From Workaday Transport to Modern Classic: Volkswagen’s Split-Screen Type II Camper
When did this begin, exactly?
After World War II, the British were put in charge of the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, but they were ill-prepared due to a lack of necessary supplies. Flatbed trolleys based on the VW Beetle chassis and running gear were fabricated by the engineers so that components could be moved quickly and easily across the massive plant.
Ben Pon, a Dutch Volkswagen importer, spotted the compact trucks during a plant tour. Inspired by the simple yet effective plattenwagens, he drew a design for a beetle-based van, which was essentially a simple box on wheels. A year later, in November of 1949, the first Volkswagen van was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show after being taken on by Volkswagen CEO Heinz Nordhoff.
While Europe underwent its reorganisation, there was a dearth of inexpensive, adaptable, and reliable transportation options. The VW Type II was the perfect solution.
Ten vehicles per day were being produced beginning on March 8th, 1950. Over five million buses were manufactured with the same basic rear engine architecture over a period of four decades.
Putting the “Splittie” to Good Use
The front of the type 2 vans swept down in a v shape, and a huge VW logo adorned the centre. To put it in perspective, a 15-hand horse would have plenty of room in one of these buses, which had a volume of 170 cubic feet (about 4.8 cubic metres).
The bus’s engine and axles were borrowed from the Beetle, but its unitary design was supported by a ladder frame rather than a central frame platform. The Beetle chassis was intended to be used initially, but it was quickly redesigned in 1949 in order to accommodate the increased payload of 750 kg.
To support the vehicle’s suspension, engine, transmission, etc., a “ladder frame” is used, which consists of two longitudinally parallel girders or beams. Although it is effective at transporting direct loads, its handling is subpar, primarily because of its lack of stiffness, which causes it to struggle on curved paths.
Initially, the air-cooled engine produced 25 horsepower, but this was increased to 30 in 1954 when the engine size was enlarged to 1192 cc. The Volkswagen van was not built for speed or handling, but rather for practicality.
Testing in the wind tunnel at the Technical University of Braunschweig contributed significantly to the design. Although the prototype’s poor performance was attributable to its flat, angular front end, the following modification paid off, and the Type 2 was more aerodynamic than the Type 1 Beetle. The famous and adored rounded front end with the sweeping V and oversized VW logo are also products of this design.
Due to the design’s malleability, VW produced a wide variety of body styles in the first five years. There were more than 90 different types of delivery vehicles, such as buses, pick-ups, fire trucks, rear-door ambulances, beer waggons, ice-cream vans, milk floats, mobile butcher shops, bread vans, mobile grocers, regular delivery vans, and the iconic crafter camper.
Transformation of the Volkswagen Type 2
VW’s split-screen type 2 was manufactured between 1950 and 1967, during which time it underwent a number of changes that were undoubtedly mirrored in the evolution of the brand’s iconic camper van. Sliding side doors replaced barn doors in 1963, and the engine size expanded from 1100 to 1500cc over the course of the next decade.
Later ’50s models had a windshield pillar that was set back from the roof, a smaller engine compartment, and 15-inch wheels.
Before the new style (bay windows) was implemented in 1967, the electrical system was converted to 12 volts.
The Origins of the VW Camper
Volkswagen contracted Westfalia, a coach manufacturing company based in the German state of Westphalia, to produce the VW camper. Starting in 1951, the buses were outfitted with a selection of different interior configurations from the manufacturer. Many American military stationed in Germany bought VW campers and had them sent back to the United States according to the company’s ingenious “Tourist Delivery Scheme.” VW dealerships all over the world quickly began stocking camper vans.
A home away from home in the 1950s, the Volkswagen camper became popular due to its miniature furnishings. The Volkswagen camper made it possible for families to go on camping and touring vacations on a budget long before the advent of low-cost charter flights and vacation packages.
The van’s clever fittings and side-opening barn doors allowed for seamless transitions between indoors and out. The bay window camper’s popularity skyrocketed in 1968, when the pop-top package debuted.
Between 1951 and 1958, Volkswagen manufactured about a thousand camper vans, and then in the 1960s, the company released the SO models, which included an array of optional extras.
The VW Camper Outfittings
There were a variety of fold-down bed configurations available in the conventional VW campers, including the infamous rock ‘n roll bed. Plywood panels lined the interior, and cabinets of various sizes and configurations were also made from plywood.
Some variants had a sink, water storage, and a pump, in addition to a standard electrical outlet. Curtains, screened windows, and a collapsible table all came as standard features.
Type 2 Volkswagen campers could be outfitted with pop-up roofs, tents that could be attached or detached, and side awnings. We had the standard camping gear, such a camp stove and a portable chemical toilet.
A child’s sleeping cot could be stowed in the driver’s cab, and there were also storage bins and a swinging table available.
The split-screen VW campers, for all their customization choices, remained rudimentary, slow, and undersized in comparison to their more advanced contemporaries.
VW Camper Subculture
Even yet, older campers were readily accessible and inexpensive by the 1960s, so the VW camper and the samba bus quickly became symbols of the freewheeling outdoor hippy lifestyle that was so popular at the time.
Since then, split-screen campers and buses have become design symbols, coveted by collectors, and the subject of painstaking restoration efforts.
You may rent a restored splittie for your vacation or special event, and you can find artwork depicting the first generation of VW campers on anything from t-shirts to coffee mugs to toys to posters and even usb sticks.
