One of my favourite things to do on a day when I’m boiling in existential dread is to click over to eBay Motors and type the word “Rare” into the search box. It’s the automotive geek equivalent of putting five bucks on red. It’s a relatively low risk move, but if you’re in the wrong frame of mind it could suck you in and spit you out the other side thousands of dollars down. Today my cheap bet paid off in spades. Here’s an incredibly hard to find 1970s African-built right-hand-drive Volkswagen bus that has been factory converted into a motorhome. Yahtzee!
The van it is based on was apparently assembled in 1961, but Volkswagen of South Africa apparently took the then 14-year-old van back in 1975 to convert it into the motor home you see here. Whether done as part of the conversion or modified later, the van features a 2-litre Type 4 engine, an upgraded rack-and-pinion steering setup, and disc front brakes. It’s rare to find a split window at all, but one that has been converted to full motorhome status is awesome, and a right-hand drive one at that! This is a special piece.
Whether you’re trying to out-cool the family next to you at the campsite, wow the folks at the local cars and coffee, or absolutely ball out at the next Volkswagen meetup, this is the van for you. It’s great to see a van like this in perfect driving condition, and it deserves to be shown off as much as possible. If you’re just going to tuck it away, don’t even bother. This was built to hit the road and see the world, and you owe it to the van (and yourself) to do just that.
It won’t come cheap, however, as the buy-it-now price is $US82,700. Maybe they’ll accept your lowball offer, but something tells me they know what they have.
