Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1950s - Early 60s Volkswagen 15 Window Deluxe Transporter Micro Bus Van on 2040-cars

Year:1957 Mileage:63986
Location:

Mason City, Iowa, United States

Mason City, Iowa, United States
Advertising:

You are looking at a rare find.  A late '50s or early '60s (no newer than 1961) Volkswagen Fifteen Window Microbus.  It was purchased in package deal, and the farmer who's grove it was pulled out of is fairly sure he has the titles, but is still looking for them.  If located, a title will be provided with the vehicle, otherwise it will be sold with a bill-of-sale only.  I found what I believe to be the VIN number behind the front seat on the passenger side which is stamped into the steel divider panel.  The number reads 357988.  There may be some other numbers located in the engine compartments, but both vans are parked back-to-back on my trailer with no real way to get them loaded back up if I were to take them off.  I was hoping to leave them on the trailer until sold, then transfer them over onto the buyer's trailer at that time, or else possibly deliver each one in person.  They were gently picked up with a forklift without damage, and set onto my trailer at the location we picked them up from.  I don't have a fork-lift myself, but can carefully drag them off the trailer.  As you can see, I have hubs/drums to go onto the splined axle shafts, which can have wheels bolted up to them, although I only have 3 wheels and would have to round up a 4th in order for it to be sitting on rims. 

As you can see, the driver's front end area is damaged from an accident, but could be straightened back out with a porter-power or bottle-jack with a piece of 2x4 so you could get a door hung back on it again.  I'm told they sell the whole front body panel section aftermarket, as well as floor pans, rocker panels, and everything else that needs replacement due to rust.  As you can see in the pictures, the main 2 structural rails that run the length of the vehicle are still solid despite sitting in the dirt for years.  The outer body mounts are rough, as are a lot of other aspects of the van, but I've seen people pull rougher busses than these out of the bottom of a lake to restore.  At one time, they were totally worthless, and when people were finished driving them, they typically just junked them or abandoned them by the side of the road.  Those days are long gone, and finding a 15 window in a grove like this is completely unheard of anymore!  This is an ambitious project, but they are extremely collectible & valuable, so it's well worth restoring.  After pulling it out of the grove & getting it home, I power-washed all the moss & caked on dirt off of it to really expose everything.  It was still wet in the pictures, so it perhaps looks a little worse than it is, but you get a realistic idea of the condition it's in.

It's the more desireable Deluxe model, so it came with all the extra aluminum trim & brightwork that the standard models didn't have.  The rear curved glass is un-broken, but has some milking around the edges.  The rest of the panels are just flat glass that can be cut by any glass shop inexpensively, although many of them are okay as well.  The original round taillights are still there, and unbroken.  There's no engine, but the transaxle is still in there.  I don't have a way to know if it's good.  The vehicle steers, but is't something that can be rolled around at this point without a little more work & a 4th wheel.  If you're looking for a VW Bus project, and don't have the dough to fork out for an already restored one... here's a good start on a very desireable body style.  If you wanted to make it into a 23 window clone, you can buy those little curved roof-glass panels, and install them, as well as sliding ragtops to really make it neat!

By bidding on this vehicle, you acknowledge that it is being sold As Is with no warranty.  I require a $250 security deposit within 3 days of auction's end, and remainder of balance to be paid for in full with cash in person.  If having it shipped, a cashier's check, money order or bank wire-transfer is acceptable, and I will assist with loading.  If you have any other questions, I can be reached afternoons/evenings at (641) 512-5229, or message me through eBay.

Thanks for looking!

 

If you have any trouble viewing the slideshow at the top of this page, please be sure to go directly to:  picasaweb.google.com/oldcargeek   ...or click on the thumbnail image below to view the link to my web-album with 87 photos of this bus!:

Volkswagen Red Bus for sale

 

 

Auto Services in Iowa

Pleasant Hill Auto Body ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: 5245 E 12th St, Runnells
Phone: (515) 264-1243

Lea Mobile Glass Inc ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Glass-Auto, Plate, Window, Etc
Address: 801 S Federal Ave, Hanlontown
Phone: (641) 424-3497

Hamilton Radiator ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Automobile Parts & Supplies
Address: 219 1st Ave E, Newton
Phone: (641) 792-1641

Four Guys Auto Sales & Body Repair ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Used Car Dealers, Dent Removal
Address: 4705 Johnson Ave NW, Hiawatha
Phone: (319) 390-3599

Dusty`s Tire ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service
Address: 721 2nd St, Coralville
Phone: (319) 338-4462

