Back Street Classics: VW split windshield Bus Spotted

vw bus
Here is a fine classic example of a 1960 to 1967 VW split windshield Bus sporting a retro roof basket, spotted on the back streets of Denver, CO.  Needless to say this one is very well cared for as its paint is a great color combination.

There were quite a few improvements in this generation of buses. By 1961, the engine was a 1200 cc pushing out a whopping 40 horsepower. The 2,300 lbs curb weight would do a quarter mile in just about 25.5 seconds. In 1963, the engine displacement was increased to 1500 cc and made 53 horsepower.
The Type-2 bus in 1960 was the first version with spit front seats to allow for more comfort and made entry/exit  easier.

Catching a photo of this bus happens to coincide with the alleged end of VW bus manufacturing in Brazil, which would put an end to the 63 year era of VW bus production. Known in parts of the world as the Kombi, the bus has been produced exclusively in Brazil for the past several years until the country’s recent requirement mandating airbags and ABS in all new cars sold there.

Ultimate Edition KombiHowever, there is hope. Brazilian officials met on December 23rd to consider an exception for the Kombi because the VW bus is not considered neither a car, nor a truck. We are awaiting the decision of this meeting.

Anticipating the possible end of production forever, Volkswagen produced 1,200 units of Ultimate Edition Kombi’s. The sale price is a whopping $36,000 due to unexpectedly high demand.

Check out this insider TFLcar video of the Geneva unveiling of the Volkswagen Microbus Bulli Concept: