The infamous Volvo versus VW Vanagon crash test. The Volvo dummies "died" but the VW Vanagon dummies "lived". What Tom n' Ray forget is that the occupants of a VW Microbus and of a car are sitting on two different levels.
The infamous Volvo versus VW Vanagon crash test. The Volvo dummies "died" but the VW Vanagon dummies "lived". What Tom n' Ray forget is that the occupants of a VW Microbus and of a car are sitting on two different levels.
"The infamous Volvo versus VW Vanagon crash test."
Your photo example is of the "modern" VW bus, which was really the first modern minivan.
The previous hippy air-cooled models were much different animals. They were powered by a #10 rubber band. To drive them, you dumped the gas pedal to the floor and never worried about the speed limit (you never got close). Brakes were aided by the coeffient of drag, which had to be close to 100, as well as the low speeds possible with that motor.
And, in a crash, you had the gasolene heater, which was basically an open-flame gasolene heating system, that always made life interesting. Then again, interesting life might not be an option in any van of that era with a stub nose...
That was one of the main reasons my dad loved his VW Bus (this "Micro" thing has to go, btw, we always referred to it simply as the "Bus" or the "Volkwagen Bus"). In those days, there weren't a lot of cars that had that high perch. It was great to see above all the low cars ahead of you, gave you a real feeling of command of the road.