The
Transporters went into production in November 1949. Below is a picture of a
1949 Prototype basically a box on wheels.
During
a press conference on November 12 1949, Heinz Nordoff chief executive of
Volkswagen presented the world with the first Volkswagen Transporter.
With
it's engine in the rear and passengers placed up front over the axle, the
Transporter, with the payload carried between the axles was perfectly balanced.
The Transporter was a masterpiece of
automotive design work.
Initial
tests on the new vehicle came to a halt. As the floorpan could not with stand
the stress of the new bodywork. A new prototype was hastily built but with
unitary construction. The body and chassis were welded together and
strengthened with an additional subframe. Better brakes were added and the
rounded shape of the front panel reduced fuel consumption.
Mechanically,
the transporter wasn't very different to the beetle
right
up to 1970 both shared the same parts bin.
Using
the same engines and running gear on both kept costs down.
Below
is an early panel van with side opening doors for 'kerbside' access to the huge
162cu ft loadspace.
The
kombi, launched in May 1950, came with side windows and removable seats and was
followed by the microbus in June 1950, with an improved level of trim.
Most
sort after model of Microbus the Samba was introduced in April 1951.
A
superb vehicle it was designed to carry up to nine people, and boasted a
full-length canvas roof.
The
pick up was launched in 1952 and was p
articularly popular
with
the building trade. The pick up withstood an awful amount of abuse
by
tradesmen, and was very reliable.
The picture below shows a much sought after
crew cab model which was
added to the range in 1958.
A
late addition to the range, a High-roof van was launched in 1962
and
proved to be popular with the rag trade as garment
rails
could be fitted in the load area.
Now
very rare, many High-roofs led hard lives.Note that the side loading doors had
to be made bigger to
accomadate the higher roof line.
Second Generation Transporters
(1967-1979)
Known
as Bay Window Transporters.
Starting
with a clean sheet VW launched the Bay window in
August
1967. Despite less appealing body styling it was very well received.
A
sliding side door and step were added to aid entrance into the vehicle.
The
fresh air intakes were moved to the front panel,
the
indicators were moved below the headlamps, the bumpers were stronger
and the one piece
windshield offered better forward vision.
Both
Single-cab and Double-cab Pick-ups were available from the
beginning
and the relative few survivors do not come much better
than this one
dating from September 1967.
Like the single cab
the Double cab came with the option of a tarpaulin.
Spot
the differences (from top left)
1953
Panelvan
1966
21 window Samba
1970
Microbus
1978
Kombi L
Third
Generation Transporter
Known
as The Wedge (1979-1982)
Aerodynamic
theory was put into practice with the third generation Transporters launched in
1979. With a massive tailgate and larger sliding door further improved the
Panelvans load area.
A
luxury Caravelle
Converted VW vans
Fire Engine
Ambulance
Army
truck
No comments:
Post a Comment