Volkswagen T2 Bay Window Camper

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There is probably nothing that has not been done to the poor old Volkswagen camper: raised, rodded, lowered, stretched, customised to within an inch of its life -you name it, it’s been done. It is very refreshing, then, to find one that is just as it came out of the factory.

This Type 2 Bay Window Camper has been in the ownership of the vendor (and his father) for 22 years. Initially, he used it as everyday transport to work and back (development and race engineer at the Morgan Motor Company), but in 2007 life got too hectic and too complicated so the van came off the road.

Eight years later life got a little easier and the van received the attention it deserved, along with two new door skins, lower rear corners, a set of jacking points and one or two minor panels. The body was then stripped back to bare metal and the van was resprayed in its original Sumatra Green and Pastel White colour combination. All work was done to a very high standard, including the underside (which will be of interest only to nit-pickers and pedestrians who get in the way).

During the restoration the 1700cc engine was removed and stripped. The bottom end was found to be within VW’s specified tolerances, but the cylinder heads were re-furbished. The brake calipers were rebuilt, the brake lines replaced where necessary, and new steering joints and CV boots fitted.

The interior was re-trimmed in a period-correct fabric, the seats were re-covered, but the original curtains were retained. The van is a genuine Devon conversion and retains its four-berth capacity (ground floor double bed, two hammock beds in the pop-up roof). The domestic facilities are all original and in tip-top condition.

The vendor has gone to great lengths to ensure that this camper has retained its original appeal and done the work to a very high standard. In fact, he believes that with only a little further attention it could be a concours winner. He does, however, admit to one deviation from standard: “I had the steering wheel painted white in the Morgan factory paint department in 1997, it should be black”. Did you spot it?