Aircooled VW South Africa

Here's a few pics of a bus that Paul and myself found by accident about 2 - 3 years ago.

Its quite a strange story. We had just spent a day or so up in a Karoo town trying to make negotiations with the owner to purchase a bus (a different one to this) we had found. After quite some driving and a unsuccessful salvage of the bus we were after, we started making our way home at the end of the weekend.

Just per chance, some hideous looking type of igloo home (or so I thought) caught my attention on the road side which I pointed out to Paul, but as we both looked and were travelling at highway speeds, we were adamant we just spotted a split bus, but we couldn't believe it would be laying right next to the N1, so we quickly turned around to double check, stopped next to the highway and crossing the railway line and farm fences we ran to it in disbelief.

Here it was, right next to the N1 in the Karoo with so much doubt as to why I have never spotted it before after travelling the N1 so many times a year and that no other kombi enthusiast could have spotted it before.












So, after finding it, we had to look for a possible owner. We were so scared someone else would spot it, we tried (poorly) to cover it up on the side facing the road



We managed to drive to the nearest farm, but he wasn't the owner of that specific piece of land, but managed to give us the contact details of the farm owner. We got hold of the owner and I chatted about the history, which he informed me the bus was standing in that spot for around 20 years. The bad news was he said a guy from Johannesburg has just bought it 2 days ago. We really couldn't believe that after 20 years of standing there, someone beat us to it by 2 days.

Anyway, I drove back there like a month later to check it out for myself in disbelief, and it was still there, but the farm owner assured me it has been sold and must still be picked up. Another month went by and when I went back for the 3rd time, it was gone.

Last I heard via JDT1976, it is actually now in JHB. Any news there Jaco?

No Sean. I have no idea on progress on the bus.

Remembered we spoke about it in Bloem.
This have puzzled me the whole day. I cannot remember who got it. Went through my phone list,all photos, searched my emails, whatsapps. Even checked on my old phone. I cannot recall who told me they found this bus.

I hope its not a old age kicking in. You don't have a name?

Got it Sean!

Spoke to Riaan the owner. He done a bit on the bus. I will ask him if he don't mind me posting some pics I have got. Or will ask him to tell us about him finding the bus.

Had a similar experience about 10 years ago. I drove passed a 67 beetle that sat in a yard for about 8 years according to the owner. I drove passed this house on a daily basis never saw it, one day while on my bicycle I spotted it, approached the owner who informed me that a couple of weeks prior someone had given her a deposit and would be collecting the car. I left it, about 6 months latter it was still there, approached her again and she informed me the guy never collected, got it for R1000, was in a very sad state, landed up cutting it up and sold off for spares.

What I find most amazing about this story is that the bus sat there for so long without being seen. I'm sure many of us have driven past that spot on many occasions without seeing the bus. I know I have.

Also amazing that it wasn't destroyed in a veld fire despite having apparently been lying in the same spot for years.

It's a 55-58 kombi and looks quite restorable; better than some of the split bus shaped scrap that's being offered on gumtree lately.

Riaan says its a 57.

My trucks pass there weekly and the drivers know I am collecting them. Surely it was more visible from a truck. Maybe they thought it's scrap. Only if they knew...

fig wrote:What I find most amazing about this story is that the bus sat there for so long without being seen. I'm sure many of us have driven past that spot on many occasions without seeing the bus. I know I have.

Also amazing that it wasn't destroyed in a veld fire despite having apparently been lying in the same spot for years.

It's a 55-58 kombi and looks quite restorable; better than some of the split bus shaped scrap that's being offered on gumtree lately.

Unbelievable, I've driven past there so many times and never seen it, but I suppose I was also never specifically searching for anything thinking there would be a split laying next to the national road....

Its floor was badly rusted like most karoo kombi's, but roof and sides were in fantastic condition.