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1962 Volkswagen Split Screen, 15 Window Van

Introducing this exquisite 1962 Volkswagen Split Screen, 15 Window Van, a true automotive icon admired by many. A symbol of family, community, adventure, and counterculture “The Bus” has provided passengers for over 60 years with the opportunity to be a part of the rich history that forms the story of the VW Van.

This fun-to-customize and easy-to-maintain vehicle, with its roomy interior, rear-wheel drive and air-cooled engine, was the solution to transporting goods of all kinds, whether humans, goods or even surfboards. The iconic design was the creation of Dutch VW Beetle importer ‘Ben Pon’. In 1947 he made the first sketch after being inspired by adapted parts haulers made from the Type 1 Volkswagen Beetles. The design was more representative of a shortened bus than a van facilitating its functional use of interior space. The first generation of the Volkswagen van, the split windshield, nicknamed ‘Splittie’, began manufacture in 1950 and proceeded till 1967. This vehicle being registered in 1962 means it was manufactured at the Hanover factory that was purpose-built in 1956 to cope with the incredible demand the VW Type 2 had incurred.

This left-hand drive exemplary example is denoted the Deluxe model identifiable by its total 15 windows (8 side windows, 2 curved rear windows, 2 windscreen windows, 2 door windows, 1 rear window), which was not available in Europe. Furthermore, this “Samba” model means it’s the most luxurious T1 iteration and is equipped with bi-parting doors as opposed to a sliding door, front roof lip and most noticeably two-tone paintwork. In this instance, the beautiful turquoise lower bodywork, is separated by a decorative strip from the contrasting white upper bodywork. The interior consists of luxurious brown leather upholstery and a gloss white dashboard and 2 spoke steering wheel, providing a bright airy drive with an unparalleled 360-degree view from within.

This split-screen van sits on 15” powder-coated rims with chrome hub caps.

To maintain an authentic but achieve a more capable driving experience this vehicle has undergone respectful upgrades and an extensive restoration to make this one of the finest split screens in the UK as stated by ‘The Old Volks Club, Bristol’. The restoration in 2008-2011 spared no expense, with original invoices catalogued, totalling over £45,000.  To improve the driveability of this van the engine has been upgraded to a 1641 cc flat-four engine paired with a 4-speed manual gearbox. A full bodywork restoration was completed by the masterful and award-winning family trio at ‘Trailer Queen Restos’ and a major mechanical restoration was completed by ‘Type 3 Detectives Ltd’.

Key upgrades and work carried out between 2008 and 2011:

• Dropped spindles for lowered ride height.
• New brake system and hoses
• Creative Engineering Independent Rear Suspension Conversion
• Creative Engineering Steering
• Chemical strip and electrophoretic coating
• Full body restoration and paint
• New wiring loom
• Steel wheel kit disc conversion
• Dual circuit conversion with new pipes and hoses
• Engine and gearbox rebuilt.
• New modified exhaust
• Leisure battery and 240v hook-up.

This is not an exhaustive list of the expertise, time and work that has gone into the restoration and maintenance of this outstanding Volkswagen Van.

For further information contact the team here at JD Classics.