Kombi camper in wheels24 reader test

[fig]

Looks like a 73 Westfalia:

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Content/RoadT ... mbi_Camper

Cool article and great reader feedback.

[beetlepower]

Filled rust with fibreglass eish

[eben]

Filled rust with fibreglass eish

Hey i've done that before...
when needs must you know..

[Nigel A. Skeet]

Looks like a 73 Westfalia:

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Content/RoadT ... mbi_Camper

Cool article and great reader feedback.

It certainly looks like a British specification, right-hand drive, 1973 model-year, VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia Continental (i.e. RHD) campervan, of which I too have an example, which has been in my family since January 1975.

Being primarily intended for the British market, I wonder how it found its way to South Africa!?! I also note that it features opening cab quarter-light windows, which would be unusual, for a British specification model.

Kombi Club > Members Rides > 34+ years with a VW Kombi: There's never been a dull moment!

http://forums.kombiclub.com/showthread.php?t=22180

[fig]

Looks like a 73 Westfalia:

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Content/RoadT ... mbi_Camper

Cool article and great reader feedback.

It certainly looks like a British specification, right-hand drive, 1973 model-year, VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia Continental (i.e. RHD) campervan ... Being primarily intended for the British market, I wonder how it found its way to South Africa!?!

I'm pretty certain that is a SA-spec westy, not UK.

[Nigel A. Skeet]

Looks like a 73 Westfalia:

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Content/RoadT ... mbi_Camper

Cool article and great reader feedback.

It certainly looks like a British specification, right-hand drive, 1973 model-year, VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia Continental (i.e. RHD) campervan ... Being primarily intended for the British market, I wonder how it found its way to South Africa!?!

I'm pretty certain that is a SA-spec westy, not UK.

Assuming you are correct and noting that 1968~79 VW Type 2s were manufactured in South Africa, would the Westfaliawerke in Germany, have shipped the campervan elevating roof, furniture and other equipment as a kit to South Africa, for installation in South African built, 1968~79 VW Type 2s or would they have shipped already converted vehicles, manufactured in Germany?

When I previously read the review, the picture of the campervan interior was not visible. Now that it is, I can clearly see that it is NOT a Westfalia Continental layout, as was the norm in Great Britain, for 1972~74 VW Type 2s. I would be interested to learn which Westfalia conversion this is, because I only know of two which were offered for right-hand drive, 1968~79 VW Type 2s, with the single sliding door on the left-hand side.

[fig]

Assuming you are correct and noting that 1968~79 VW Type 2s were manufactured in South Africa, would the Westfaliawerke in Germany, have shipped the campervan elevating roof, furniture and other equipment as a kit to South Africa, for installation in South African built, 1968~79 VW Type 2s or would they have shipped already converted vehicles, manufactured in Germany?

When I previously read the review, the picture of the campervan interior was not visible. Now that it is, I can clearly see that it is NOT a Westfalia Continental layout, as was the norm in Great Britain, for 1972~74 VW Type 2s. I would be interested to learn which Westfalia conversion this is, because I only know of two which were offered for right-hand drive, 1968~79 VW Type 2s, with the single sliding door on the left-hand side.

From what I've been able to work out, baywindow Westfalias were first sold in SA in November 1969 for the 1970 model year. The first few months of production were imported fully built up. Half way through the 1970 model year local production began. I imagine the buses came in CKD, including the westy kit, and were then assembled in Uitenhage.

The SA early bay westies are special for two reasons: firstly they are the only Westfalia campers NOT built in Wiedenbruck and, secondly, they were the first production RHD westies; all prior RHD westies were special order only.

The SA westies were all fitted with the SO67R interior. SO67 was mostly offered for the US market. Interestingly, because of the position of the spare wheel in the left rear corner, which is occupied by the long cabinet on RHD westies, all the RHD westies were bulkhead models with the spare wheel under the front seat, while the overwhelming majority of baywindow buses, both LHD and RHD, were walk-through models. These westies were sold in SA from 1970 to the end of the 1973 model year. For 1974, VWSA offered a locally made camper, with an interior based on the westfalia, but with the usual walkthru and no pop-up roof. I think they made this change because of the prohibitive expense of the Westfalias and local content regulations.

[Nigel A. Skeet]

There were many different Westfalia campervan-conversion variants (some of them in the form of complete or partial kits), only some of which were available in the various national markets. The following book, lists these thirty two, as the available Westfalia campervan conversions or campervan furniture kits, for the 1968~79 VW Type 2:

Vincent Molenaar & Alexander Prinz, "VW Transporter & Microbus - Specification Guide 1967~79", The Crowood Press, 2005, ISBN 1-86126-765-7.

