History: The Westy

Volkswagen has produced its fair share of iconic automobiles in its long and illustrious history. The Beetle was as important as the Model T, as it was mass produced at a cheap price, giving all middle income families the ability to own a vehicle. The Golf GTi ignited the hot hatch craze, dumping a high performance engine and suspension package into a small hatchback, nearly killing off the sports car as it allowed people to carry a fair amount of cargo and passengers in a fun to drive car. The VW Bus was the truly original mini-van, allowing large families to transport vast quantities of screaming and vomiting children over large distances. However, one of VW’s greatest accomplishments did not get produced in the tens of millions of units, but was a niche special edition of the Bus. That vehicle was the Volkswagen Westfalia.

The Westfalia was a special breed of vehicle that filled a small niche market that in reality, no one else really made any effort to fill - that of a camper van daily driver.

The story of the Westfalia starts at the end of World War Two, when the British were in charge of the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. At that time a Dutch VW importer named Ben Pon noticed that VW Type-1 (Beetle) chassis and running gear were being used to power make shift trolleys. After much napkin designing in 1947, he had come up with a van version of the Type-1, a design perfected by Heinz Nordhoff when he took over as CEO of Volkswagen. Dubbed the Type-2, the van bodied vehicle with Beetle running gear was put into production in 1950. Due to its trolley inspired beginnings, it became known as the VW Bus.

At this time, a company known as Westfalia-Werke, based in the Westphalia region of Germany, was busy designing and building trailer hitches and specialty trailers. The two companies got together to design a specialty version of the Type-2 that could double as camping accommodations. Only one short year later, the Volkswagen Westfalia was born, with Volkswagen sending Type-2 bodies to Westfalia for camperized outfitting, and the resulting campervan being available at local VW showrooms.

Standard Equipment for the early 11-window Bus Westaflia Campers included electrical hookups, curtains, screened Jalousie Windows, laminated folding table, birch plywood interior panels, ice box or cold-box, and laminated cabinetry. Some models even came equipped with a sink as standard equipment. Optional was a side tent, side awnings, camping stove, child sleeping cot, camping equipment, and portable chemical toilet, to name a few. In this first generation, Westfalia built a total of 1000 campervan units between 1951 and 1958.Then in 1962 the iconic fiberglass pop-up top was added that extended the main portion of the roof upwards and provided additional standing room inside.

As the years progressed, so did the amenities, features, and styling of the Westfalia. The second generation of the vehicles had lightweight marine plywood, cupboards, gas stoves, and a picnic-table style seating that could fold into a bed. As the costs continued to increase for all the new features and options, VW came out with second vehicle option, the “Weekender,” which was equipped with the Westfalia’s campervan interior, but did not offer the pop-top roof. During the 60’s the versatilities of the Westfalia made it a favourite of the hippy and surf cultures, allowing these nomadic peoples to wander the country and coasts in search of better things, giving them the ability to live out of the vehicles that transported them.

In 1979, the third generation of the van came along, this time dubbed the Vanagon. This new boxy designed body still came in both Weekender and Westfalia models, only now, customers had the option of get a Syncro variant, giving the Westfalia 4WD capability. Manufactured from 1985 to 1992, this opened up the range of the Westfalia as many owners equipped Syncros with slight suspension lifts and all-terrain tires allowing the Syncro to be able to reach well out into the wilderness.

However, the Westy we all know and love here in Canada would undergo massive changes in its fourth generation. Now dubbed the Eurovan with another ground up redesign in 1990, a VR6 engine was now mounted in the front. Around this same time, Westfalia would be bought out by DaimlerChrysler. As DaimlerChrysler is a Volkswagen competitor, this spelled the end of the Volkswagen-Westfalia partnership. To try and save the Volkswagen Campervan, VW turned to Winnebago to try to reproduce the Westfalia in the Eurovan.

They did a good job offering the popular pop-top roof with a bed, two fold-out tables, numerous cupboards and drawers for food and clothing, a two-burner propane stove, stainless-steel sink with electric faucet, 12,000 BTU forced-air furnace with thermostat, and a fridge that ran on propane, battery power, or external current. There was also a 45-litre fresh water tank with a rear-mounted spray nozzle, a 30-litre ‘grey’ water tank with a standard flushing outlet, a 22-litre propane tank, and an auxiliary 130 amp battery with auxiliary charger.

As good as the Winnebago version was, the writing was already on the wall at Volkswagon as the Eurovan would go the way of the Dodo in 2003. It ended an era that saw the Westfalia hold a monopoly over a small but passionate market. With the exception of a few short lived special camper editions produced by other automakers, no one else built an affordable, proper daily driving camper van that could be purchased from your local showroom. And unfortunately, since the Westies demise, there has yet been another vehicle step up to take its place.

Today if you want a camper van, you must either make massive and expensive alterations to a commercial van or purchase one of very few high-end custom built campervans from RV builders that rarely run less the $100,000. As a result, the Westy lives on as a symbol of affordable get-away transportation. As their numbers dwindle, the cost of a well used Westfalia easily tops over $10,000 for an un-restored model, while fully restored Syncro versions can run as high as $100,000. Its proof positive that not only was the Westfalia the only vehicle that answered this niche market, it was also an outstanding product that we miss dearly.

