[+] for using a Steinbeck reference and not Beverly Hillbillies.

If it's a US import, then it would have to be pre-1963. VW stopped bringing the trucks in when the infamous 25% "chicken tax" duty was imposed that year.

If it's newer than '63, it might be a Canadian refugee. It has red turn signals and an MPH speedo, indicating it is not a European grey import.

Maybe a '62?

Wow. That just 16 kinds of awesome! And I can't even begin to name 'em all!

But still, no pictures of what's in the bed?

Dang! thought I'd be a smart a$$ and run the plate through CA's smog database, but I guess it's too old for that, eh?

My neighbors here in Somerville, MA have a bright yellow "extended cab" version of this. The only fault I see with these is the shallow bed thats only a few inches below the wood, really diminishes the super road trip hauling potential.

idiot light...could that be a brake system pressure light?

There's a really nice resto double-cab version I've seen behind the Orange Curtain [SoCal].

My guess is 1963

1963 is the first year for the fried egg turn signals and the last year for the small back window.

The red light on the dash is the the emergency flasher light. (knob for flashers just below it) The real "idiot lights" (oil pressure and generator) are in the speedo.

I bet it could haul with that heavy duty 1.5L engine.

44 raw horses of air-cooled power.

Its a 1962. The oval front turn signals and the large tailights were introduced in 1961, but in 1963 the engine vents started being stamped inward, not outwards as in the photo.

So at that point, either 61-62: but the final identifier is the gas guage, which was not standard until 1962 (unless it was special ordered, extremely unusual for a bare commercial vehicle like this.

IIRC, the oil pressure and charge lights are little red and green dots at the bottom of the speedometer. The big red light is for the emergency flashers.
Nice find!

@murph: Holy crap! I salute you.

I used to frequently see an abandoned Transporter at an equally abandoned gas station in Windsor. I always kinda wanted it, but never made the effort to enquire about it.

As far as the offroadability of these goes, for what it's worth, my grandparents spent a couple years in the early 70's living in Nigeria, and they owned two successive Type 2s (which, if I'm not mistaken, they brought directly from the factory).

@TinaChow: Do you have any info or links about the "chicken tax"?
I sold VW's in the 70's and 80's and always heard about it--we occasionally saw one of these in for service and had lots of people ask about buying one and tried to explain the tax, but I never knew exactly what happened.

@MeMikeYouNot: I believe that Wikipedia is your friend here. I remember reading about it several months back when it was last mentioned. (maybe it was mentioned at TTAC...)

It's still with us to this day. The Chicken Tax was instituted back in 1963, and was aimed at European (read VW) truckmakers.

There was a trade war going back then between the USA and Europe. The Europeans tripled the tax on frozen chickens being imported into Europe, and the US retaliated by putting a 25% tax on any truck imported into the USA. The US government wanted to retaliate, but weren't quite sure what to tax....they wanted to make a point, but not actually impact business. How like the government.

The actual volume of imported trucks was insignificant but it effectively ended VWs sales of trucks in the USA. Type 2s could still come in as passenger vehicles in van form, untouched by the tax.

But ixnay on the uckstray.

Clever Japanese companies implemented port assembly programs in the late 60s to bring their minipickups in. Chassis were not taxed, rear beds came in as separate non-taxed components and the two pieces were bolted together in the ports.

@Maymar: Very cool. My father drove a Type 2 through a raging snowstorm in 1969 from NY to New Brunswick to propose to my mother. He never got stuck, but he was cold for a very, very long time.

Sadly, every T-mino I've seen in the Northeast have been resto-jobs.

@TinaChow: Did the chicken tax affect 2-door Japanese SUVs (Trooper, Montero, Pathfinder, 4-Runner, etc.)? I seem to remember a $2,500 tax or premium on these because they were "trucks" unlike the 4-door "passenger cars."

Chicken Tax history: [www.pitch.com]

@MeMikeYouNot: In '63 the Europeans tripled the tax on imported American poultry, and the US countered that by slapping a 25% tariff on imported trucks.

@brandegee: That's a good one. Right now there are so many games being played on vehicle classification the "chicken tax" is but one factor. CAFE issues now predominate, with vehicles strategically camouflaged as "trucks" or "cars" to cook the books on fuel economy where they can be most effectively deployed.

Chances are if the vehicle in question was classed as an imported truck, the tax was factored into the list price as it is an importer paid duty and not transparent to the consumer.

Looks like there's plenty of room for a 997 Turbo drivetrain.

Wow--thanks for all the info on the chicken tax. Just think how much easier life would have been with the internet in the 70's. I have only seen these a few times, but have always wondered what kind of front end crash protection your legs and ankles would make.

The red light on the exact same location on the dash in the 72 bus in my driveway is generator or charge or whatever... it even has GEN on it in faded white almost-gone letters...

This is the stakebed version of the VW Transporter and it did have wooden stakes, just these are not original. there were two versions, one like this where the bed was the width of the body and one where the bed was 2.5 meters, the maximum allowed width on German roads. Another version was called DoKa for Doppelkabine or crew cab. It could be had with steel gates or wooden stake beds.

BTW ONLY Bavarians wear Lederhosen in Germany. The rest does not wear these silly abborations of apparel. Please note that when you reference them.

IF you wreck one of those,you'll be the first one on the scene.

@MeMikeYouNot: Careful, it's a double edged sword. Evidently, the internet makes life easier for sexual predators and automotive bloggers, too.

@AllenK: Yeah, the only thing protecting you from the impact is the steering wheel, angled just right to bisect you. And Nader got worked up about Corvairs!

Glad to see the requisite KPIG sticker in the window...

hey guys, i own the single cab. i was working on it this morning and some guy told me it was on the internet! i was surprised and am thankful that other people appreciate my trusty vw! so the year is '63. it was originally from santa cruz, then san jose, now alameda.

@bd_juju: KPIG is one of the few bright spots on the AM dial around here.

Heres the scoop. The truck is a 62 or 63. In 62 they went to "fried egg" front turn signals, and those big honkin tail lights. if it were a 64-67 it would have a larger rear window and inward facing engine vents that were configured differently. I'm not sure about the "chicken Tax" thing, but its poppycock. They sold split trucks in the US till 67. Also this truck wasn't made in Wolfsburg. Buses were made in Hanover after early 1956.