1976 Volkswagen Westfalia camper van with pop-up tent and pull-out awning. This vehicle was fully built out to travel the world in. A total of $40,000 was spent on mechanical upgrades during the build, excluding body paint, upholstery, and accessories that were added to make this vehicle fully functional for living out of. The stickers on the window show every country this vehicle has been to over the course of seven years. The owner wrote a book about his journey in this Volkswagen camper. There’s a fully functional kitchen in the rear of the vehicle. There is an upgraded navigation system and stereo system. The 2L engine runs like a top. Upgraded 16” wheels and tires. A tow hitch has been added to the rear of the vehicle. All of the documented receipts from Westy Works auto repair in San Luis Obispo, California. Come with the vehicle. A copy of the book written by the owner, Roy Bruder, “Bird on a Wire,” comes with the sale of the vehicle as well. This turn key vehicle is ready for a new owner to carry on this amazing Westfalias legacy. $25,900
It's Just the Gypsy in My Soul
A 1976 VW Westfalia Bus — and the man who loved it
My dad was one of a kind. He lived unapologetically himself and was always moving forward — on his own terms, with freedom in his spirit and the wind under his feet. His favorite colors are Hawaiian sunsets. Often seen sporting a long pony tail, brightly colored shorts with palm tree designs and no shoes. He sang the tunes of the great songwriters of the 60s & 70s, a beatnik at heart with the soul of Jackson Browne.
He would have told you that it started before he could even talk. He was born in the dead of a New Jersey winter in 1943, and before he was a year old — just walking on his own — he apparently decided to take a trip. He strolled out of the house unnoticed and walked six blocks from home. The police were called. There was even a story in the Newark Star-Ledger about his first road trip. As he put it:
"I guess wanderlust is in the DNA."
By 1971 he was done with cold New Jersey winters and had no real ties to break, so the plan was hatched to move to California — a change he would never regret. Not long after, in 1973, he found himself on Oahu chasing a gig with nothing but his guitar, his confidence, and a handshake plan with a fellow musician named Harold. When Harold asked how he'd find him in Waikiki, my dad's answer was simple:
"Just go to the best restaurant in Waikiki, and I'll be playing there."
"Cockiness was not in short supply."
Within days he was playing two nights a week at Nick's Fishmarket, arguably the premier gig in Waikiki. Harold walked in a week later, they formed a duo, and it became the start of what my dad called a transformational experience. Over the decades that followed, he traveled through 75 countries on every continent except Antarctica — by train, bus, boat, car, and camper — keeping daily journals, writing an online blog, and scratching notes on cocktail napkins and beer coasters wherever the road took him.
I grew up outside Yosemite in the early 80s with my mom, dad, and older sister. We lived a happy hippie life on 40 acres — growing our own food, no TV, nature all around. My parents had met and married in Kailua, Hawaii in the late 70s, and in 1996 my dad decided it was time to return to the islands. He bought 40 acres on the north shore of Maui in Haiku, where he and my mom built their long-awaited dream home together.
My mom passed away in May of 2001. I moved to San Diego for college and to move through my own grief, while my dad started traveling again. After losing her, he sold the dream home they had built together and followed me to San Diego to be closer to family. But something was still missing. He longed for the road. He longed for adventure. Perhaps he was running away. Perhaps he was looking for something. Perhaps both.
In 2009, he bought the yellow bus.
We drove it to my uncle's house in central California, where together they refitted the interior — my uncle was a specialist in woodworking and cabinetry, and the two of them transformed it into something worthy of the road. By 2011, my dad had been thinking bigger. While traveling in Europe, he was struck by the beauty of the campsites in Austria and Switzerland and began to imagine a different kind of journey. He looked into renting a campervan, but the cost for three months was over $18,000. And then, as he wrote in his book Bird on a Wire:
"I had a minor epiphany: hey, I already own a van. While still in Cardiff, I had purchased a 1976 VW Bus. It was a Westfalia, so it had a pop-top which made hot summer nights somewhat bearable. Considerable work had to be done to make it into a long-term camper but over time and the writing of more than a few substantial checks, it was ready for the road. I tested it on a shorter trip through the Sierra along Highway 49 and that summer I toured the Pacific Northwest for three months. I loved driving that bus and it attracted a lot of attention, so I got to meet new people along the way. It broke down regularly and often I would have to hole up in some small town waiting for parts and repair work. I didn't care. I had no schedule and I was free."
In May of 2012, he shipped the bus to Europe. He found a storage space in a garage outside of Limoges, France — 50 euros a month — where the van could wait for him through the winters. Each spring he returned, and the adventures continued. The bus carried him through 34 European countries over the years, from Norway to Turkey, becoming as much a companion as a vehicle.
My dad passed away from leukemia on August 28, 2021. He left behind a legacy of adventure, travel, laughter, music, and love. But before he went, he told me something I hold close: that the years he had with the van were the best years of his life.
This 1976 VW Westfalia pop-top bus carries all of that with it — every highway, every campsite, every small town repair shop, every sunset watched through the windshield. It is not just a vehicle. It is the physical embodiment of a life lived fully and freely, on no one's terms but his own.
It brings me immense joy to know that this van will continue to adventure and bring smiles to more people in the world. My dad would have loved that. He always did love meeting new people along the way.
Vehicle is on consignment at Gold Country Classic Cars.
Gold Country Classic Cars is a family owned & operated classic and collector car dealership located in Grass Valley, CA. We buy, sell, trade and consign and we love connecting buyers with their perfect car! We offer worldwide shipping using reputable transportation at a competitive rate. We also offer financing. Call for more info today at (530) 955-0404 or visit us at www.goldcountryclassiccars.com
