The VW Westfalia reborn!

We love the VW Westfalia camper van so much that we included it in our list of Top 10 Ways To Motor Your Home. The GermanCarBlog just found a French Canadian designer who is trying to revive the Westfalia and looking for a corporate partner to help him. Alexandre Verdier designed his new Westfalia with all the charm of the original and even more functionality, if that's possible. The pop top's still there, but it rises straight up now instead of tilting and is covered in solar panels. The front passenger seat converts its seat back into stairs leading to the upper level, and when raised an awning can be pulled out from either side of the top (it even has insect netting!). Other updated features include a kitchenette that swings completely out of the van and a storage drawer in the back for a set of folding chairs. The design is ultra modern with flush surfaces, a near pillarless greenouse, and what appears to be LED lighting. Unlike the original, we assume this Westfalia's engine would be located ahead of the front axle based on the intake vents in the front fascia.

Though Verdier's Westfalia is still very much a proof of concept, he is currently looking for a company to partner with and build a running prototype.



Don't forget to check out the video of the Verdier Westfalia at the designer's site, and more pics of the concept after the jump.

[Source: Verdier.ca via GermanCarBlog]