Imagine buying your favorite JDM car, having it shipped, and waiting patiently for its arrival, only for it to be destroyed once it touches U.S. soil. That was the case with one Subaru Sambar that was modified to look like a Type 1 bus enough for Volkswagen USA to notice and have U.S. Customs destroy it.
Tiki Bunny Imports of Milwaukee, WI specializes in legally bringing Kei cars to the USA for its clients. The company’s owner, Tyler Barg imported a 1996 Sambar that had a Type 1 Bus conversion kit on it. As a part of the kit, the Subaru had a VW livery and even a VW badge on it but let’s be clear, it’s far from someone mistaking it for an actual Microbus.
Despite that, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency contacted VW to ask about its legitimacy. According to Barg, VW deemed it “counterfit” so CBP seized the car and due to a typo on his email address, Barg didn’t find out about the issue for over a month. “I didn’t know it at the time, but that typo had cost me the ability to send the van back to Tokyo and save it,” he told The Drive.
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Photos from the auction listing (TheDrive)
He was willing to do whatever possible in an effort to save the little van though even if it meant debadging it. “I’d understood from the get-go this was going to be an uphill battle… The only actual change to the van is the single front panel. The rest is repainted and reupholstered, sure, but none of it has any bearing on VW’s trademark,” Barg said.
That wasn’t enough and in March of 2022, VW sent Barg a letter stating the following. “The public will be confused if the public sees these vehicles driving down the road or sees them otherwise, and will erroneously believe that VW has created this vehicle.”
Call us biased for being automotive enthusiasts but we bet that most VW fans would spot the difference between this Subaru Sambar and a real Microbus from a mile away. Evidently, VW isn’t so confident in its own fans.
Interestingly, it seems to also think that the design, shape, and general appearance of this Subaru infringes on its rights. “Contrary to your request, this vehicle cannot be stripped of its “VW logo” inasmuch as the shape, design, and general appearance of this vehicle infringe on VW’s trademark and trade dress rights.”
As far as Barg knows the vehicle has long since been destroyed as U.S. Customs told him that it would be disposed of in accordance with governing guidelines.” Now, he’s out the $9,500 he spent to get the van here and has exactly nothing to show for it all because VW, who hasn’t sold a Microbus in the US for decades, didn’t like this quirky little creation.