1960 VW Type 2 Microbus
I'd been looking for awhile. But I always seem to be in the middle of a dozen restorations so what I really needed was something that already had most of the hard work done and just needed a couple little tweaks to be perfect.
And then I found her. Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Klaudia.
She was born in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1960. As a baby she moved to California where she spent the first forty-eight years of her life life with two loving owners. In 2008 she was acquired by her third owner who decided to bring her back to her former glory with a full body-off, nut and bolt restoration.
First she was media-blasted and epoxy coated and her undercarriage was stripped and coated with rust inhibitor. Most of her body seams were welded smooth and she received a fresh coat of beautiful mango and white paint to the tune of over $10k. She’s sporting all new glass and seals (Safaris up front and pop-outs on the sides), a new wiring harness and electrics, and a full leather custom interior. Mechanically she was built to cruise with a custom suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, and a highly built 1641cc dual-port motor. I could go on but I think you’re getting the picture.
After five years, she was ready to show and she promptly took first place in the Custom Early Bus Class at the September, 2013 Bugorama VW show. 49 days later she was put up for sale. 8 hours after she was put up for sale I owned her.
I have to give the prior owner props for bringing her so close to perfection. I’m only going to change a few little things. She needs a middle seat. They’re hen’s teeth but I’ll find one. She needs to be raised back up a little bit. That slammed look has got to go. And even though they cost the prior owner a bundle, I’m probably going to take those centerline wheels and have them crushed just on principle. She’ll be rolling on a period-correct set of painted Fuchs soon enough.
And then she can look forward to her future cruising the streets of Austin, TX. She can’t wait to see South Congress. She’s pretty sure she’s going to fit right in.
And then I found her. Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Klaudia.
She was born in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1960. As a baby she moved to California where she spent the first forty-eight years of her life life with two loving owners. In 2008 she was acquired by her third owner who decided to bring her back to her former glory with a full body-off, nut and bolt restoration.
First she was media-blasted and epoxy coated and her undercarriage was stripped and coated with rust inhibitor. Most of her body seams were welded smooth and she received a fresh coat of beautiful mango and white paint to the tune of over $10k. She’s sporting all new glass and seals (Safaris up front and pop-outs on the sides), a new wiring harness and electrics, and a full leather custom interior. Mechanically she was built to cruise with a custom suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, and a highly built 1641cc dual-port motor. I could go on but I think you’re getting the picture.
After five years, she was ready to show and she promptly took first place in the Custom Early Bus Class at the September, 2013 Bugorama VW show. 49 days later she was put up for sale. 8 hours after she was put up for sale I owned her.
I have to give the prior owner props for bringing her so close to perfection. I’m only going to change a few little things. She needs a middle seat. They’re hen’s teeth but I’ll find one. She needs to be raised back up a little bit. That slammed look has got to go. And even though they cost the prior owner a bundle, I’m probably going to take those centerline wheels and have them crushed just on principle. She’ll be rolling on a period-correct set of painted Fuchs soon enough.
And then she can look forward to her future cruising the streets of Austin, TX. She can’t wait to see South Congress. She’s pretty sure she’s going to fit right in.
