Volkswagen van Type 2

The Type 2 is the second model produced by the post-war Volkswagen. Previously the company only manufactured the Volkswagen Beetle. Production of the van began in 1950. The model can be regarded as the forerunner of vans to transport goods and passengers. In the sixties and seventies, the Type 2 became a popular hippie van, mainly because it offered much room for people and food.

The idea for the Volkswagen Type 2 T1 came from the Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon. When he visited the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg on the 23th of April 1947. There he saw a Transport on a Volkswagen Beetle floor pan, which was used for internal transport. This Flat wagon as he outlined a van. In 1948 Heinrich Nordhoff decided that Volkswagen would develop the sketch. It soon appeared that the bottom of the Beetle was too weak for a fully loaded van to contribute. Instead, a ladder chassis with a self-supporting body. The result was tested in the wind tunnel of the Technical University of Braunschweig. When the air turned quite high, the university proposed a rounded shape. Now the air was lower than that of the Beetle. The series of the new model began in March 8, 1950.

The Type 2 was the first car which the driver right over front axle of the vehicle. That was a trend, by among other competitors Chevrolet and Green Brier. The model appeared in numerous performances, not only from Volkswagen, but also Westfalia (camper). Until the arrival of the Volkswagen Eurovan, the engine was placed in the back, a flat loading area was not possible. This was a legacy of the Volkswagen Beetle which the model was based on.