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Volkswagen successfully transitioned from a car for '70s hippies to an entry-level status car for '90s yuppies. With the re-imagined VW Bulli Concept the company's making a stab at both markets. Hipyups? Yuphips? More »
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Leave it to the Swedes to create something truly weird with a straight face. Joining the Koenigsegg CCR is this clip by animator Tomas Nilsson. More »
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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. More »
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One thing that's hard about this series is the glut of air-cooled Volkswagens on the island; I could easily do nothing but 60s Beetles and Transporters for a month straight and still not run out. These VWs are survivors and fully deserving of recognition, of course, but it wouldn't do to have them shove aside all the other cool machinery in this series. Rationing has been necessary, but it's been a while since our last Transporter (so far we've seen a '56, a '57, a '62, a '63, a '67, and a '70), so let's look at a very nice 48-year-old example today. And, what the heck- let's have a poll! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=362663&view=rss&microfeed=true Say you were a Berkeley radical back in 1968- you know, high ideals, willing to lay down your life for The Cause, etc. Then, well, you got taken up on that high mountain and shown the fleshly kingdoms that lay before you, simply for the price of your soul. That's what happened with Jerry, an ex-radical who struck it rich in the house of Mammon. Jerry shed all the trappings of his old life, with the single exception of the Volkswagen bus... perhaps as a cynical reminder to himself of what might have been. Then, some camera-wielding freak from his past shows up when he's leaving work and blows it all to hell. Or something like that. In any case, it's hard to see how this ad could have moved any Transporters off the lots. More »
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OK, this VW Transporter isn't quite as low as this insane machine, nor is it quite as old. However, it makes up for those shortcomings by having such a great Survivor Patina, and by parking on one of the busiest streets in town. It's hard to tell how many donor vehicles contributed body parts for this bus, but it's got to be at least four. And, once again, I'm unable to provide an exact year for an older German vehicle; I'm pretty sure it's from the 1963-1967 period, but- as always- clarifications from VWology PhDs are welcomed. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=328832&view=rss&microfeed=true Forgive us for thinking that we'd maybe choose something with a bit more power and ground clearance than a VW T2 Transporter, were a howling, torch-wielding mob of European peasants battering down the doors of our castle. Say, a Unimog, for example. Still, for the mad scientist on a tight budget, the Transporter will get the job done! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=316576&view=rss&microfeed=true How good were T3-generation VW Transporters at preserving life and limb at high speed into a flat wall? Let's just say the last thing to go through the mind of whatever dummy was behind the wheel of this doppeltkabin was about a quarter-ton of gravel. But c'mon, it's wall-on-wall action; what'd you think would happen? [Thanks to Jeremy for the tip.] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=312477&view=rss&microfeed=true When it drives through your typical quaint German village, the early Transporter inhales crowds of pedestrians, construction equipment, stacks of boxes, whatever you got! Of course, with 36 horses clattering around in the back, it wasn't going to move all that stuff very quickly, but odds are you'd reach your destination. More »
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We saw the Small-Block Chevrolet engine in the last WEOTD, which means it's time to take a look at what may be the only engine that can rival the Chevy in terms of longevity and units built: the air-cooled VW. In one form or another, it was manufactured for 70 years; while it had its weaknesses (feel free to list them in exhaustive detail, commenters, but don't leave out the strengths), it was a lightweight, simple powerplant that was cheap to build and easy to work on. And, just because we can, we're having a poll for your favorite! [Wikipedia] More »
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Now, most of the time when I tell people I see a Type 2 driving around town with maybe two inches of ground clearance (if that), they assume the old bus has some sort of airbag suspension and can be raised up to clear driveways, speed bumps, lines painted on the road, etc. Nein! The utter madman who drives this Transporter- and drive it he does; I see it on the move all the time- has it set up to be this low at all times! Yes, you've seen Type 2s even lower than this... at car shows. East Bay readers who have seen this machine leaving showers of sparks on routine road imperfections, back me up here. More »
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OK, holders of PhDs in VWology, I'm going to need youse to jump in here and point out the features that indicate the exact year of this Type 2 truck, because I'm stumped. I'm pretty sure it's from the 1964-67 period, but that's as close as I'm willing to call it. What I can say is that this pickup (actually, flatbed with wooden side rails) parks on a busy street, drives every day, and is used to haul stuff around. Maybe you hear a lederhosen-clad oompah band instead of Hank Williams when you look at it, but this here VW is still a goldang real truck! More »
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In our last Project Car Hell, the Mazda Rotary Pickup stomped the RX-4 Wagon by a huge three-to-one margin, no doubt because we're all suckers for unfixable little trucks with a huge ROTARY POWERED sign on the tailgate. But forget all about Rotary Hell, because now we've got a couple- actually a trio- of real gems for your eternal wrenching enjoyment... More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=292054&view=rss&microfeed=true We can't tell who's really pulling at the end of this video, but it looks like the Transporter. But with the stylish hood scoop and generally hooptyesque, quite-possibly-meth-addled demeanor, the Euro-spec Ford Granada takes the style trophy for sure. More »
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All right, we're forced to admit that Volkswagen didn't actually offer a Ketchup-und-Mustard paint option on the Type 2. But if they had, we're sure it would have been issued with window blinds just like this one, which resides in Alameda's West End. More »
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