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Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:12 pm

aside from the black and white photo of the rear of a 'prototype' barndoor, is there anything else known about 1949 buses?

I stumbled on these pictures today while browsing the sambas features. Could anyone translate it (someone who speaks german, not an online translator that will butcher the text).

it seems it might be painted the beige/light brown combo? including pinstripes.

interested vertical vents and gas filler on the body. Also the early bumpers are very cool.

also the tail lights are very low? maybe they raised them for visibility? (but then dropped them back down in 58/59?)

i searched a little but didnt find much pertaining to these super early buses, if there is an existing thread, point me in the right direction.

thanks!

Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:31 pm

well i searched a bit more and found some good threads about '49s. so most of my questions have been answered.

although it would still be nice to have a translation.

Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:14 pm

Are those split bug tail lights on that bus? They don't match any of the tail lights on the BD.DK site.

Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:34 pm

Aaron wrote: Are those split bug tail lights on that bus? They don't match any of the tail lights on the BD.DK site.
very likely. that bus is a prototype, so it has many unique features that were not seen on the production models.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:59 am

I've got this newspaper from a german university from 1949
and it's got an article about the "new" VW bus.
Here are some pics:

Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:48 am

The 1950 sales brochure has photos of the prototype from 1949. In the Archives section of the samba, you can see all the images.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/literature50busbooklet.php

Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:29 pm

The air vents on the rear are vertical instead of Horizontal. I guess the vents work better Horizontal. Are there any surviving with the fuel inlet on the outside of the bus? I don't think # 10 has this feature. :?:

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:34 pm

dockmaster wrote: The air vents on the rear are vertical instead of Horizontal. I guess the vents work better Horizontal. Are there any surviving with the fuel inlet on the outside of the bus? I don't think # 10 has this feature. :?:

I don't think the horizontal air vents work better in terms of airflow. but they work better in terms of keeping water out. My guess is they went horizontal to keep water out of the engine compartment.

Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:45 pm

Is it possible that the height of the barndoor rear cargo floor was set by using the sideways tire mount as a guide?

Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:48 pm

j.pickens wrote: Is it possible that the height of the barndoor rear cargo floor was set by using the sideways tire mount as a guide?

Could be.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:01 am

I have this translated in my head from reading it through and will type out a full translation once i am back in England in a few days.
Sled i will PM you once it is posted hear so you can read it.
It makes quite an intresting read and the reporter seems to be really hyped about the arrival of this new VW "child"

Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:02 am

".....windscreen and feet will be warmed by warm air...."

In your dreams :lol:

interesting to note that the VW literature calls it a "Bulli" - I thought that was a publicly donated name like "bug" or "beetle" or "splitty".

Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:05 am

bulli means "little bull" in german

Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:52 pm

sled wrote: aside from the black and white photo of the rear of a 'prototype' barndoor, is there anything else known about 1949 buses?

I stumbled on these pictures today while browsing the sambas features. Could anyone translate it (someone who speaks german, not an online translator that will butcher the text).

it seems it might be painted the beige/light brown combo? including pinstripes.

interested vertical vents and gas filler on the body. Also the early bumpers are very cool.

also the tail lights are very low? maybe they raised them for visibility? (but then dropped them back down in 58/59?)

i searched a little but didnt find much pertaining to these super early buses, if there is an existing thread, point me in the right direction.

thanks!

The promised translation here goes hope you all enjoy the read!
Front cover...
Publication title: New special interest publication for transport.
Italic writing: The new 3/4 ton chassis VW minibus. (images by Badekow)

Page 1:

Paragraph 1:
As of January 1st the Volkswagen company will begin the mass production of a 3/4 ton delivery van.The first vehicles will be in the possesion of the owners approximatley 4 weeks later.The manager of Volkswagen Mr Nordoff(Dr Eng) said at the recent impressive press conference that the new vehicle underwent stringent market analysis before planning and design began.The market analysis revealed a high demand for this type of delivery vehicle.The production target for the first year is 10,000 vehicles, as a result of the market analysis undertaken. the affordable price of the box type model will be DM5580 from the factory and a flatbed version will not be put into production. The new VW delivery van will be built in 4 four different variations, a box type truck,station-car(?kombi),8 seater minibus and a mobile sales van.It is down to the customers to choose special custom variations. the different variations of the vehicle are diverse variable and extremely practical and will meet most customers requirements.

