Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[A <s>Life</s> Bus in Pictures: The Volkswagen Bus turns 60 <i>*Updated</i>]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/15/a-life-bus-in-pictures-the-volkswagen-bus-turns-60-u/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/15/a-life-bus-in-pictures-the-volkswagen-bus-turns-60-u/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/15/a-life-bus-in-pictures-the-volkswagen-bus-turns-60-u/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Volkswagen Bus turns 60 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Many automakers will build cars for decades and never create a product that can truly be considered a cultural icon. Few that do produce multiple such models. One of those is Volkswagen.The original Beetle/Bug/Type 1 is recognizable almost anywhere and even by people that know nothing about cars. The Beetle itself spawned another icon in the form of the Type 2 (or Microbus), a vehicle that is celebrating its diamond anniversary in 2010.

Like the original Bug, the Microbus had an air-cooled flat-four cylinder engine hanging off the back of the rear axle. The front seats were moved up over the front axle creating a format that was eventually copied by Ford, Dodge, General Motors and countless Japanese automakers.

Over sixty years, the bus became the ride of choice for surfers, hippies and iconoclasts everywhere. Many surviving examples from the 1960s are still hauling surfboards and Deadheads today. In the 1980s, the third-generation bus morphed into the still-loved but less iconic Vanagon, with emissions standards forcing the adoption of water cooling in 1983. The last of the rear-engined VW vans ceased production in 1992. A tip of the hat to Brooks!

*UPDATED: New photos added and official VW press release available after the jump

Gallery: Volkswagen Bus Turns 60!


[Sources: Volkswagen, Life]

Continue reading A Life Bus in Pictures: The Volkswagen Bus turns 60 *Updated

A Life Bus in Pictures: The Volkswagen Bus turns 60 *Updated originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>air-cooledmicrobusType 2Type2vanagonvolkswagenvolkswagen busvolkswagen bus 60th anniversaryvolkswagen microbusVolkswagen Type 2volkswagen vanagonVolkswagenBusVolkswagenBus60thAnniversaryVolkswagenMicrobusVolkswagenType2VolkswagenVanagonVWvw busvw bus 60th anniversaryvw microbusvw type 2vw type iiVwBusVwBus60thAnniversaryVwMicrobusVwType2VwTypeIiMon, 15 Mar 2010 18:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19398578/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/03/15/a-life-bus-in-pictures-the-volkswagen-bus-turns-60-u/19398578/article-detail.xml 19398578 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/vw-bus-history-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/vw-bus-history-630.jpg <![CDATA[Spirit of the VW Camper van goes Element-al]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/04/spirit-of-the-vw-camper-van-goes-element-al/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/04/spirit-of-the-vw-camper-van-goes-element-al/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/04/spirit-of-the-vw-camper-van-goes-element-al/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


click above for more pics of the Ursa Minor ECamper

The family vacation just hasn't been the same since the ubiquity of the Westfalia Camper and the VW Type2 as a family vehicle, both of which have been toppled by the rise of the minivan. There have been Westys since VW went mostly conventional with the Eurovan, but they're not much of a common sight on US Highways anymore.

Ursa Minor Vehicles understands that all those former kids who took trips to the Grand Canyon in a Westfalia have a soft spot for the poptop. Thus, the Ursa Minor ECamper kit for the Honda Element has been born. For those willing to part with an additional 4,000 bones, they will regain the ability to tilt up the roof again and contort themselves into an upper bunk area. The ECamper does require that the donor Element have a sunroof, which is the access hatch to the 85" x 50" sleeping area under the carbon fiber lid. Options such as color matched paint and roof racks are also available, and Ursa Minor will even sell you a fully outfitted Element if you don't want to tackle the kit. $4,300 is about what it'd cost in parts and labor to fix the head gaskets in your Wasserboxer, again, isn't it?

[Source: Winding Road]

Gallery: Ursa Minor ECamper

Spirit of the VW Camper van goes Element-al originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2buscampercampingecamperelementhondaminorpoptoptypetype 2type iiType2TypeIiursaursa minorUrsaMinorvanvolkswagenwestfaliawestyMon, 04 Feb 2008 10:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1105022/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/02/04/spirit-of-the-vw-camper-van-goes-element-al/1105022/article-detail.xml 1105022 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/640grayopen_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/640grayopen_opt.jpg <![CDATA[Artist creates life-sized VW Bus out of wood]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/08/artist-creates-life-sized-vw-bus-out-of-wood/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/08/artist-creates-life-sized-vw-bus-out-of-wood/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/08/artist-creates-life-sized-vw-bus-out-of-wood/#commentsFiled under: ,



Well, this is interesting. By his own account, sculptor Lee Stoetzel is "very interested in the far-reaching power of nature." If you needed further evidence of this, it's currently being displayed at the Mixed Greens Gallery in New York in the form of an almost-full-scale VW Transporter built out of wood and steel (but mostly wood). The craftsmanship is very impressive, and if you've simply gotta have it, you can put it in your...well, somewhere (Flower bed? - Ed.)... for a mere $65,000 USD. As impressed as we are by Stoetzel's work, we'd still rather buy a perfect example of the real thing...for less. Then again, we aren't the most cultured bunch.

Make sure you check out his sportbike made of shells, too.

[Source: Mixed Greens Gallery via Hemmings]

Artist creates life-sized VW Bus out of wood originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 May 2007 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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