few years later the first ever model of the Transporter Type 2 rolled out of the Volkswagen plant in Hannover, Germany. Three distinct features captured the eyes of many— the shape, capacity, and cost of a transporter.

The Volkswagen buses became popular among youngsters in the United States who preferred to go for cars that were pocket friendly. Little wonder why a new and bigger bus for close to the price of a second handed car was enough to attract the huge population of young men and women who peopled the United States in those days. As time passes, VW buses were associated with youthful extravagance like sex, drugs, dangerous road trips, and noisy-parties.

Early VW buses are today classical cars. Those made before 1970 are highly prized possessions. Popular models are the samba, bulli, microbus, micro, splitie, and split. Volkswagen buses do not hold iconic status in Germany alone, but also in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, and even in Switzerland were there were assembly lines. In Europe, the name of the Volkswagen bus or Volkswagen Transporter was microbus; and in America and some parts of Africa as station wagon.

The first importation of Volkswagen buses in the United States was in 1959. It was first a bus for nontraditionalists and liberals alike. During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, VW buses became the most popular toys of the hippie culture. And to date authors have written tens of thousands of books and good number of documentaries have been shot around the place of VW buses in America and European cultures. After the cultural revolution, what Volkswagen buses meant in the minds of people changed from a mere affordable German utility vehicle to one of the most beloved and popular vehicle in America.

Many Germans view Volkswagen buses with pride. This is so because in the months and years following the World War II, Germany was almost on its knees culturally, politically, and economically; but Volkswagen Transporter helped the German economy back to its feet. To Germans, Volkswagen is a national treasure they can’t afford to lose; across the Atlantic in the United States and Canada, people were attracted to the Volkswagen Transporter for its unique design, functionality and cost.