1970 Volkswagen Bus

Description

Is there any vehicle with as many stories to tell as the VW Microbus? Camper, transporter, pickup truck, house on wheels, tour guide, whatever it is, the VW bus has done it. This 1970 Volkswagen bus is just a wonderful way to grab all of that history and keep it for yourself, all wrapped in a familiar yet surprisingly stylish body.

Someone has obviously lavished a lot of time and attention on this VW and the results are pretty darned nice. It's definitely high-visibility with its cheerful red and white paint scheme, but the paint isn't what this VW is about. Instead, it's about details and here there are many. Note the clean, unadorned lines accentuated not by graphics or art but by laser-straight bodywork and deep, shiny paintwork that only comes from pros doing their thing. The two-tone combination is quite period-correct and gives the bus a jaunty appearance that works well with the VW's famous personality. Other things like the painted bumpers and big chrome VW emblem in the center are trademarks that VW faithful can recognize from a mile away and all those big windows make it as bright and airy inside as you'd expect. And remarkably, it's completely stock externally, showing that collectors prefer them as the factory intended.

The interior is really where these vehicles shine. Totally restored, it offers durable materials and basic accommodations for passengers, but the style is timeless. Black upholstery is a wonderful contrast to the red exterior and the original-style woven vinyl will last practically forever. Proper side panels and door panels give it a very finished look and the original-style headliner overhead keeps it bright and clean. The front seats offer a commanding view of the road completely free of obstructions, and the bus-like driving position is actually comfortable for long trips, which is really what these buses were designed to do, and the commanding driver's seat offers a panoramic view out the massive windshield. Basic instrumentation was provided by the factory, and it deviates from the Beetle by using three round pods that may just have been influenced by another air-cooled, rear-engined people transporter from GM. You'll also be pleased to see that even the stereo is the original AM/FM unit, which remains fully functional. And in addition to three rows of seats, there's a reasonably large and nicely upholstered package shelf atop the engine bay in back.

The engine is a relatively modest version of the Beetle's venerable flat-four. Displacing 1600 cc, it carries an AD code, which correctly dates it as a 1970-1973 Type 2 VW powerplant. With the vast array of upgrades available for these tough little machines, this one is remarkably stock, right down to the single carburetor and factory air cleaner up top. It's brightly detailed and very clean, and given the reliability of these VWs, you should be able to enjoy this one for many years to come. The underside is in very good condition and with a 4-speed manual transmission, it is a lot of fun to drive. A stock exhaust system gives it that familiar VW sound, and even that is OEM-spec, so you know someone was sweating the details. Standard steel wheels with chrome hubcaps and 195/74/14 radials look traditional but improve the handling in a noticeable way.

If you're a fan of VW buses, this is a wonderfully correct one that was restored to a surprisingly high level. Everything that was done only enhances what was already great, making it one of the best we've seen. Call today!