Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sotheby's Santa Monica event, June
24, 2017.
Estimate:
$100,000 - $130,000 US
Freeway Flyer four-speed transmission
Adjustable front and rear ride height
17-inch Budnick wheels over four-wheel disc brakes
The Volkswagen Transporter debuted at the 1949 Geneva Auto Show,
and by the time production ended in Brazil in December 2013, more
than nine million had been built. Among the most desirable of these
long-lived vehicles is the first-generation "split-window"
Transporter, so-named for its two-piece tilt-out windshield, which
was produced from 1950 until 1967 and first sold in the United
States in 1952.
This vaunted VW 23-window bus features seating for nine passengers,
passenger side door entry, eight skylights and a cloth sliding
soft-top. This bus also has the rarest items of all, which are the
two concave rear corner windows that make this a 23-window
design.
Having selected custom features, this nicely updated and restored
Volkswagen is presented in the attractive colors of yellow and
white with a TMI Products interior in two-shades of tan, combining
vinyl and cloth material. The engine is a horizontally-opposed 120
horsepower, 2,110 cubic centimeter unit that has a Porsche cooling
shroud and dual carburetors that can be shown off by opening the
custom trap door in the luggage compartment. The linking
transmission is a "freeway flyer" four-speed manual.
Further reported features include SS Safari front and rear windows,
disc brakes at all four corners, an exhaust system that exits
Porsche-style recessed on the lower-left of the rear bumper,
vintage-style roof rack, and 17-inch Budnik wheels.
The 23-window Volkswagen is a popular and uncommon find that will
be a welcome sight on any roads traveled. A drive along the Pacific
Coast Highway would be a great starting point.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/.