Feature - Sainz Conquers Dakar

It may be called Dakar, but the event is back in Chile and Argentina, with Buenos Aires providing both the start and finish lines. 2009 was not kind to car manufacturers as the global recession saw many factory racing teams fold to financial pressures. The biggest casualty was the dominating Mitsubishi team that had won the prestigious event twelve times it's 31-year history. There was also talk that the Volkswagen team might not made it back as well, but the lure of the desert was too great and Sainz is back in his diesel powered Race Touareg looking for revenge. Sainz is backed up with last years winner, de Villiers, along with American Mark Miller, and Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar rounding out the team.

With Mitsubishi out of the picture, VW has turned from up-and-comer to title contender, however they have not left a void in the challengers department. Germany's X-Raid team, composing of ex-Mitsubishi refugees Nani Roma and Stephane Peterhansel piloting the BMW X3's look competitive as well as the American Hummer team. Robby Gordon had a very impressive 3^rd place finish in 2009 at the helm of the unconventional (by Dakar standards) Hummer. Of course we cannot forget the other classes doing battle, the bikes, quads and of course the giants of motorsport – the rally trucks.

The 2010 edition started New Years day, to the cheers of 300,000 spectators lining the streets of Buenos Aires to see the 362 competitors leave the starting ramp to start a 16-day, 9,000 km journey through some of the most rugged terrain South America has to offer. Cruising to the first special stage, Argentina's usually hot January weather gave way to some severe storms that made conditions slippery and swelled rivers making fording a challenge. But it was Nani Roma that would tear up the roads in the BMW X3, taking the lead on the first stage. However, Roma would be caught out on the second, sliding the X3 off a muddy corner and rolling into a ravine, loosing 15-min. VW's Al-Attiyah took advantage, winning the stage and taking the overall lead in the rally. In the trucks, Russian Valdamir Chagin was romping through the stages in his Kamaz, while David Casteu was the early bike leader.

The third day traded rain and mud for sun and the familiar arid terrain. That didn't help Nani Roma as he rolled his BMW off a very large cliff for the second time in as many days, this time ending his rally for good. However, his teammate, Stephane Peterhansel took up the slack winning the day and taking the overall lead. Robbie Gordons 2WD Hummer struggled through both the second and third days to loose touch with the leaders by an hour.

The fourth day would see competitors experience the sand dunes for the first time, as the rally exited Argentina and moved into Chile. Peterhansel strengthened his lead in the BMW, while KTM's Cyril Despres to command of the bike class while Argentine Marcos Patronelli took command of the quads on his Yamaha Raptor.

As the rally moved north along the Chilean coast, Volkswagen began to show their dominance. With Peterhansel destroying a driveshaft, Sainz took over the lead with teammates Al-Attiyah and Miller backing him up in second and third. On the return trip south, both the BMW and Hummer crews began to claw back some time in the high altitude dunes, as navigational errors and steep terrain played havoc with the Volkswagens. But the top three Race Touaregs were able to keep their 1-2-3 order going into the rest day.

After a day off, Al-Attiyah decided it was time to put on a charge, throwing caution to the wind, flinging his Race Touareg through the rocky terrain to take a massive chunk of time out of race leader, Sainz. While the leaders battled it out, the rest of the field fell off the road, as stage 10's rocky terrain put several competitors on their roofs. As the race moved back into Argentina, the VW's continue to dominate with BMW nipping their heels, while Despres, Chagin and Patronelli continue to dominate their classes.

As the race pushed its way back through Argentina, on its way to Buenos Aires, the leader boards in all divisions changed little since the rest day, but that doesn't mean there aren't any fights going on. The battle between Sainz and Al-Attiyah for the overall win continued to rage while the BMW's of Peterhansel and Chicherit continue to haul in the Volkswagens. Patronelli held the lead the quad class, despite having to hold off his brother also riding a Yamaha. KTM rider, Cyril Despres continues to hold off a charging field of riders, holding over an hour lead, while Chagin dominates the trucks.

The final stages leading into Buenos Aires proved tense as the ultra-competitive natures of both Sainz and Al-Attiyah made for a gripping battle to the finish line. With over 8,000 km covered, only a few precious minutes separated the two on the final stage. Hard charging, tire punctures, off-course excursions and even the odd smack between the two culminated in a final charge for Buenos Aires. However, the narrow roads of the stage suited Sainz's rally driving style better as he threw the big Touareg around like a little rallycar to win his first ever Dakar and Volkswagens second in a row. Al-Attiyah and Miller round out a VW sweep of the podium, with the BMW's of Peterhansel and Chicherit rounding out the top five. If not for braking that driveshaft earlier in the race, Peterhansel would have topped the podium, proving that the next edition of the Dakar will likely be even more exciting.

In the other classes, Patronelli, Despres and Chagin proved the class of each field, winning top honors for Yamaha, KTM and Kamaz respectfully.