CC Video: 36 Unrestored Split-Window VW Buses Take On The Wilds, Snow, And A Deep River Crossing

This video brought me a lot of joy. It’s easy to assume that all T1 (first generation) VW buses (and pickups) are all perfectly restored and come out on nice sunny Sundays for a little ride or a car show. Here’s 36 battered old T1s (not Type 1, Nate) off for four days in the wilds of northern California near Mt. Shasta. They encounter snow, mud and a very difficult river ford (at 42 17 minutes) that swallows up three out of four that attempt it. Engines need to be pulled, and other technical issues arise. But the convoy goes on, something this group does every year.

It makes me want one and join in. I have a real thing for these, since my very earliest days in Austria. The first car I ever drove with a stick shift was a ’65 bus. I consider it to be one of the most revolutionary and influential vehicles of the 20th century. No wonder they have such a passionate following.

 

Related CC reading:

Curbside Classic: 1965 VW Deluxe Micro Bus “Samba” – A Truly Revolutionary Vehicle