Experience the Vintage feel of the VW Microbus T1

Sebastian Leonowicz

 

Bridgeman Images.

 

Produced by Volkswagen in 1950 to 1967, the Transport Model 1 (or T1 for short) is a van that uses an air cooled boxer engine*. The engine itself uses a 4 stroke system, a carburetor, and a DC electric generator and can reach speeds of about 60 mph (100 Kmph).
The design concept was literally a box with a beetle engine** in it. But this caused a lot of air resistance and they didn’t have any other engine than the beetle engines, so VW had to put it through a wind tunnel and modify it to get it to go 60mph. One of these modifications were the split windows.
Every model produced was very different because it had to be specially ordered. One car may have two slide doors, the other 23 windows, and etc. The Bus is a very classy piece of automotive history, and I hope this article will help you know more about the car that the hippies used.

*A boxer engine or flat engine has its piston heads on the side instead of upright.
** The early bus used beetle engines from that year (1961-1963)
Disclaimer: I only know about the models from and after 1961.

Production: 1950-1967

Producer: Volkswagen

Fun facts:
– The bus was advertised as a station wagon
– The car exterior is connected to a central beam instead of a chassis.
– The oldest known registered bus is from 1950
– The car was small because it was Germany’s tight roads