Posted on 08/30/2013 11:54:55 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
During my middle school and early high school years, my family owned a Volkswagen Type 2 Camper Van. We used to take it camping in the mountains or at Disney World, and it was as much fun as a conversation piece as it was as a vehicle. I wanted that vehicle for my own so badly, and my dad told me he’d give it to me when I turned 16. I imagined how great it would be to have a cool drink waiting for me in the icebox at the end of the day, and of course I knew it would be the perfect tailgate vehicle on fall Saturdays in Athens. Alas, my dad sold it when I was 15, and I never got to own one.
Volkswagen introduced the Type 2 (call it the Camper Van, Bus, Microbus, or Kombi if you want to) in 1950, and it was a fixture on American roads until 1967. Other countries held on to it longer, including Brazil, the last country to continue producing and selling them. Brazil began making the Kombi in 1957, an astounding record of longevity that, sadly, will end this New Year’s Eve, when the last van rolls off the assembly line.....
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
I had a 72 camper van with a pop up top.
I was a young kid and would take friends and family out in this thing and we all loved it.
Had the fastest seat in the back that converted to a double bed in 2 seconds.
Was a great alternative to not sleeping in the ground, but was no hotel either.
You had to not rear end a vehicle since you could loose your legs in one of those. They were also top heavy.
Had a ‘63 when I was in college in ‘68 :-)
I love camper vans. I have miniatures in alcoves around my house. Here in the Tucson area many come to live life slowly. See them on the streets all the time. Always wished I could have slept in a pop-up. Thanks for this article. Sniff.
I had a ‘73 Westphalia, with the pop up top. The lack of a front-end crumple zone worried me a lot too. It worked great — except in the winter. The air-cooled engine simply wasn’t made for Canada’s far north.
It needs to be loaded up with shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction.
(fella: Your recognition of this reference will validate your claim to have been in college in ‘68.)
Please put away the 8x10’s!
In the early 60's, I made a living buying older vw's and improving, then selling them. I always wanted a van. My first one was a '72 Pop-top. We loved it and my two year old son slept in the overhead bunk (never fell out!).
But, we sold it and later bought a '73 straight van. I then decided that God was calling me to Bible College in Western NY (Lima). We headed out in January of '76.
By then, we also had another boy (born in '74), and the four of us were able to completely ice up the inside of the windows on the drive north... and we NEVER got warm!!!
Not mine, but looked same!
(Insert memory here.)
We got a guy here in my little town that rebuilds and sells these. He has about 10 out in front of his house right now.
You know Officer Obie spent a lot of time on all those circles and arrows.
You can have anything you want at Alices’ Restaurant.
Excepting Alice!
(”KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?”)
We had that exact VW...twice.
Well it was either haul all of it up here, or just throw what was here down there.
Oh, no! They've got heaters?? That ruins all the fun.
“They’ve got heaters??”
Don’t laugh. I had a 72 bus that had some sort of exhaust leak into the heater system. Too broke and too young to worry about it. I wound up taping off the vents under the rear seat. Yes, it was cold driving it in the winter. I’m sure that cost me a few brain cells. Loved that vehicle though.
If you want a thrill try driving that POS across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge with wind gusts at 50 MPH.
Or try passing anything in that underpowered turtle on a two lane highway
I never owned one, but did take several, (ahem-cough, cough), “road trips” in them.
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