Yeah, I’m not Chris, and it’s not a brochure for some obscure thing that can’t be purchased here in the 50 States, but I thought you might be interested in seeing my most recent eBay score regardless. I’m a bit nutty for all things oddball and aircooled, so when this came up on my computer screen, I just had to put in a bid for it. It’s stuff like this occasionally popping up that makes me bookmark the AACA Museum’s eBay store.
Volkswagen made this brochure to promote their line of industrial trucks apparently in 1960. It is a quite interesting read, giving a look at how businesses and industries could use their bus-based trucks and vans.
I really dig this visual display of HOW MUCH STUFF you can fit in the lockable weather-tight underbed storage area. They call it the “Treasure Chest”. I wonder how many of these storage areas were ever used to their fullest extent. I wonder how many of these trucks were actually used by companies here in the US. This kind of thing seems like it would work wonders on the European continent, but wonder just how effective it would be here with our wide open highways and constant desire for speed. A fully loaded down truck certainly can’t be a quick machine, can it?
The brochure shows off VW’s long-bed “Pick-Up Truck”, (which could be configured with large glass-pane carriers, a mobile exhibition truck, a swivel-ladder truck, or ‘jinker’ for carrying pipes, scaffolding, lumber, etc.) the 6-passenger “Pick-Up”, the Panel Delivery van, and the Kombi Station Wagon. I could really get into owning any one of those. A ladder truck would be particularly cool. I don’t think they were built until after this catalog was produced, but a high roof panel van would be really cool (and really rare), too.
I have only ever seen one, and it was at the Irvine Cars and Coffee just over two years ago (Side note, probably the world’s coolest Porsche 912 can be barely seen in the bottom right corner. If you know the car, you know why it’s cool.)
All photos ©2015 Hooniverse/Bradley C. Brownell, All Rights Reserved.
The Carchive: 1960 Volkswagen Trucks Lineup
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My grandfather owned a bakery and grocery supply business in the 40s, 50s and 60s. They owned a variety of heavy duty trucks for the business and they had a VW microbus in the 60s as a family car as well. When one of the work trucks broke down one time, my grandfather, ever the cheapskate, went in the VW to tow it back to the warehouse. I guess he would have made it too if it weren’t for the viaduct.
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I wrote about one of these a few years ago, and I’ve been interested in them ever since. The only truck cooler than this, in my opinion, is the Corvair Loadside.
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That’s some beautiful artwork, right there.
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I like the “snail horn” front turn signals on these old things.
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My father bought a standard no-window van brand new in 1961, for the princely sum of just under $1700 USD, and drove it until he could no longer drive in 1989. It was the vehicle I learned to drive in, and later inherited it. By that time, it had been through several engines and a couple of transmissions, but was still soldiering on. Yes, it was battered and rough, but still carried itself and everything I could haul in it with dignity. Unfortunately, my ex hated it and didnt like it adorning our driveway, so I sold it to a local college student who rolled it up into a ball two days later. Hindsight being 20/10, I should have kept it and sold her….
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I’m big into old buses and know quite a few guys with either highroof panel vans or single/double cabs with original logos and documented histories as proper work trucks here in the states. Yeah, people bought these back in the day, definitely used them for what they were intended (and more), and today we struggle to keep up with the prices they’re all commanding.
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