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