Paragraph 2:
For the 3/4 ton delivery van the chassis is the same as the original volkswagens but has been strengthend with welded center struts.
The wheel base is still 2400mm, the turning circle is 10 meters and the track width has been widend to 1360mm - as an offsetting measure to a higher load stress - 5.50 x 16 has been utilised.The ground clearence has been raised from the beetle's height of 212mm - to 285mm, because of this the van will be able to operate in more inaccessable areas and on rougher terrain.The van has the good road holding capabilites of the original VW as it uses the same suspension system. The road holding has improved slightly due to the balanced load bearing between the front and rear wheels because the whole weight distribution is between both axles.
This arrangement was nessecery and possible due to the continuation of using rear wheel drive. The length of the van is 4.15m and the width is 1.66m and has a height of 1.90m. Ready for use the van weighs 875 kg and has load capacity of 850 kg, fully loaded the overall weight will be 1725 kg with an overall ratio of 1:1 between the deadweight and the payload.

Paragraph 3:
Using the proven 25hp 3300rpm boxer engine, fully loaded the van will have a top speed of 75kmh. the fuel consumption is 9L per 100km. After wind tunnel research the drag coefficient has been lowered to 0.4 the results of the wind tunnel testing are also visible in the free flowing lines of the vehicle. For power transmission to the rear wheels the usual volkswagen gearbox with a special transmission gearing stepup to the drive wheel has been used. The brake area is especially large with
170 cm2 per wheel and functions using oil pressure. the climbing capabilites are said to be 22%.

Paragraph 4:
Of special interest is the technical design of the self supporting stiffened full steel shell with the one piece pressed roof section. The frame is strengthend from underneath by 2 chassis beams. For loading there is a well thought out side door of 1.17m x 1.20m. The load displacement height will be 0.40m. So there will be an overall loading area of 4.6 m2 where the main loading area will be 4 m2 The measuraments can be seen in the included diagram below.

Paragraph 5:
Due to the widening of the chassis it was possible to incorporate a 3 seater cabin. The passenger doors are wide and easily accessable. the steering wheel, clutch, brake and gas pedals are well positioned. The more than 1 m2 windscreen allows for excellent allround visibility. The windscreen and footwell are heated by warm air.

Paragragh 6:
The rear mounted engine is easy to access via a designated hatch and is fully isolated from the cargo bay and passenger cabin. Also located in this space are the battery, fuel tank and spare wheel.

Paragraph 7:
The unvieled models of the vehicle gave an excellent impression of the technical construction. Also the mellow (muted,subtle?) paint finish gives the vehicles an admirable apperance. After a short test drive one can feel how well the "Bullish" looking delivery van handles. In it's different variations it will without a doubt quickly gain may admirers both here and abroad.

Paragraph 8:
Mr Nordhoff, Mr Haesner the constuctor and all VW staff members can all be highly congratulated on the arrival of this youngest VW child.

Heinrich Kluth/Kristan Jones

Picture captions:

Top middle:
This beautiful and youthfull approach to the front end gives the driver good visibility of all areas from the cabin.

Middle left (Oben):
Pictured is the well known VW engine, also wit an empty vehicle its design allows for good traction for the rear wheels.

Bottom right:
This diagram illustrates the loading capabilites of the VW delivery van and the drivers position.

Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:13 pm

thank you so much, an interesting read for sure.

amazing to think of when the few 49's and the first 50's rolled out into the streets.