VW Bus: The First 50 Years 1949-1999

Developed from an idea crudely sketched in a notebook, the VW van has evolved into an icon, unrivaled by any other similar vehicle. Indeed, in this day and age of mini-vans and MPVs, it's easy to forget that Volkswagen came up with precisely the same concept back in 1949. At that time the vehicles were sold as 'Kombis' or 'Microbuses,' but they were, without a doubt, the first ever 'People Carriers' and grew to become a symbol of freedom the world over. Over the past 50 years, the VW Transporter range - vans, pick-ups, crew-cabs, Kombis, Sambas, etc - has become the subject of many conversions, from fire trucks to mobile shops, from ambulances to campers. VW Bus - The First 50 Years celebrates a half-century love affair with this most versatile of vehicles, bringing together almost 500 photographs - most never before published - showing the VW Transporter at work, rest and play. They include images of early prototypes, production lines, special-bodied emergency vehicles, widely customized buses, rare promotional material, and a host of weird and wonderful Transporters from around the world. It also includes the water-cooled models.