Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale August 17th - 19th, 2017 at
Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Monterey, California Auction. Please
contact us for more information. The first generation of the
Volkswagen Type 2 Bus with the split windshield, informally called
the Microbus, Split screen, or Splittie among modern fans, was
produced from March 1950 through the end of the 1967 model year.
The 1963 model year introduced the 1500 engine - 1,493 cc-- as
standard equipment to the US market producing 51 horsepower. Among
American enthusiasts, it is common to refer to the different models
by the number of their windows. The basic Kombi or Bus is the
11-window (a.k.a. three-window bus because of three side windows)
with a split windshield. The DeLuxe model featured eight rear side
windows and two rear corner windows, making it the 15-window. In
addition, the sunroof DeLuxe with its additional eight small
skylight windows are, accordingly, the 23-window. From the 1964
model year, with its wider rear door, the rear corner windows were
discontinued, making the latter two the 13-window and 21-window
respectively. The 23-window and later 21-window models were
nicknamed "Samba." The Volkswagen Samba, is also known as Sunroof
Deluxe, was the most luxurious version of the T1. Volkswagen
started producing Sambas in 1951. Instead of a sliding door at the
side the Samba had two pivot doors. In addition, the Samba had a
fabric sunroof. Sambas were painted standard in two colors. The
upper part was colored white and on this example the body was
Turquoise. The two-colored sections were separated by a decorative
strip. Further the bus had a so-called "hat": at the front of the
van the roof was just a little longer than the car itself to block
the sun for the driver. The windows had chrome tables and the van
had a more comprehensive dashboard than the This 1964 VW 21 Window
Deluxe "Samba" Microbus received a full concours nut and bolt
restoration in 2014 to a museum quality standard that baffles the
mind. Nicknamed "Opal," the restoration was performed by Lenny
Copp's West Coast Classics in California. This is a flawless piece
of restored history that words can't describe. This "Samba" drives
better than it did when it left the factory. The interior, down to
the last stitch, was returned to like new condition. The exterior
and undercarriage were also restored to as new condition. The
engine and transmission were rebuilt utilizing modern technology
were possible. Volkswagen Samba's continue to ride the popularity
wave and examples that are restored to this level command respect
among knowledgeable collectors. The engine and transmission was
brought to "0" time overhauled and new standards.
