It isn’t quite clear how the “Shorty Bus” trend came to be, but some think it had to do with the hot rod cartoon sketches that depicted the SoCal car culture. Either way, you can now buy one for yourself.
The Volkswagen Bus, known as the Type 2, Kombi or Microbus, was originally envisioned by Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon, who sketched the van (in a doodle) in 1947 after visiting Volkswagen’s headquarters with the intention of purchasing Type 1s (the Beetle) for import.
The T1 Bus and the Citroen H Van were the first vans to feature the driver above the front wheels, a trend that was later adopted both in Europe and the United States. But the Bus’ looks grew in popularity during the hippie movement of the 1960s, and gradually became one of its symbols.
Anyway, the Shorty Bus phenomenon happened when the hot rod community came in contact with Volkswagen’s van, but most of the modded ones are actually based on the T2 variants as they were cheaper. This particular unit was originally built in 1982, and salvaged by Gas Monkey Garage in 2014 for the TV show “Fast N’ Loud”. It has a new front beam suspension, Airkewld brakes, rear suspension, and wheels, as well as a Wolfsburg West interior, and Black Mountain seats. Powering the small machine is 2.0-liter engine mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.
The vehicle will be offered without reserve (for the second time in two years), at Barrett-Jackson. The last time around, it sold for $38,500.
H/T to Silodrome!
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