VW Transporter & Microbus Specification Guide 1950-1967 [Hardcover]

David Eccles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

The popularity of the VW Transporter, in particular the early Split Screen models, continues to grow and it has become a cult icon. This title brings together the complete history of the Split Screen Transporter produced from 1950-1967. The book covers Transporter history, offers production details and an explanation of every vehicle code. It provides month-by-month specification changes, a full listing of factory-fitted optional equipment, and a comprehensive guide to paint and trim colours. Details of Transporter export and Transporters built outside Germany and information on special models is also included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Eccles is well known in the VW world for his passion and dedication to the Split Screen Bus. He was an active member of the SSVC for ten years, editor of the Club magazine for seven years and at one time Vice President. He is currently editor of VW Camper & Commercial.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks International; illustrated edition edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861265093
• ISBN-13: 978-1861265098
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,213,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Eccles Bus Book, April 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: VW Transporter & Microbus Specification Guide 1950-1967 (Hardcover)

Lots of facts and production info. Reads like a series of VW mag articles (i.e.- lightweight) Many great color photos, but too many of the more interesting ones are postage-stamp size! The author had a pretty good thing going here, but at only 95 pages, came up about 15 pages short of a really good VW Bus book! To his credit, there are no pages wasted on chopped, lowered, hand painted or "Cal-Look" bullis!There are a few better VW bus books avail....before you'll need to buy this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but a little on the light side..., November 2, 2002

By 

Conrad klahn (Austin, Tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: VW Transporter & Microbus Specification Guide 1950-1967 (Hardcover)

This book tends to wander towards historical review and anecdotal commentary - a common ground that seems well travelled by now. I would like to have seen Mr. Eccles differentiate this title more. If he had, this would be a nice addition to a library of books.

I expected the content to include more specifications as the title of this book implies - and there is much more that he could have covered that currently is only available from alternative sources. For example, the "Without Guesswork" series is out of print (which includes nearly all the specs you would find useful) and he fails to include color swatches (which was a major disappointment for me).

The pictures in this book are on the small side. And there are details in the photographs that are not pointed out or discussed. For example on some models, you see original equipment features that make you wonder what they are - and no reference to them in the text. Many of the pictures are too small and muddy, detail is lost that would be very nice in larger view. As a coffee table book, this book would have benefited from a larger format for better reproduction of pictures.

There are no model-specific production figures. Nor is the information about pricing of options complete. I inferred from the text and illustrations that you could not purchase a deluxe from the Brazilian factory - but I should not have to guess, this is a specification guide.

I did find the information about optional equipment interesting - but have no idea what these items might look like, there are no illustrations to accompany some of his references. He assumes that the reader has been attending European VW shows - and is familiar with some of the busses, people and groups he references. Not everyone knows the Bulli Kartei.

Further, Mr. Eccles refers to documentation - and it would have been nice for him to include a portion of that documentation if he found it interesting enough to note. For example, when speaking about unique models like the Binz, he refers to optional equipment brochures. I would have liked to have seen a page as an example.

I think on a book like this you should not worry that your English audience doesn't know German. I think it is interesting what the models were called in German, like Sondermodell - and I would also include a translation to add interest.

I found some of his stories generalized - as he misses some unique features of the vehicle that are shown in the pictures. This is almost as if he is writing a review of a picture someone sent him, rather than him having seen the bus in person and spoken with the owner.

On the plus side, he does have some nice stories about unique models. But again, this is more appropriate for a historical book than a specification guide. I did find a reference to the destination code that I have not found elsewhere - my bus was exported to Central America (ZA).

Overall, I was a bit disappointed in this title - but found it an interesting read after I got over the initial disappointment.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference guide, June 28, 2006

By 

K. Adams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: VW Transporter and Microbus: Specification Guide 1950-1967 (Paperback)

This is a must have for the VW split window collector or anyone who is interested in the detailed specifications of VW Type 2's from 1950-1967. The book also contains excellent pictures of many different variations of the split window buses.