From hippie bus to hip Buzz: why this Dutch idea has been a hit for 75 years | Car

A short walk across the parking lot of Landgoed de Salentein near Nijkerk says it all. Hardly any car model is as versatile and popular as the Volkswagen Transporter. If you walk past the 75 different examples that a Dutch importer has collected for this special occasion, you will not only walk through more than seven decades of car history, but also along a varied range of designs, versions and applications.

In addition to the flowering rhododendrons, a beautiful 1966 red-and-cream specimen – of the first generation, also known as T1 – attracts attention with a trailer in matching colours. Just as they were when they were delivered new. Two meters away is a thoroughly rebuilt T3, the third generation that came on the market in 1979; on the stern of the front Transporter hangs a second example that has been converted into a trailer. By the proud owner Johan Wegman himself. Nothing original about it, but it is colorful and striking for sure.

Just a few more steps and you’ll be at the next surprise. The owner of an early 1967 T2 has deliberately left some rust on the paint; technically the car is in excellent condition, but with its so-called ‘patina’ it forms a strong contrast with the brand new T6.1 – as the current model is called – which stands next to it. Owner Dik Weeterings has deliberately made his ‘Bulli’ extra thick: the bus has spoilers all around, a modified nose from Volkswagen tuner ABT, larger wheels and a rather striking wrap in various colors. ,,I also have a Split Bus from 1958, but today I was allowed to take it with me.”

shuttle bus. transporter. microbus. Bulli (an abbreviation of the German term Bus-Lieferwagen). hippie bus. Or just simply Bus. As many generations, versions and enthusiasts as there are, the Volkswagen Transporter now has so many nicknames. And all because of a sketch that the Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon made in his notebook in 1947.

After a visit to the factory in Germany, he saw opportunities for a useful means of transport based on the VW Beetle. A handy, purpose-driven van was what Europe could use after the Second World War, and the idea was saved by Volkswagen: in 1950 the first generation appeared on the market.

So Pon conceived the T1 mainly as a reconstruction tool. He looked cuddly with his curvy lines and huge VW logo on his nose, but that cuddly factor would later play a role in the success of the model we now know as Transporter. In the 60s and 70s the T1 and T2 were embraced by the hippies, but that was also mainly because they were handy and affordable. For relatively little money they had a mobile house, which eventually turned out to fit perfectly with the flower power movement and would become an iconic logo of it. The van embodied freedom and carefreeness and became a classic.

There is no longer any question of affordability with well-preserved classic specimens. A perfectly refurbished 1965 T1, like that of Peter Groen, present in the procession with start number 18, costs tens of thousands of euros. If you want one of the rarest examples of the first generation, such as the very charming Samba Bus with its 23 windows and sliding roof, you have to bring more than a ton in euros. The much more angular third generation (1979-1992) is now also becoming a sought-after classic, including associated price increases.

This T3 also participates fully in the Van Bus tot Buzz tour, where again the great variety of appearances is striking. The most colorful participant is without a doubt the yellow one from 1986 by Tim Kornmann, which he uses as a promotional tool for the Brabant catering chain Bobby’s Bar. A bunch of ropes on the nose, the roof rack full of all kinds of attributes and an interior that can best be described as a colorful smoothie of colours. Less colourful, but just as recognizable is ‘Vamos The Van’, the 1990 T3 by Dennis Maathuis and his girlfriend. The beautifully decorated car even has its own Instagram account, on which the adventures of its owners are shared.

In addition to the light blue Bluestar Edition (the first Multivan, a very luxuriously decorated passenger car version) by Hugo Wisselink and the bright yellow pick-up with double cabin by Jorick Speerstra, Ron ten Velden’s impressive T3 Synchro is also worth mentioning. Only 2100 of this version with raised roof, four-wheel drive and two differential locks were made. It has some signs of use, but that’s exactly how it should be if you ask us. We really use it as an off-road camper, which is exactly what this version is made for.”

Today every Transporter is a party number, but most car enthusiasts have generally less with the newer generations. From the T4 of the early 1990s, this type of Volkswagen becomes a much more serious car: in terms of design and appearance, they become tighter and duller. But employability is making big strides. The characteristic spot of the engine (between the rear wheels) disappears; from now on, it is located in the nose, making the cargo space much more usable.

That made the more modern Transporters into excellent commercial vehicles, which you will encounter in the most diverse company uniforms. With the police, the local painter, as an ambulance, at the delivery baker, the ANWB and even as an unobtrusive CJIB flash bus on the roadside. But that the newer generations are also talented family cars is shown by Albert van Wieren’s considerably converted T4 Caravelle from 1999. From the outside he combines a more aggressive appearance with (according to his owner) ‘the same yellow color as Zwitsal’, but inside you sit on beautiful leather upholstery on six particularly spacious chairs. “It drives so well, and technically this is the very best Transporter Volkswagen has ever made. There is now almost three and a half tons on it, but such a five-cylinder TDI diesel just keeps running. I have now started refurbishing and selling those T4s, a lot of friends already drive one.”

Van Wieren should not think of an electric Bus. “I have nothing to do with that, for now I swear by my diesel.” In contrast to Marcus Schluter, in Transporter number 49. At every red light, the owner of a kitesurfing school – dreadlocks in the blond hair, a relaxed way of speaking – silences the diesel of his 1997 California Coach. ,,Yes, we want to leave the world a better place for the next generation, then it doesn’t feel good to pollute the air if you are standing still. I’m also really trying to get an ID. Buy Buzz.”

Because yes, the future of the Volkswagen Bus is electric. The T7 – officially generation number seven – is available as a plug-in hybrid and is only available as a passenger car. Volkswagen calls that model the Multivan, with which that term no longer belongs to a Transporter with five or seven seats. For the time being, the current Transporter 6.1 may still do the honors for commercial vehicle customers, although there is also an entirely new successor for this – if desired with an electric powertrain.

While all 75 vans have arrived at the end point of the route in Kamerik, in the polder near Utrecht, the newest member of the Volkswagen Bus family pulls in the fading sunlight. The sale of the new, also electric ID. Buzz has now started in the Netherlands and this brand new Bus completes the circle nicely from the T1: with its optional two-tone paint, V-shaped nose and the return of the large VW logo, this is more than a big nod to the father of the family tree. Where a simple sketch cannot lead to.