By Jeff Glucker
Slow car fast is fun. You work hard for your speed reward. Fast car fast is fun too, just in a different way. An entirely different of fun, however, is formerly slow car made fast. Especially when that slow car started off life as a really slow car.
The vehicle in question is an old Volkswagen T1 Panel van. This one ditches the painfully slow boxer four-banger for Porsche power. From there, the owner has upgraded the brakes, steering, gearbox, and interior. The result is one of the faster VW buses you’re likely to come across. If you’re at the Nürburgring, perhaps you’ll come across this one.
That’s where our friend Misha Charoudin hopped into the passenger seat to go for a spin.
It looks like a fair bit of work hustling this blue beast around the circuit. The steering appears heavy and the position of the wheel is awkward. Regardless, the engine sounds fantastic, pulls hard, and pushes this VW around at a great rate.
Imagine getting passed by this at the ‘Ring? Don’t get upset… just smile because it happened, and it’s wonderful.
This one seems more original than the famous “Race-Taxi” http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/05/race-taxi-the-porsche-bi-turbo-bus/ which used a Carrera 4 drivetrain and a T3 pickup floorpan under the split window body. I think this van is more challenging since it retains most of it’s T1 underpinnings.
Yes, I remember my old T1s very well. Very fun to drive. And with only a piece of cardboard and a thickness of sheet metal as a crumple zone. I miss mine.