VW Kombi "Surfer's icon" turns 60!

Undoubtedly the Kombi was associated with a hippie style lifestyle, becoming especially popular with surfers, that could sleep and live in them as they followed the swell up and down our coastlines. Partly this nomadic lifestyle and the young people that enjoyed it, gave birth to the dubious cultural reputation that the Kombi probably didn't deserve. The Kombi gained a reputation for its reliability - perhaps as many were rarely serviced - and just kept going, with many still on the road today.

February marks the 60th anniversary of the first Kombi coming off the production line in Germany. The idea for the Kombi is credited to Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon, who drew the first sketches of the van in April 1947, based on an open cab flat bed truck that the British Army had built in the old VW factory to move supplies and parts around as the factory was rebuilt. Eight prototypes were built in 1949, which necessitated a number of improvements. The first production models left the Wolfsburg factory in February 1950, with full production commencing in March 1950, with 10 vehicles a day built. It was a rear engined van, which was slow, but reliable.

Its aerodynamics were questionable, with slightly boxy, utilitarian shape. The driver sat above the front wheels, and while it was known in Australia as the Kombi, its official designation was the Transporter, with subsequent models T1, T2 through to T5. The VW could be considered the first people mover, but also became a symbol of a counter culture, as it could carry people plus camping gear and cooking supplies - like a mobile home.

The VW Type 2 was the second automotive line introduced by Volkswagen, initially based on the first T1 model, known as the Beetle. The Type 2 was produced from 1950 through to 1967. Initially it was built in Wolfsburg, but from 1956 it was built at the new Transporter factory in Hanover. The first Kombis (like the Beetle) had a 1.2-litre/19kW air cooled four cylinder boxer engine mounted in the rear. The 22kW version became available in 1955, and the 25kW soon after.

Models included a people carrier, single cab pickup, and the first ambulance in 1951. The 100,000th VW Type 2 was built in October 1954, by which time production was 150 per day. The double cab model arrived in 1958 along with a camper, large capacity pickup and a police emergency vehicle. By 1966 the Hanover Transporter factory was building 750 Type 2s per day.

German production stopped after the 1967 model, however the T1 was still made in Brazil until 1975, when it was modified with a 1968-79 T2 style front end and big 1972 vintage tail lights.