1953 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon

Minivan/Van

-

Manual

2-050535

Gasoline

This is a 1953 East German coach built bus. It was built in East Germany in 1953 utilizing a 1943 Kubelwagen chassis during a time when materials were scarce. The VIN tag indicates Volkswagen-Werks G.m.b.H. as the manufacturer and appears to be the VIN tag of the Kubelwagen chassis that was used for the production of this unique bus. The vehicle VIN is 2-050535. The VIN tag indicates year of vehicle as 1943/53. Volksworld ran a couple articles about these Kubelwagen based buses, one in June 1999 under KDF Observer, and one in March 2005 under Lost and Found. In the June article they mentioned that only 30 known surviving examples exist. Unless someone knows otherwise, no other example of this style bus can be located in the US. They were used as taxi-busses in Germany and were built under the VW trademark using the split window bus (barndoor) concept. Rometsch, Dannenhaur and Strauss and Hebmuller were the main coachbuilders in Germany at the time this bus was built, but I don’t know which company built this particular bus. Over the years, this bus has been graced with an uh…interesting paintjob and has had a few non-traditional parts installed. The construction of this bus utilizes metal and wood framing and has a sheet metal exterior skin. The door windows roll down as well as the second set of rear side windows. It also comes with a tow hitch for towing trailers. The body has some rust and wood rot at various locations throughout the vehicle and would benefit from a restoration. The driver side door hinge is loose where the wood frame has some rot. No engine will be included in the sale since one of the previous owners probably sold the original engine to a Kubelwagen enthusiast. I have seen a couple 1953 engines for sale on the internet and they are a bit expensive. I have not seen any 1943 model engines for sale probably because they are so rare. The interior appears complete. The missing headlight is included (see photos of interior). This is one of only a few remaining examples of this type of bus, anywhere in the world. I am selling this vehicle in as-is condition with a bill of sale since it hasn’t had a title in quite some time. The bus is currently being stored for me in a fully enclosed storage unit in Bradenton, FL. I can help arrange for shipping, but can only do so much since I live in Colorado. I have described this vehicle to the best of my knowledge, but my knowledge is fairly limited. Thank you for your interest and have a great day!