1968~73 - SO36 - VW Kombi with polyester elevating roof

1968 - SO60 - VW Camper 60

1968 - SO61 - VW Camper Mosaik (Kit 61)

1968 - SO62 - VW Camper 62

1969~70 - SO69/1 - VW Camper "Oslo"

1969~70 - SO69/2 - VW Camper "Zurich"

1969~70 - SO69/3 - VW Camper "Stockholm"

1969~70 - SO69/4 - VW Camper "Brussel"

1969~70 - SO69/5 - VW Camper "Paris"

1969~70 - SO69/6 - VW Camper "Rome"

1969~70 - SO69/7 - VW Camper "Amsterdam"

1969~70 - SO70/1 - VW Camper Kit SO70/1 "Mosaik"

1971~75 - SO72 - VW Camper

1971~75 - SO72/1 - VW Camper "Luxemburg"

1971~73 - SO72/2 - VW Camper "Los Angeles"

1971~73 - SO72/3 - VW Camper "Helsinki"

1971~73 - SO72/4 - VW Camper "Houston"

1971~73 - SO72/5 - VW Camper "Madrid"

1971~73 - SO72/6 - VW Camper "Miami"

1971~74 - SO72/7 - VW Camper Kit "Mosaik"

1971~74 - SO72/8 - VW Camper Kit "Mosaik"

1975~76 - SO72/9* - VW Camper Kit "Mosaik"

1972~74 - SO72/13 - VW Camper "Continental" (RHD)

1974~75 - SO73/1 - VW Camper "Dusseldorf"

1974~75 - SO73/2 - VW Camper "Dallas" (USA)

1974~75 - SO73/3 - VW Camper "Malaga"

1974~75 - SO73/4 - VW Camper (USA)

1974~75 - SO73/5 - VW Camper "Offenbach"

1974~75 - SO73/6 - VW Camper (USA)

1975~79 - SO73/7 - VW Camper "Helsinki"

1976~79 - SO73/11 - VW Camper "Oxford" (RHD)

1976~79 - SO76/1 - VW Camper "Berlin"

I do not know how complete or accurate this list is, but I suspect there ought to be at least another six, judging by the missing numbers in the sequences (i.e. SO72/10, SO72/11 & SO72/12, plus SO73/8, SO73/9 & SO73/10).

An amazing variety of campervan conversions (including those from Westfalia), from around the World, based upon the 1968~79 VW Type 2 and other model-years over the past 40 to 55 years or so, are featured in either one or more of the following three books; the first of which is written in German:

Michael Steinke, "VW Campingwagen 1951~1991", Schrader-Motor-Chronik, Schrader Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 2001, ISBN 3-613-87223-4.

David Eccles, "VW Camper - The Inside Story: A Guide to VW Camping Conversions and Interiors 1951~2005", The Crowood Press, 2005, ISBN 1-86126-763-0 Hardback

Richard Copping, "Volkswagen Camper: Forty Years of Freedom: An A to Z of Popular Campervan Conversions", Veloce Publishing, 2007.

The above list of 1968~79 VW Type 2 Westfalia campervan conversions & retro-fit kits, includes only two for right-hand drive vehicles (i.e. single sliding door on the left-hand side), but what others there might be, remains to be discovered.

1972~74 - SO72/13 - VW Camper "Continental" (RHD)

1976~79 - SO73/11 - VW Camper "Oxford" (RHD)

So far, I have only come across the "Continental" conversion, as a right-hand drive Westfalia campervan and had never even heard of the "Oxford", until I recently read the aforementioned book, yet alone seen one. Perhaps one of the missing numbers, SO72/10, SO72/1 or SO72/12, corresponds to Alex Erlank's right-hand drive, 1973 VW Type 2 Westfalia campervan, in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

An example of a right-hand drive, British specification, 1973 VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan (11th conversion, of the 1973 model year), manufactured in August 1972), is featured in the following magazine article:

David Eccles, "Bay Window | Classic Continental", Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, Issue 19, Summer 2005, Pages 22~25.

[fig]

Perhaps one of the missing numbers, SO72/10, SO72/1 or SO72/12, corresponds to Alex Erlank's right-hand drive, 1973 VW Type 2 Westfalia campervan, in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

As noted above, the Stellenbosch 73 westy and all other SA spec westies were bulkhead models featuring the SO67R interior.

Someone on this site has a westy with a different layout, which I think originally came from the UK. All the SA westies were SO67R.

You can see an SO67 instruction manual at the link below. Although it's clearly aimed primarily at LHD US-spec SO67s, it refers to the RHD SO67R layout, including a diagram of the interior layout. It is the same manual as was supplied with SA westies:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/man ... rm_eng.php

[Nigel A. Skeet]

This SO67R conversion certainly offers more seating room (approximately 7) than the Westfalia Continental for travelling, dining and general socialising, but I would be rather wary of travelling in the rearward facing seats, without provision of proper head restraints and all seating positions should really be equipped with proper seat belts.



Does the South African, 1970~73 VW Type 2 SO67R Westfalia campervan, have the same elevating-roof, folding cot as shown here:



Surprisingly, there is a four-page feature article in the most recent issue of Volkswagen Camper & Commercial (came in my mail delivery this morning!), about a South African, 1971 (assembled at Uitenhage, on 2nd December 1970) VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia SO67R (redesignated as RHD version of SO69) campervan, which was privately exported in 2008, to the UK

David & Cee Eccles, "South African Stocker - 1970 Westfalia Kampmobile", Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, Issue 44, November & December 2009, Pages 8~11.

The oil-bath air cleaner, illustrated on page 9, seems to be identical to that which was factory-fitted to my British specification, 1973 VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, so it's possible the larger South African oil-bath air cleaner has been replaced!

[ajvw]

i`ve seen an sa import 73 here in the uk and it was a walkthrough! with a single cot bed in the roof!think they are rare as rockkin horse poo