Volkswagen Type 2
The rear-engined Volkswagen van that became the Transporter, Kombi, Microbus and an enduring symbol of practical travel.
Overview
The Type 2 began with a 1947 sketch by Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon for a compact commercial vehicle using Volkswagen mechanical components. Development began in 1948, a hand-built prototype appeared in 1949, and series production started at Wolfsburg on 8 March 1950.
Volkswagen placed an air-cooled boxer engine behind the rear axle and initially shared the engine and gearbox with the Beetle. Unlike the Type 1, the new Transporter used a purpose-developed self-supporting body. Its forward-control layout provided a flat, useful load area within a footprint little larger than a passenger car, while the first version carried a payload of 750 kilograms.
Panel van, Kombi and eight-seat bus bodies were available from the beginning. Pick-ups, campers, ambulances and the window-rich Samba followed, establishing a family that served commercial, family and recreational roles under names including Transporter, Bus, Kombi, Microbus and Bulli.
Early generations
T1 (1950–1967)
The first generation is recognised by its two-piece windscreen and V-shaped front panel. Volkswagen introduced the Samba in 1951 and a pick-up in 1952. Production moved from Wolfsburg to a dedicated Hanover plant in 1956, and approximately 1.9 million T1 vehicles had been sold by 1967.
T2 (1967–1979)
The T2 replaced the split windscreen with a single curved pane, gained a revised front end and adopted a sliding side door as standard. It retained the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and expanded the range of passenger, cargo and camper configurations established by the T1.
The T3 continued the rear-engined formula from 1979. Volkswagen applied the T1, T2 and T3 generation names retrospectively when the front-engined T4 arrived in 1990.