This is the story of VW's timeless classic, the Type 2 Transporter, universally known as the Bus. It is sixty years since the idea of VW's Transporter was conceived by Dutchman Ben Pon after seeing motorized trollies conveying components around the British-managed Wolfsburg factory in the mid-1940s. With blueprints complete by November 1948, the Bulli as it was known in Germany went into production a year later. The 100,000th Transporter was built in October 1954, the millionth in 1961 and the 3 millionth in 1971, the total number of vehicles exceeding 6.5 million. The Transporter changed little in concept throughout decades of production, and remained in production in Brazil until very recently, nearly six decades after its postwar German debut.
Researched in incredible detail, this book explores the story of the VW bus, from early origins through to the present day. This entirely new edition includes details of many of the different camper conversions, and examines the social history and the T2's evolution. Including full specifications, production figures and buying advice, this totally reworked classic is an interesting, highly informative read and a must for any VW enthusiast.
About the Author: Malcolm Bobbitt is a writer who focuses mainly on automotive subjects. With over 30 books to his credit, including marque histories of the Fiat 500 and 600, Rover P4, Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit, Bentley T-Series and Mulsanne, and postwar Hillmans, Malcolm's output is diverse. He also contributes to a number of magazines. An avid motoring enthusiast, Malcolm has owned an array of classic cars, including British-built Citroens, a Traction Avant, an early DS, and a Fiat 500c Topolino. Malcolm was born in London, but now lives with his wife in Cumbria on the edge of the Lake District. His other interests include walking, travel, industrial and transport archaeology, classical music, fine wines and collecting motoring books.
