TheSamba.com :: View topic - og pictures of the rare 52 westfalia? (52 barndoor)

Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:04 pm

Sorry for posting this here i would be happy if this topic could stay... :?
Could this be our 52 westfalia trailer? Now draged by our 52 barndoor (Bad Camberg 07 and Hessisch Oldendorf 09)

Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:48 pm

The German article says that it is the same ( probably one off, custom build for a couple pictured) trailer reemerging after 55 years.
It would be the oldest surviving Westfalia trailer and they are looking for the current owner's adress and tel. nr.

Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:32 pm

HOLY CRAP!!! I saw that awesome trailer at Bad Camberg 2007, and talked with barndoorbarnfind about it. He told me the story about how it was a special order trailer, to be pulled by a smaller car. As the story goes, all of the other camper trailers produced by Westfalia at that time were too large/heavy for their car to pull. I was amazed by it's complete and original condition, and it was one of the highlights for me at the show. I am very excited to hear that the people who ordered it are Erna and Helmut Blenck. They are the same people who ordered the very first barndoor camper produced by Westfalia (according to one version of the story), and used it for their journey through South Africa (mentioned in the second article) that was documented in their book "South Africa Today", published in 1955.

These people are a very important part of VW related Westfalia history, but this current information puts them at superhero status for me. It looks like they could be responsible for conceiving the idea of a camper based on the VW transporter, AND the idea for a camping trailer that could be towed by a smaller vehicle, including a VW. I love that they had a Stuttgart trailer for camping too!!! All of the VW community that enjoys Westfalia camper busses or trailers owe these people a round of applause =D> and a BIG thank you. I wonder if they are still alive and would consider adopting me.:wink: Their stories show how consumer-friendly Westfalia was during that time, and that custom orders were accommodated. I love to dream about living during that time and going to Wiedenbruck to place an order for a custom built barndoor Camping-Box, fully-fitted and built to my specs.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:19 am

It would be epic too meet Erma and Helmut Blenck, i didn't find them on the german yellowpages :wink: :lol:
Btw you must have spooken to my dad barndoorbarnfind is his son.

It's a quiet funny story when my dad found it...
It was found in hagaby (sweden). He stoped at a parkinglot there, went out of the car and saw something green standing next to a house...

He went to check it out, looked at the chassinumber and saw that it was a westfalia from 1952. He knocked at the door and askt if it was for sale. The owner said sure, he told my dad that it originaly came from Djursoholm and that his neighbor have had it for 28 years and he had it for 17 years. feature? playhouse. The next day he came back with 500sek (50euro) and a car trailer. Here is an swedish article about the 52 (written in the late 90s)

Sat Feb 13, 2010 3:20 pm

50 euros :shock: ...not a bad price for the oldest surviving Westfalia camper trailer. Nice score. Yes it must have been your dad that I spoke to at Bad Camberg. I love that you guys have a '52 barndoor to tow it.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 5:22 pm

thats what you need. that way i could tag along. :lol:

Sun Feb 14, 2010 12:44 am

We now have a total of 6 westys. 66 and 67 trailers a 67 split westy camper from usa this 52 camping trailer a 74 bay camper in perfect condition never restored and a juny 75 westy bay camper. :wink:

Tue May 18, 2010 12:34 pm

Calle, your father was here this evening, he's now back on the train to Brussels!! He took the old Finnland book with him, with the pictures from the Blenck-family in their Ford Taunus with Westfalia 'Stuttgart' Trailer... you'll have the book soon in Sweden now!! :D

Wed May 19, 2010 3:44 am

he will arive today in the evening :wink:

Wed May 19, 2010 10:42 am

WOW - great story!

Wed May 19, 2010 2:36 pm

Here is one of the books :D

Hmm... :roll:

Thu May 20, 2010 10:35 am

barndoorbarnfind wrote: Here is one of the books :D

Hmm... :roll:

COOL !! hey Calle, you knew what the sticker on your Westy was, before you saw the same logo in the book??

Thu May 20, 2010 1:51 pm

Yeh, a guy from Finland told us at bad camberg 2007 what it was :lol: :D