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I love the VW T3 DoKa, especially in Syncro trim, but today we have a beautiful example of the earlier T2 DoKa. It’s about as utilitarian as a 50hp air-cooled truck can be, seating 6 and with plenty of bed to haul light but voluminous loads. With year-old exterior paint and a brand-new rebuild, this Bustruck is sure to garner lots of attention. The interior displays its 46 years a little more clearly, with some original paint and decades of use showing through. The seats look to be in good shape though. A nice carpet set would probably clean that up the floors a bit, but overall the interior keeps this from being a total resto-creampuff. In my eyes that’s for the best because you can look good while putting it to work, but the seller is still expecting over $20k for it.
When is the last time you saw a Volkswagen Passat B3 on the road? I honestly can’t remember myself. With the B3, Volkswagen decided to finally use the Passat moniker in the US market, after a run of Dashers and Quantums. Those cars were always the outliers in the mid-sized sedan race and so it went with the B3 Passat. During a period when the Honda Accord was the king in this segment in the US, the Passat was a car for those who wanted something off the beaten path but maybe weren’t ready to move into an Audi, BMW or Mercedes. It’s front end sans grille harkened back to the days of their air-cooled products but the rest of the styling was a bit of an evolution of the B2 Passat with a bit of streamlining for the 1990s. This Passat GT for sale in Hannover, Germany was a model we didn’t see in the US. It’s 1.8 liter engine won’t set the world on fire, but the Sebring alloy wheels and two tone red/black livery is eye catching.
The Type 4, known as the 411 and 412, came about during a time of change at Volkswagen. NSU Motorenwerke was bought by the Volkswagen Group in 1969, and that brought about the K70, VW’s first foray into the front-engine, water-cooled segment. At the same time, the Type 4 was the largest, air-cooled passenger car on offer from VW, which would ultimately be the last air-cooled VW for the mid-sized segment. The Type 4 won out in the sales race, but was to be succeeded in 1973 with the Passat, which is still VW’s mid-sized entry in the sedan and estate segment. This 1974 412 Variant for sale in Illinois represents the final year for the 412 and rarely do they come this nice.
Continuing with a theme I touched upon last week, I’m going to take a look at a few cars this week which are now legal for importation to the United States. It’s hard to believe more than 25 years have already passed since 1990, but that opens up a whole new portfolio of vehicles that weren’t certified by the US Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency for US sale. The Volkswagen Rallye Golf almost made it to market in the US, but sadly, an executive at Volkswagen of America trumpeting this vehicle’s cause perished in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. With that, yet another homologation special slipped away from the grasp of the US consumer. This Rallye Golf for sale just a bit north of Stuttgart, Germany is one for the serious VW collector, having covered just over the equivalent of 20,000 miles. This is also one of the few I’ve seen with the rather tasty partial leather interior, featuring a variation on the GTI plaid in the seat inserts.
This new year, I pledge to do a LOT more camping. A boat trip to Alaska will guarantee an uptick, but here’s a new Vanagon variant to help lengthen those road trips. This 1980 2.0-liter Vanagon was converted by Country Home Campers, an outfit that did Westfalia-like conversions for some 30 years. It certainly looks like an 80s country home inside, with some nice wood paneling and faux-leather vinyl seats. The air-cooled four has been rebuilt and cosmetically it looks very clean throughout, if not beautiful. The camper top doesn’t reach as far as the Westy’s, allowing for a little moonroof action for those in the front seats. It may not be the most desirable Vanagon, but it has a lot of capability and a low, no-reserve auction.
