1963 Volkswagen T2 Split Screen Camper

This right-hand-drive split-screen VW T2 Kombi was built in April 1963 and first registered in February 1964. It is understood to have undergone a conversion to Devonette Camper configuration between build and registration.

The Devonette conversion was designed and produced by JP White of Sidmouth and featured a built-in mahogany wardrobe and locker spaces, a formica-topped table, gas cooker, ventilated food storage and could sleep two adults and two children.

The current owner, a now-retired F1 engineer, bought the camper in 2011 and promptly went away in it for a few nights camping with his wife. Since then he’s carried out numerous improvements whilst still using it as a daily from Oxford to Grove between March and November each year to ensure it stays in good running order. It has been dry stored each winter.

The couple have also continued to go away for short breaks in the camper - just far enough to be away but not so far that the journey would be a challenge - typically less than four hours drive. These trips - multiple weekends every year in the summer months - have inspired some usability enhancements in the steering, brakes and suspension - as well as upgrading to a bigger, more powerful engine.

Now the camper can maintain a steady 60 mph on dual carriageways - enough to not be stuck behind lorries and drives more like a modern vehicle with the ability to power up and down the hills.

With retirement giving the opportunity for longer trips away, a T6 Camper has been acquired, so the T2 has to give way.

Up until the spring of 2006, this camper was turquoise with white around the windows and on the roof. The colour scheme is now described as “Seagull Grey over Mango Green” (believed to have been done during a partial restoration by Type 2 Detectives). Whatever you call it, the combination looks great and very age-appropriate.

The paint condition is generally good given that we believe it was done around 17 years ago but there are a few areas where the paint has bubbled from behind and flaked off. These include the lower edge of the rear hatch door, the engine cover, the nearside rear quarter by the louvres and a few other spots here and there.

There also appears to be a slight colour mis-match on the driver’s door and around the rear, suggesting that the vehicle has been partially repainted more recently.

The vendor states "During my ownership the bus has had a considerable amount of bodywork restoration (Bumpers. Rear valance. Cargo door. Offside rear corner. New lower section of split screen frames. Roof & guttering. Air vent & flap. New front lower Inner and outer valance. New complete cab floor. New bottoms of pillars. New near side front arch & step. New passenger door. Offside front arch and long panel.)"

He also states "The areas that mentioned are the only remaining bits of bodywork from the restoration 17 years ago, hence the condition and colour mis-match. (Paint to complete is included, can is in wardrobe)"

The camper’s front split-screen is fitted with Safari windows - top hinged and forward opening to give ultimate ventilation. There are also pop out windows at the rear sides.

There are a number of other aftermarket, but complementary, fixtures and fittings around the exterior. There are truck style stainless steel door mirrors, a stainless roof rack, new Hella halogen headlamps and an awning channel.

Many other trim pieces have also been replaced with stainless items like the wiper arms, quarter lights and catches. Other exterior parts like the bumpers and door handles have been restored or refurbished. The vehicle also sits a little lower than standard, as is often the trend with classic VW.

The camper sits on 15-inch steel wheels painted to match the body and fitted with chrome domed VW hubcaps. The wheels are in a reasonable condition with just a light scuffing around the rim. The fronts are fitted with Goodyear Duragrip rubber from 2014 and the rears with Continental Contact tyres dated 2015.

The interior is a tale of two parts, so let’s talk about the cab up front first before we describe the rear accommodation.

The cab is spartan in terms of its design and upholstery. The dash is a simple affair of metal bodywork painted in green mango, with minimal instrumentation and simple controls. The steering wheel is an original style two spoke wheel with moulded rim and the column goes almost vertically down through the rubber-matted floor between the driver’s feet.

The door cards and front liners are a pale grey vinyl, as are the seat coverings, which also have a white piping around the seams. The driver’s seat is individually adjustable and the middle and left passenger seats are formed of a single bench. Both outer seats have period removable headrests slotted over the seatbacks and inertia-reel seatbelts. The centre seat has a lap strap.

In the back section, the full Devonette fit out in mahogany joinery looks to have been retained, including the wardrobe behind the front seats, sliding door cupboards in the rear sides, lounge seats / bed and the formica topped table. Accessed from the rear hatch is a later Caravette style drawer unit. There is also a later Dudley gas stove with full heat/wind shields.

The floor is covered with a green and white checkerboard vinyl and the headlining is beautifully done in wood panelling. A combination of plain grey and period-pattern curtains provide some privacy if required. The whole interior has been fitted with soundproofing sheets against the body’s metalwork.

The rear engine cover is held up with a Geek shack strut kit and reveals a very organised and clean compartment with a 1776cc air-cooled engine. This isn’t original to the camper but was more recently fitted and has around 10,000 miles on it. It has electronic ignition and a hi-torque starter and was fitted with a new clutch in September 2019. Both gas and powder fire suppression systems have been fitted to the engine bay for dual peace of mind.

The undersides are in reasonable order, with a fair amount of surface rust across many components. As there’s been no recent MOT, potential bidders should satisfy themselves of the camper’s condition by scrutinising the detailed photos or by arranging a personal inspection.

Further details of what is fitted to the car by way of steering, brakes and suspension as well as other key features are listed in one of the documents in the gallery.

The camper’s last MOT expired in May 2019, not long after removal of the requirement for historic vehicles like this to be tested annually. As ever, we would encourage owners of classics to maintain an annual testing regime to give an independent assessment of continued roadworthiness and safety.

The VW comes with a good chunk of history, mostly from around 2007 onwards and includes past MOTs and numerous invoices for parts and work done - much of which has helpfully been separately listed by the vendor. The camper also comes with numerous spares and also some of the original parts like the mirrors and headlamps.

The camper was reported stolen back in November 2006, which the current owner has looked into and gathered some notes for the history file. It seems that the then owner took the camper to a VW specialist garage in London for some work and they apparently copied the key. It was stolen from outside the owner’s house a matter of days later and found back in the garage’s storage yard! The vehicle was therefore recovered without a claim on the insurance. Sadly the ID plate was removed from the camper during the theft but the chassis number is still present, stamped on a tag behind the driver’s seat. The vendor states "All the ID plate information is available on the Birth certificate supplied by VW auto museum."

The resurgence of interest in classic campervans has been going for several years now and shows little sign of abating. No doubt some of it continues to be fuelled by nostalgia for family holidays way back when, but even if your parents weren’t hip in the sixties these campers appeal to people of all ages for their practicality, ease of maintenance and effortless cool.

These older small rear window split-screen T2s are highly sought after and probably aren’t a great deal more costly to live with than the later bay window models, especially when they’ve had some sympathetic updates to improve the usability - like this one has.

Although repainted a little while ago it is generally still looking good - especially inside where you’ll spend most of your time. It has also been well maintained by someone who clearly knows what they are doing, so we have guided it between £20,000 and £30,000.

Even at the top end, that seems amazingly cheap for such a cool camper when you consider you’d have to pay a lot more than that for a 10-year-old VW Transporter builder’s van that’s been given a campervan makeover.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near 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’.