| Camper History |
The VW Type 2 (commercial) was launched in 1949.
The original split-screen body had a major facelift in 1967 to become what
is commonly known as the 'bay window' due to the big curved windscreen. The
bay window was replaced by the "third generation" square bodied Transporter
in 1979. The Transporter ran an air-cooled engine until 1982, then changed
to a water-cooled flat four until its demise in the early
90's.
Bay window camper vans were built by various specialist firms
from basic commercials. Mechanically, a bay window
camper was basically a stretched beetle chassis with a house on top. As with
all the commercials, there
were reduction gearboxes on either rear halfshaft which geared down the drive
and also raised the body, adding to the inherent instability when cornering.
The drivers seat was mounted over the front wheels, which took a bit of
getting used to as the ride seemed very floaty and unreal.
My
Camper was a white 1972 Dormobile conversion with a side hinged flip-up roof
and a 1600cc engine. The camper was pretty ropey, with rusting bodywork and
threadbare interior. The motor had been rebuilt with a new Mexican crankcase
but all the old parts inside, (including the old seals as I later found
out). The Camper wasn't really mine. It was on loan from my friend
Matt who was in Germany for a year. My job was to keep it in one piece and
have some fun. I just about managed both.
The camper bits were all
functional except for the gas/electric fridge which I never mastered, and
which smelled of cheese. The camper
would sleep three drunken men, although it was advisable to leave a window
open. I only used it for camping a few times, including a trip to the Le
Mans 24 hour race when the crankshaft oil seal gave way. The camper spent
most of the year as a very large
uneconimical car, although it was put to good use to move other people's
furniture and do the weekly shop.
I'd like another camper one day, but
that one was just too unreliable. It was a bit sad when I had to hand back
the keys, but I was also relieved to see the back of it.
|
| Camper Links |
| Westfalia Owners Club. |
Even though mine was a Doormobile. |
|
| VW Camping. |
Radical, man (or woman). |
|
| To India in a VW. |
Spiritual experience or hell on wheels? |
|
Menu
Camper Pics
My Ford Cortina
My Cars
Home Page
Guestbook
Search
|