1973 Volkswagen T2 'Bay' Devon Camper RHD

With just four previous keepers and a thick history file, this delightful right-hand-drive Volkswagen Type 2 campervan offers an enthusiast the chance to undertake a rolling restoration while continuing to enjoy its many charms.

First sold on the 18th of December 1972 as a genuine Devon Caravelle, this 1973-MY was originally finished in Pastellweiss (colour code L90D1) and Leucht Orange (L20B1).

Its early years were faithfully recorded in a hand-written summary that shows it visited Germany, France, Holland, and Spain when it was younger. One trip even included a run over the Pyrenees, which must have been quite an undertaking.

Despite its well-patinated appearance, the vendor drove to us, and even used it to visit Holland recently for his brother’s wedding. If that’s not faith in the old girl, we don’t know what is.

Oh, and most of the marks you can see are rust preventer, the owner has stabilized the oxidation ahead of the new owner commissioning the necessary bodywork.

Being offered with no reserve, this is your chance to buy a straightforward project to keep you occupied over the winter ahead of a summer’s-worth of family fun!

As you can see in the photos, the exterior of the campervan does have some rust. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the owner has applied rust killer to most of the rust to stabilize it. This preventative work will help buy the new owner some time while they decide just how far they want to go with its restoration. (Of course, the Rat Rod look is all the rage, so the work need not be as onerous as a full-on, concours-quality respray…)

Importantly, the rising roof still rises on demand - that we should all be so consistent in our fifth decade… - and is in good shape. The steel wheels will need respraying, the chrome hubcaps need polishing, and the tyres look past their best, so will need replacing.

It is worth pointing out that it looks honest to us; no-one is trying to hide anything and buying a vehicle in this condition at least gives you a chance to fully understand its issues. A fresh coat of paint to take advantage of the rising market might make that campervan you’ve been admiring look great now, but any unresolved problems will come back to haunt you in the coming months…

The photographs should give you a good idea of its condition, but you are very welcome to come and see us here at The Market HQ in Abingdon in order to assess for yourself the scope of work that is required.

The front seats are in a good usable condition, as are the two rear seats. The latter are covered, so we can’t speak as to the condition of the underlying material. However, one of the first jobs everyone undertakes is to retrim the interior anyway because it makes such a huge difference to the look and feel of the finished campervan, so if you budget for a retrim then you aren’t going to be disappointed.

The headlining is a bit stained and the inside of the rising roof has some gaffer tape repairs to it, plus a few split seams. We think it’s too far gone to be saved, so again it’s probably safe to assume it needs a new one.

The wooden fixtures and fittings look sound though, but will probably only need sanding down and varnishing. However, the interior of the fridge has cracked, so we’d imagine the new owner will want to fit another.

The carpets and the fabric roof edges look like they’ve seen better days too, but the full-width rubber mat in the front looks to be salvageable, as do the door cards.

It also has a gas cooker and sink, although neither have been tested. In the case of the former we would strongly advise you to get it serviced and checked by a qualified engineer prior to using it. A carbon monoxide alarm might not be a bad idea, either.

As to the sleeping arrangements, the rear seats fold down to form a double bed, and there are two hammock-style single beds above, which are suitable for children or small adults. The latter roll up and stow away, freeing up headroom and space when they aren’t being used.

It’s really very clever in there and the advantage of buying something from this period is that everything was constructed in a suitably robust way; it makes today’s lightweight, built-down-to-a-price campervans look shoddy and under-engineered in comparison.

So, while there is work to do, when it is finished you will have something that is much more elegant and durable than anything you could buy new today.

The engine is not thought to be the original but then the Volkswagen is nearly fifty years old, so it would be amazing if it were. It starts, runs and drives well, although there does appear to be an issue with the idling, which the new owner will want to address.

The owner has had it for around four years, and tells us that it has always started, no matter how long it has been left. He says it has been “trouble-free” and is an “amazing vehicle”.

The engine bay itself is very clean and tidy, and the ‘van looks like it has had a recent Bosch battery.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s mileage.

The MOT certificate has expired, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. It also has its original instruction manual and a workshop repair manual.

The handwritten history records many charming details of its life, including the fact that it was subject to petrol rationing at the time, which meant the owner had to redeem petrol vouchers in order to buy fuel.

It also details the repairs that were carried out in the 1980s, work that included some bodywork - and, if you need any more convincing that this Volkswagen has good karma, just take a look at the sort of window stickers it has accumulated over the years…

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a high standard.

This is not a campervan you can buy and drive for the next ten years without having to spend anything on it. But then the reality is that even the shiniest T2 campervan is going to be an ongoing project, and at least with this one you know that it will be solid underneath when it finally sports fresh paint and underseal.

It is also something of a blank canvas for its new owners. As an original Devon campervan rather than a later conversion on a bog-standard van or minibus, it is beautifully constructed inside and the quality puts most modern campers to shame.

Plus, retro is always cool, and you get to choose your own colour scheme and fittings without feeling guilty that you are undoing a perfectly good ‘van for no good reason other than your own vanity; this one will be to your taste from the very beginning.

And few classic cars offer the same spares, accessories, and knowledge support as the VW campervan; no matter what you need, whether it’s a period-correct cooker or an understanding of how to fettle the roof, someone, somewhere will have the solution – and you’ll only need a decent DIY toolkit too, as few cars are as infinitely repairable as these.

It’ll be cheap, too. The owner is a pragmatic man who accepts that the market for a project like this is smaller than he would like so he has agreed to offer it on a no reserve basis, so it’ll sell from the very first bid.

Just think; with a winter’s-worth of hard work you could be tooling down to the coast in it by next Easter…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings of any auction, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles we have for sale. While we use our trade experience to assess every car that comes through our hands (and between us we have bought hundreds of classic cars over the years for our personal use…) we are fallible, and our assessment of a car may contrast with that you might form yourself.

This is why we offer a far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange a professional inspection on their behalf of, each vehicle prior to bidding than any traditional car auction, and we will never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this by coming to see it in person.

That said, we do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or those formed as a result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.