Jalopnik: VW Bus

JustKampers Gives New Meaning To Term "Short Bus"

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT

UK-based JustKampers.com teamed up with habitual car midgetizer Andy Saunders to build the worlds shortest VW Bus at Bug Jam '08, a celebration of all things people's car. The build and event took place last week, with a live audience watching the transformation from a standard issue T25 bus to a chopped, sectioned, and lowered bus measuring in at a scant three feet tall. So short, in fact, that a sunroof had to be cut out for the driver's head to poke through while driving. More construction shots and the completed vehicle gallery below.

What's doubly funny about this effort is the fact that when all was said and done, they took it to the drag strip to have a go. Despite our best efforts, the quarter-mile times for the "Vancake," or as we like to call it, "The World's Most Literal Shortbus," could not be found. While hilarious in its own right, we think they should have swung for the deep seats and gone with a pop up camper in the back. [JustKampers and VWBug.co.uk]

Volkswagen Bus Syncro: Ready For South African Hoonage

Murilee Martin — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

We caused some disgruntlement among VW Transporter ~~fanatics~~ aficionados when we opined that perhaps the little rear-engined vans were on the sluggish side. Today we're going to regruntle our Type 2-loving friends by sharing this VW ad that demonstrates- in fact, encourages- off-road hoonage of the sort you'd normally associate with a Warlord Edition 4x4 Hilux. In South Africa, you could get a four-wheel-drive, Audi-5-banger-powered VW Transporter Syncro until 2002. Yes, 2002!

VW Busbretta Isn't Quite Humiliating Enough

Travis Hudson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Pardon us for still trying to wrap our brains around this whole Vespa modding trend, but here is another Vespa-style (it's actually a Lambretta, but details, details) scooter mutilation worthy of noting. Not only is this person driving scooter, but it's a scooter with a sidecar, a sidecar that is modified to look like a Volkswagen Bus. So, Jalopnik faithful, which would you least want to be caught in: the scooter or the sidecar? At least in the sidecar you could possibly duck down low enough to not be seen. [Presurfer]

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.