Country Auto INC ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Automobile Restoration-Antique & Classic
Address: 1501 Chamber Ct, Olin
Phone: (319) 462-5099

Auto blog

VW confirms Golf GTD diesel coming to US for 2016

Wed, 03 Jul 2013

Part of the Volkswagen Golf recipe that has helped the car sell more than 30 million units in just under 40 years is the number of variants in which the hatchback is offered. Building on that range here in the US, Automotive News is reporting that we will finally be getting the sporty Golf GTD, likely as a 2016 model. It's the GTD, you'll recall, that crosses the performance abilities of the venerable GTI with a powerful and fuel-efficient diesel engine.
After speaking with Andreas Valbuena, Volkswagen product manager for the Golf, AN not only says that the GTD will for sale in the US in a couple years, it also estimates a baseline price of around $27,000, which would place it between the current pricing for the GTI and the Golf R. The GTD is launching in Europe this summer, but we won't be getting the seventh-generation Golf in the US for another year. The news about the performance diesel model isn't entirely unexpected - VW officials have been hinting at it for at least a year now, going so far as to import a sixth-generation model for media test drives on US soil, a task we happily took them up on last year.
The Mk VII GTD uses VW's 2.0-liter TDI engine with output increased to 184 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, allowing the car to sprint to 60 miles per hour in about seven seconds while returning more than 40 mpg in highway driving. We can't wait.

Jaguar Land Rover remains bullish on diesels

Wed, Sep 30 2015

Despite Volkswagen's recent diesel scandal, Jaguar Land Rover is pushing ahead with ambitious plans to roll out the technology across most of its lineup in the coming years. Jaguar and Land Rover will add diesel engine variants to every model in their lineups, except for the Jaguar F-Type sports car. Land Rover launched the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport with available 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesels, and together they have sold more than 330 units so far in September, their first month on sale in the United States. JLA officials say they've seen no fallout from VW's emissions problem and are adamant their diesels meet EPA standards. "That has been our strategy, and it is not changing," Joe Eberhardt, Jaguar Land Rover North America CEO, told the Automotive Press Association on Wednesday in Detroit. "You have to deal with the situations as they arrive. We are confident of diesel." Jaguar will get another diesel next year from its Ingenium engine family, which will initially be sold in the XE sedan and the F-Pace crossover. It's a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit and makes 180 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. A JLR spokesman said the Ingenium has not yet gone through the EPA certification process, and the diesel-powered models will arrive in the fall. Jaguar also plans to add diesel engines to the flagship XJ and XF sedans. Land Rovers, including the Discovery and Evoque, will also get diesel options, and the company estimates the technology will offer 20- to 30-percent improvements in fuel economy, depending on the vehicle. Eberhardt said it is "too soon to tell" if the diesel market will be weighed down by Volkswagen's situation. The German automaker admitted to cheating on emissions tests to make its diesel-powered cars appear to run cleaner than they actually do in real-world situations. The ensuing outrage forced longtime VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn to step down and prompted a reorganization of the company, which faces legal and regulatory action around the world. Still, Eberhardt maintains JLR is "very confident" in its diesels, which are part of its strategy to grow sales around the world. Land Rover has experienced rapid growth under the ownership of Indian conglomerate, Tata Motors, while Jaguar is set to revitalize its lineup with new entries like the XE and F-Pace to reach a broader market segment.

VW Group to split brands under four holding companies

Tue, Jun 16 2015

The Volkswagen Group is planning a tremendous shift in its internal structure that will decentralize operations by splitting its 12 brands into four different holding companies. Here's the breakdown. Things will be split logically, considering the inter-sharing of parts, platforms, and engines. The Volkswagen brand, Seat, and Skoda make up a passenger vehicle division led by former BMW man Herbert Diess. Audi, which is tightly intertwined with Lamborghini and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, will be managed by current Audi exec Rupert Stadler. Porsche and Bentley, which are already quite close, will be joined by Bugatti and run by Matthias Mueller. Finally, a commercial vehicles division will include Volkswagen Commercial, Scania, and Man. Former Daimler exec Andreas Renschler will take care of the big vehicles. The massive move, according to Automotive News Europe, is part of an internal VAG effort to move away from the structure established by ousted Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who favored a compact, but highly centralized, management structure to oversee the independent actions of the company's brands. Criticism of Piech's arrangement stemmed from the company's slow responses to changes in the market, ANE reports. The new structure should make for a more efficient, streamlined company that's better able to make crucial decisions. What are your thoughts? Should VAG decentralize, or did Piech have the right idea? Have your say in Comments.