From a simple sketch of a box-shaped delivery vehicle to one of the
most recognisable silhouettes in motoring, the first-generation VW
Transporter formed the genesis of what was to become the best-selling
van in history.
Unveiled in November 1949, the quirky VW
Transporter would soon find demand for its services throughout the
world, thanks to its cab-forward layout, ingenuity and adaptability. The
initial Panel Van gave rise to a flexible Pick-up, revolutionary Kombi,
adventurous camper and an endless catalogue of inspired conversions and
variations. There were ambulances, mobile shops, school buses, fire
tenders, high-roofed vans, double-cab pick-ups, police vans, mobile
milking machines, and so many more.
As Volkswagen survived Second
World War turmoil and thrived under the firm focus of director general
Heinz Nordhoff, this book charts the progress of the innovative
Transporter as its initial weaknesses were improved and eventually
perfected to exploit the Beetle-based rear-engined layout.
Much
like the Beetle, the Transporter gained a cult following around the
globe, with its attributes as a commercial vehicle equalled by its
status as s hippie bus and stalwart of the surfing community. There was
barely a nation on Earth where the Transporter hadn’t become engrained
in its culture or everyday life.
VW replaced the German-built
first Transporter with a second-generation machine in 1967, but
manufacturing continued in Brazil until 1975 – where the rear-engined
platform itself remained in production until 2013.
It’s no wonder,
then, that the first-generation Transporter is so well-loved today, and
why its incredible story can be told here in such beautifully-presented
and expertly-researched detail. From the first drawings and prototypes
of the late-1940s to the final split-screen Transporters of 1967 and
South American derivatives of the 1970s, Volkswagen author Richard
Copping guides us through an unmissable volume where each model, all
variants and every option of the first-generation Transporter is
lavishly accompanied by sumptuous period photography and stunning
brochure illustrations.