1985 Volkswagen Transporter 2 door truck

For over 60 years, the Volkswagen Transporter has been famous for being a workhorse the world over. Recently, Volkswagen has abandoned efforts to market the Transporter in the United States, where it was known as the Vanagon and later the Eurovan. That is a shame because all we are left with is a poor effort at badge engineering by taking a Chrysler minivan and slapping a Volkswagen badge on it. When will manufacturers learn? The Transporter featured below is the seldom seen in the US truck version and has undergone an overhaul, complete with a Subaru 2.5 RS engine swap.

The seller states:

1985 VW Vanagon Single Cab Pickup Ground up “restosturbish” (part restore, part refurbish). 2.5L Subaru Impreza RS motor installed (6,200 miles on motor) Custom installed A/C. Rebuilt 4 speed transmission KEP stage 2 clutch. New CV joints, brakes, master cylinder and clutch slave. Dash has speedo and clock (no tach). Custom roll cage and driving lights modeled after VW Tristar. Custom all weather fabric pickup bed cover. Custom oak wood slats install on pickup bed. Modified vehicle interior out of Vanagon pasenger van. Vehicle driven 1,200 miles since restosturbish. Speedo mileage is not actual. Pickup will have genuine heavy duty VW Vanagon mudflaps installed prior to shipping.

I’ve seen truck versions of the Transporter sell for well into the $20,000 range, with some clean examples going for $30,000 and higher. While this isn’t an original example, I am intrigued by the Subaru engine and the reliability that would come along with it. Compact pickup trucks have recently been disappearing from the automotive landscape here in the US, and while this isn’t the smallest of trucks, this T3 sure makes for an interesting proposition and is one that would be durable enough to stand the test of time.

-Paul