Background
The Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter van’s forward control layout endowed it with huge versatility and it was configured in a bewildering number of variants, from a hard-core panel van that lacked both rear seats and side windows through to the (reasonably) luxurious Samba Deluxe with its full-length headlining, eight passenger seats, and two-tone paint finish.
They all shared common mechanical underpinnings though, including the Beetle’s - and later Porsche 914’s - infamous flat-four, boot-mounted and air-cooled engine. The Type 2 might have started off modestly but it gained both capacity and power over the years, ending its life in Germany with a 1600cc, 47bhp engine and, in America, a two-litre, 65bhp unit.
It is perhaps best known for the Type 2 campervan, which is ubiquitous; from the early days when homebrewed concoctions were seen in places as exotic as Iran and Afghanistan.
What they all have in common are a rock-and-roll double bed, some sort of sink and cooker unit, and a raising roof for more headroom and extra sleeping space.
Now more likely to be seen in Cornwall than on the Hippy Trail, a whole new generation are discovering the delights of a life that includes a T2 camper; whether being used as a day van that that provides hot drinks and shelter for hard-core surfers, or a long-term home for overlanding and exploration, few things in life are as faithful and reliable as a Type 2 Transporter.
By the time production ended almost 1.5 million Transporters of various hues and roles had rolled off European production lines - and it’s fair to say that a significant percentage of them are still on the roads thanks to a fanatical following and an almost unparalleled spares and support network.
Famously robust, reliable and hugely popular, the Type 2 remained in production in Brazil until increasingly stringent regulations finally killed it off in 2013.
