VW sold a high-spec 23-window Microbus known as a “Samba”. Their rarity means today they’re one of the most-collectable Volkswagens of all time, and examples in top condition have sold for more than $305,000 (USD) at auction in the past.
After European countries imposed an import tariff on American chicken, Lyndon B. Johnson responded with import tariffs on a bunch of European products, including light commercial vehicles like the Kombi. While it dramatically increased the cost of the Kombi variants in the USA, it didn’t dampen enthusiasm for the hardy workhorse.
Introduced in 1985, the Syncro model was co-developed with off-road and military vehicle specialists at Steyr-Daimler-Puch. The rarest and most desirable Syncro is the “16inch”, which had larger 16-inch wheels, bigger brakes, and higher ground clearance for improved off-road behaviour. The Syncro has been overwhelmingly popular for use in camper van conversions.
Since its introduction in 1950, Volkswagen’s Kombi has been one of the world’s most popular vans, minibuses, and pick-up trucks. VW initially called the light commercial cab-over the “Type 2,” as well as the more famous “Kombi,” “Transporter,” and “Microbus,” depending on which specs the vehicle was ordered with. They were also one of the first post-war light commercial vehicles of their type.
Sporting forward controls and a cab-over format from 1950 to 1990, Type 2 VWs were even built on the same chassis as early Beetles until 1979, and also shared the Beetle’s boxer four-cylinder engine. The second-generation Kombi entered production in 1967, while the third-generation model followed in 1979, before being replaced by new Transporter/Caravelle models in 1990, which moved to a front-engine, front-driven layout. Part of the massive appeal of VW Kombis was their versatility. Kombis could be ordered with sliding or swinging doors, in four-door or five-door formats, with up to 23 windows in some passenger models, in single-cab or crew-cab configurations, and with long- or short-bed tray sizes. Their popularity as a hardy, reliable workhorse made them highly attractive for the aftermarket to turn into camper vans, ambulances, fire engines, refrigerated vans, and more.
Their simple nature, ability to haul bulk people, and cheap purchase price made Kombis the van of choice during the counter-culture era of the 1960s, as well as for surfers. Today, they’re an icon of 20th-century transport and pop culture and are among the most high-prized post-war classic commercial vehicles.
Released in 1950, the Volkswagen Type 2, also called the Transporter, VW Microbus, Caravelle, and Kombi, was one of the first post-war vehicles of its type and set the standard for almost all forward-control light commercial vehicles which would follow. Built on the same rear-engined platform as the VW Beetle (called the Type 1), and retaining much of the Beetle’s mechanical components (like the air-cooled boxer four-cylinder), meant the Kombi was cheap to purchase and run. It was also sold in a huge variety of body styles, including single-cab and dual-cab tray-back, sliding or swinging door commercial van, sliding door or swinging door passenger van, or a variant which came with seats but could have them removed to make it a load-carrying workhorse (called “Kombi”).
Volkswagen evolved the Type 2 design with a new-generation model in 1967, though it retained largely similar rear-engined, cab-over underpinnings as the first-generation model. The new model was larger, heavier, and featured more square-set styling leading to its nickname as “Breadloaf”, while the large one-piece front windscreen on some models saw them referred to as “Bay Window” Kombis. Large upgrades were made to the rear suspension, removing the Beetle-based swing axle in favour of a modern system using CV joints to radically improve handling safety. The electrical system was also upgraded from the pre-War-era 6-volt of the first-generation to a modern 12-volt circuitry. Second-generation Kombis became iconic vehicles for surfers and holiday makers looking for a roomy vehicle that was cheap to run and ferociously reliable. This interest drove a cottage industry which saw many second-generation Kombis converted into camper-vans by aftermarket companies.
A third-generation Volkswagen Type 2 was introduced in 1979, though production of the first- and second-generation Kombi models continued in some parts of the world, like Brazil and Mexico until the 1990s. VW officially designated the model the Type 25, which covered the new Multivan, Caravelle, and Transporter models as before but officially there were no models badged “Kombi”. The third-generation Volkswagen van was bigger and heavier than the second-generation model, but retained the cab-over, rear-engined layout using either air-cooled flat four-cylinder powerplants as before or new, water-cooled in-line four-cylinder engines. Engines ranged from 1.6-litres up to 2.6-litres, with petrol or diesel fuel options, manual or automatic transmissions, and rear-wheel-drive or the new “Syncro” four-wheel drive models. The Type 25 Kombi was Volkswagen’s final rear-engined, rear-drive vehicle from its original lineage, and when it was replaced in 1990 this ended more than 52 years of rear-engined, air-cooled, rear-drive VWs.
The largest single generational upgrade to Volkswagen’s storied Kombi model (officially called Transporter, Multivan or Caravelle) range occurred with the introduction of the fourth-generation model, officially coded T4. For the first time VW released their legendary Kombi as a front-engine, front-wheel-drive model featuring water-cooled engines. It was still available in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase variants, as a commercial or passenger van or tray-back pick-up, in two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive layouts, manual or automatic transmissions, and with petrol or diesel engines. Such was the T4 platform’s versatility it was hugely popular for conversions into ambulances, police vehicles, and camper vans by aftermarket companies. VW put huge resources into improving the T4’s Noise, Vibration and Harshness levels to give a premium feeling product which would be positioned higher in the market above cheaper, more basic rivals. Production of the T4 ran until 2003, making it the second-longest production run of a Volkswagen light-commercial vehicle behind the original Type 2 Kombi (1950-1967).
While they used water-cooled engines mounted in the front, and didn’t feature a cab-over design, Volkswagen’s fifth-generation Transporter, Multivan, Kombi, and Caravelle models pushed into the New Millennium with an increased focus on versatility as well as premium finishes. This meant its commercial van, tray-back pick-ups, and passenger van range, are a true spiritual successor to the famous air-cooled original Type 2 vans. Volkswagen continued elevating the Multivan and Caravelle passenger van models more deeply into luxury vehicle territory, making them highly attractive for limousine and executive transport operators, while the Transporter van and tray-back truck’s flexible range of door, roof height, engine and transmission, drive layout, and wheelbase options meant there were over 100 different specs of Transporter van customers could order. The T5-generation Transporter, Multivan and Caravelle weren’t sold in the USA, marking the first time Volkswagen hadn’t sold a light-commercial vehicle of their own design since the original Type 2 Kombi platform was introduced back in 1950.
A large-scale evolution of the T5 platform, the sixth-generation T6 Volkswagen Transporter debuted in 2015 and replaced the T5 models. The Multivan, Caravelle, Transporter, and Kombi line-up pushed passenger vans further away from their workhorse mid-size commercial brethren (a Comfort line and Standard line were offered), as Volkswagen’s vehicle line-up had expanded over the previous 20 years to include many more vehicles than when the original Kombi debuted in 1950 and was offered solely alongside the Beetle. One two-litre petrol four-cylinder engine was offered, alongside two diesel four-cylinders showcasing the large-scale move to diesel for commercial or load-carrying vehicles. A petrol-electric hybrid was offered for the first time, before the T6 passenger vans were replaced by an all-new T7 model in 2021, while the T6 Transporter was replaced with a Ford-based commercial van in 2025. Having split the commercial and passenger van ranges for the first time since 1950, many argue this was the end of the Kombi lineage, though VW say the new, all-electric ID.Buzz is the spiritual successor to Kombis of old.
