Model story

VW T1 Deluxe

The concept for the Type 2 is credited to Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon. Pon visited Wolfsburg in 1946, intending to purchase Type 1s for import to the Netherlands, where he saw an improvised parts-mover and realized something better was possible using the stock Type 1 pan. He first sketched the van in a doodle dated April 23, 1947, proposing a payload of 690 kg and placing the driver at the very front.

Simple changes such as splitting the windshield and roofline into a "vee" helped the production Type 2 achieve less aerodynamic drag Cd=0.44. Volkswagen's new chief executive officer Heinz Nordhoff (appointed 1 January 1948) approved the van for production on 19 May 1949 and the first production model, finally designated Type 2, rolled off the assembly line to debut 12 November. Only two models were offered initially - the Kombi, with two side windows and middle and rear seats that were easily removable by one person, and the Commercial. The Microbus was added in May 1950, joined by the Deluxe Microbus in June 1951. In all 9,541 Type 2s were produced in their first year of production

Unlike other rear engine Volkswagens, which evolved constantly over time, but never saw the introduction of all-new models, the Transporter not only evolved, but was completely revised periodically with variations retrospectively referred to as versions "T1" to "T5". However only generations T1 to T3 can be seen as directly related to the Beetle.

The first generation (T1) of the Volkswagen Type 2 with the split windshield, informally called the Microbus, Splitscreen, or Splittie among modern fans, was produced from 8 March 1950 through the end of the 1967 model year. Among American enthusiasts, it is common to refer to the different models by the number of their windows. The DeLuxe model featured eight rear side windows and two rear corner windows, making it the 15-window (not available in Europe). Meanwhile, the sunroof DeLuxe with its additional eight small skylight windows is, accordingly, the 23-window. From the 1964 model year, with its wider rear door, the rear corner windows were discontinued, making the two Deluxes the 13-window and 21-window respectively. The 23- and later 21-window variants each carry the nickname 'Samba'.