| The Volkswagen Type 2 or Transporter (or
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| | generation); Van with skylight windows
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| more popularly known as the "Bus") is
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| | and cloth sunroof (Samba-Bus, first
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| generally considered to be the ancestor
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| | generation only; also called Deluxe
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| of the passenger and cargo van. Taking
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| | Microbus); Flatbed truck (Pick-up), or
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| after the VW Beetle ("Type 1"), the Bus
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| | Single Cab, also available with wider
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| was introduced in 1950. It sparked a wave
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| | load bed; Flatbed truck, Double Cab, with
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| of imitators like the Ford Econoline, the
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| | two rows of seats (Crew Cab Pick-up);
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| Dodge A100 and the Chevrolet Corvan,
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| | Camping van (Westy; with Westfalia roof
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| which even sported some utilities similar
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| | and interior); and semi-camping van that
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| to VW bus parts like its rear-mounted
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| | can also still be used as a passenger car
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| engine.
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| | and transporter, sacrificing some camping
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| The Bus' basic idea is generally credited
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| | comforts (Multivan, or Weekender,
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| to a Dutch VW importer, Ben Pon, who in
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| | available from the third generation on).
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| 1947 began drawing a series of designs
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| | During the hippie movement in the United
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| for the van. The first design was not
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| | States during the late 60s and early 70s,
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| aerodynamic enough, but was soon improved
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| | the Bus became a widely known symbol of
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| on the wind-tunnels of Technical
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| | the movement. Many of the counterculture
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| University of Braunschweig. Three years
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| | sported a Bus as a means of not just
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| later, the more aerodynamic van began to
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| | transportation but expression as well,
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| roll out of VW's Wolfsburg production
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| | with some taking many VW bus parts to new
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| plant.
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| | design heights.
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| The Type 2 soon assumed many variations
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| | Those with artistic bents turned the Bus
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| of the basic VW bus parts configuration.
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| | into their own canvas, taking off from
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| Among them were: Delivery van without
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| | the traditional factory paint jobs. Soon,
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| side windows or rear seats (Panel Van);
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| | Busses were seen in multi-faceted colors,
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| Delivery van with raised roof (High Roof
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| | from the surreal to the psychedelic.
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| Panel Van), or Hochdach; Van with side
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| | Anti-war activists even replaced the VW
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| windows and removable rear seats (Kombi,
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| | logo in the front with a painted peace
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| from German Kombinationskraftwagen
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| | sign.
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| (combination vehicle), i.e. both a
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| | From its utilitarian beginnings to its
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| passenger and a cargo vehicle combined);
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| | hippie generation and its present
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| Van with more comfortable interior
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| | incarnation as the VW Eurovan, the Bus
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| reminiscent of passenger cars (Bus; also
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| | has proven its longevity.
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| called Caravelle since the third
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