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VW Transporter celebrates its 70th birthday The Volkswagen Transporter has celebrated its 70th birthday, making it the world's longest production run for a commercial vehicle. The Transporter also known as Bulli, Kombi,VW bus or microbus first rolled off the Wolfsburg production line on 8 March 1950, and since then 13 million have been sold. Over the years globetrotters have travelled the world in it, businesses have relied on it and families have driven it every single day. The future is bright for the icon with the latest edition T6.1, which launched in 2019, showcasing a new dashboard and greater connectivity. To celebrate the landmark, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has collated this ultimate guide to the historic vehicle.
T1: 1950 to 1967
T3: 1979 to 1992
T2: 1967 to 1979
T4: 1990 to 2003
Revealed as a hand-built panel van prototype in 1949, the T1 eventually launched as a rear-engined panel van, passenger van and eight-seat bus. The engine and gearbox came from the Volkswagen Beetle and it offered a maximum payload of 750kg. In 1951, the iconic "Samba" model was revealed with all-round windows and folding sunroof, and a year later a pick-up version was unveiled. Production moved from Wolfsburg to Hannover in 1956 while some were even produced in Brazil. By 1967, around 1.9 million people had purchased the T1 with its "splittie" windscreen, making it a global success.
With the T1 forging its name as something of a cultural icon in the "flower power" era, the successor had a lot to live up to. The T2 took the utility of the van on a step further with a new front end and air intake grille. A sliding door was now standard, and the pop-up roof camper version became an instant hit with globetrotters. In 1972, the T2 went electric with a zero-emission version available to buy. During its run, 2.14 million vehicles were built at the Hannover plant although production continued until 2013 at the Volkswagen plant in Sao Paulo, breaking the record for longest production period. 8
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The T3 took the famous vehicle into the modern era with a wider body offering, more passenger and cargo space and improved safety. A flat engine, available in diesel, was introduced adding to the spaciousness while a new chassis offered car-like handling. In 1985, a raft of innovations were added: catalytic converters, turbochargers and all-wheel drive, while the California and Caravelle became popular. In total, 1.3 million T3s were made in Hannover.
This generation marked a technical revolution with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles making the T4 front-engined and frontwheel drive for the first time. With this came a new design, longer front end, new suspension, more varied engine choice and even better handling. The Transporter was also available in two wheelbases for the first time. Following a 1996 mid-model refresh, the T4 was phased out in 2003 having sold 1.9 million models across the range, which had grown to feature the panel van, kombi, double cab, pickup and chassis with single and double cab, Caravelle, Multivan and California.
