Vehicle Description
Is there any vehicle with as many stories to tell as the VW
Microbus? Camper, transporter, pickup truck, house on wheels, tour
guide, whatever it is, the VW bus has done it. This 1975 Volkswagen
Type 2 Bus is just a wonderful way to grab all of that history and
keep it for yourself, all wrapped in a familiar yet surprisingly
stylish body.
Someone has obviously lavished a lot of time and attention on this
VW and the results are pretty darned nice. It's definitely
high-visibility with its cheerful red and white paint scheme, but
the beautiful paint isn't the only thing that this VW is about.
Instead, it's about details and here there are many. Note the
clean, unadorned lines accentuated with a smidge of art and by
laser-straight bodywork and deep, shiny paintwork that only comes
from pros doing their thing, and in this case the fells at Reads
Automotive in Ft. Worth, Texas really went all out. The two-tone
combination is quite period-correct and gives the bus a jaunty
appearance that works well with the VW's famous personality. Other
things like the painted chrome bumpers and big chrome VW emblem in
the center are trademarks that VW faithful can recognize from a
mile away and all those big windows make it as bright and airy
inside as you'd expect. Finally, the piece de resistance is the
retractable vinyl roof section that takes gazing at the stars
during a camping trip to a very high level.
The interior is really where these vehicles shine. Totally
restored, it offers durable materials and basic accommodations for
passengers, but the style is timeless. Red vinyl upholstery with
white piping is a wonderful complement to the red and white
exterior and the updated vinyl will last practically forever.
Handsome side panels and door panels give it a very finished look
and the original-style headliner overhead keeps it bright and
clean. Plush black carpets are up front, and a Persian-style rug
was laid down in front of the rear bench seat, which as awesome
touch that we think really ties the whole bus together, Big
Lebowski style. But that's just like our opinion, man. The front
seats offer a commanding view of the road completely free of
obstructions, and the school bus-like driving position is actually
comfortable for long trips, which is really what these buses were
designed to do, providing a commanding driver's seat offers a
panoramic view out the massive windshield. Basic instrumentation
was provided by the factory, and it deviates from the Beetle by
using three round pods that may just have been influenced by
another air-cooled, rear-engined people transporter from VW. You'll
also be pleased to see that even the stereo looks correct, because
the builder picked a modern retro-style AM/FM/AUX unit that fits in
the dash, with USB connectivity through a capable under the dash.
And in addition to the seats, there's a reasonably large and nicely
upholstered package shelf mattress-pad atop the engine bay in back,
so this bus is camp-ground ready.
The engine is a relatively modest version of the Beetle's venerable
flat-four. Displacing 1641cc, it carries a correct piston and
sleeve kit, and fires right up on demand and runs incredibly
smooth. With the vast array of upgrades available for these tough
little machines, this one is remarkably stock, right down to the
single carburetor and factory-style air cleaner up top. It's neatly
detailed and clean, and given the reliability of these VWs, you
should be able to enjoy this one for many years to come. The
underside is in very good condition and with a 4-speed manual
transmission (and a super cool shifter topped with a custom
figurine), it is a lot of fun to drive. A stock exhaust system
gives it that familiar VW sound, and even that is likely OEM-spec,
so you know the former owners were really sweating the details.
Standard steel wheels were painted red and adorned with proper
chrome hubcaps and 195/75/14 radials look traditional but improve
the handling in a noticeable way.
If you're a fan of VW buses, this is a wonderful example that was
restored to a surprisingly high level. Everything that was done
only enhances what was already great, making it one of the best
we've seen. Call today!
