THE VOLKSWAGEN BUS TURNS 75

The emblematic Volkswagen Bus is turning 75 years old this year. The first Bus, which was related to the Beetle and which spawned the Transporter line of vans, rolled off the assembly line on March 8, 1950.

Volkswagen began experimenting with the idea of turning the Beetle into a commercial vehicle in the 1940s, as Europe was in the process of rebuilding itself following World War II. On the surface, turning the Beetle into a commercial van must have looked impossible. It was a two-door sedan with a rear-mounted engine and a trunk barely big enough to hold a small suitcase due to the fuel tank and the spare wheel. But, its sturdy body-on-frame construction made transforming it into a big, boxy van relatively straightforward.

The original Transporter was an immediate hit. It used the same basic air-cooled, flat-four engine as the Beetle, so it was dependable and cheap to keep running. Known inernally as the Type 2, it offered a relatively spacious interior that could be configured in various ways. From plumbers to flower shops, by way of contractors and the post office, just about every trade needed a Bus-like vehicle in post-WWII Germany. The original Bus was initially only offered as a panel van, and its 25-horsepower flat-four gave it a top speed of 50 mph.

Volkswagen quickly expanded its second model line. It launched a model with windows in April 1950, released the Samba in June 1951, and made a 44-horsepower engine available later in the production run. The millionth Bus was built on October 2, 1962, and German production ended in July 1967 after about 1.8 million units were built. Production of the original Bus carried on in Brazil until 1975, however.

The T1, as the original Transporter later became known, was already an icon by the time it retired. It was a workhorse above all, but the Hippie movement propelled it into popular culture. Its successor, the T2, was characterized by evolutionary updates, including a one-piece windshield; it also adopted the Type 4’s so-called “pancake engine” in some markets. Against a great many odds, the T2 remained in production until 2013.

Known as the Vanagon in the United States, the T3 made its debut in 1979 with major changes. It was still shaped like the box it came in but it stood out with more angular styling and a wider body. It was the first Transporter available with a diesel engine, and it was offered with a water-cooled, gasoline-burning flat-four starting in 1982.

Clearly, the venerable air-cooled flat-four was no longer cutting it for many buyers in the 1980s. Volkswagen later expanded the range with a turbodiesel engine and the sought-after Syncro four-wheel-drive system designed jointly with Magna-Steyr. The first factory-built camper ushered in the California nameplate when it made its debut in 1983. But like its predecessors, the T3 was arguably much more popular overseas than in its home country. Production in South Africa continued until 2002.

The T4 debuted in 1990 and finally ditched the rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Power came from a front-mounted engine that spun the front wheels, though four-wheel-drive was available as an option in some markets. Moving the engine to the front end cleared up considerably more space for gear and seats while improving handling and safety, and every Transporter to date has used this layout.

Volkswagen will celebrate 75 years of the Bus by hosting events all over Europe. The brand is throwing a birthday bash at Autostadt, near its historic Wolfsburg, Germany, factory, on May 24 and 25. Details about the event haven’t been released yet, but it’s going to be massive. The automaker is also organizing a Bus-only cars and coffee meeting in the parking lot of its plant in Hanover, Germany, on June 1. The event starts at 9:00 a.m.

Several events organized by owner’s clubs and enthusiasts are planned this year as well, including one at the Salzburgring in Austria that’s taking place from May 16 to 18 and one happening in Spain from May 23 to 25. Given the T1’s status as an automotive icon, we’re betting there are many more events planned.

The Bus Today

Until the electric ID. Buzz of today, Volkswagen had not sold a van in the United States since the T4-based EuroVan retired after the 2003 model year. The T1’s lineage continues in Europe, broken down into several models: The ID. Buzz borrows styling cues from the T1, and it’s available in both people- and cargo-carrying variants. It’s sold alongside the T7 Multivan, which is exclusively offered as a people-hauler and based on the modular MQB platform, and the T7 Transporter, which is closely related to the Ford Transit Custom.

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2025-03-10T18:14:46Z