- The camper versions of Volkswagen’s iconic Microbus may be great to camp in, but they’re not so great to drive. This build solves that problem.
- Created (mostly) from a 1974 VW Type 2, this VW is sure to be the only one of its kind at Burning Man.
- This is one Bring a Trailer auction where you’ll instead want to bring a tow vehicle.
Volkswagen Microbus campers are undeniably cool. They’re also undeniably slow. Attaching a cart to a team of sloths is probably a faster way to get around. And maybe it isn’t the greatest idea to drive around in modern traffic in a vehicle where the front crash protection is basically just your legs. But what if you could have all the fun of a pop-top vintage VW, without the downsides? Have we got the camper for you.
Today’s pick at auction site Bring A Trailer (or in this case, maybe Bring a Trailer Hitch?)—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is a 1974 Volkswagen Type 2 Westfalia… trailer. It’s a wacky but well-executed idea that gets rid of the slow vintage-vehicle part of Westfalia ownership but lets you keep the quirky camper fun.
The builder took a 1974 VW Type 2, repaired all the rust, then welded up the front doors and wheel wells and jettisoned the front axle and steering gear. A new tube-frame chassis underneath provides structural strength, and the removal of the engine creates more storage than you’d get in a powered Westy. The interior is finished in nicely contrasting bamboo and tweed, and foam insulation keeps the cold at bay. A pop-top camper top from a 1972 Wesfalia completes the makeover.
With a stated total weight of 2360 pounds and a tongue weight of 250 pounds, this Westfalia trailer can be towed by a broad range of vehicles. Embrace an environmentally friendly attitude, as befits a 1970s Westfalia, and hook it up behind your EV and go enjoy nature. Or strap this thing behind a Ram TRX and beat everyone else to the psychedelic rock festival.
Of course, the real power move would be to tow this trailer with another Westfalia, although it would have to be one of those resto-modded ones done up with a Subaru engine and upgraded brakes. Imagine the double-takes you’d get when cruising down the highway.
In any event, this fun little VW bus-trailer is going to be headed out on new adventures soon. The no-reserve auction ends October 5.
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
