Jalopnik: Volkswagen Transporter

The Shitty Splitty Triumphs Over Tennessee Rust... For Now

Murilee Martin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Of all the cars we saw at the Billetproof Nor-Cal show in Antioch, this split-window VW Type 2 pickup was the hands-down winner of our Rustiest Vehicle Award. Originally a plumber's work truck in Tennessee (you can just barely make out the lettering on the sides), this Transporter became so rust-ravaged that it was junked. After 25 years of quiet oxidation beneath a canopy of kudzu in the junkyard, this Splitty was purchased by a ~~total madman~~ devoted VW aficionado, who got it running and brought it to California. How rusty is it? Well, a friend of the Shitty Splitty's owner put it this way: "When we drove out here, I refused to drive behind it." OK, now you Midwesterners can let loose with a fusillade of "You California boys don't know the meaning of rust, you betcha!" comments.

21-Window Volkswagen Transporter Braves Downtown San Francisco

Murilee Martin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT

After I was caught in a camera-challenged condition when spotting the '70 Fiat 500 near my office in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood and was forced to use the 640x480 so-called camera in my cellphone, I resolved to start carrying a real camera at all times. Naturally, I totally spaced on the camera thing when I caught sight of this 21-window Transporter while out for some Bánh mì on my lunch break last week, and once again we all get to look at blurry, wide-angle cellphone shots. These things didn't fare too well around here, because the sun and smog tend to eat up the seals around all those windows, which lets rust gain a toehold it generally never relinquishes. But here's a very original black-plate example that (if the window stickers are to be believed) has been damn near everywhere.