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Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:36 am

I bought this bus and would like some info on it. If you know then please help?

Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:08 am

from Brazil

Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:16 am

If you can find the M-code plate that looks like this:

You can use this site or others to find out how it started life...

http://www.alltheprettybuses.com/_d_decoder.asp

Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:12 pm

It's a VW of South Africa Fleetline.

The Fleetlines were CKD (Complete Knock Down) production kits, assembled from VW do Brasil components for the Brazilian VW Kombi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_knock_down

At the time, the VW Kombi in Brazil was a hybrid between the Type 2 T1 and T2, with a T1 Split Screen main body and rear, and a T2 bay window front and cab section (so they are basically a T1 with a face lift, the majority of engineering improvements made on the T2 over the T1 are not included I'm afraid) , this model was produced from the mid 70's till 1996 in Brazil, when Brazil then moved to T2c production, with a full on Bay Window on offer. I don't know when VW of South Africa ceased imported CKD assembly though.

Edit: Forgot to state the obvious, the CKD Fleetline is Right Hand Drive, over the Left Hand Drive Brazilian Kombi, so the model of bus you have is totally unique to South Africa, apparently only produced from 1976 to 1978, and sold alongside the German Bay - http://www.type2.com/archive/type2/065954.html .

If you check out eBay in Brazil (called Mercadolivre) and type in Kombi and search, you will find several Brazilian buses for sale which are basically the same as yours:

http://lista.mercadolivre.com.br/kombi

A panel van like yours here: http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-133021166-kombi-furgo-kit-gas-_JM

P.S. I doubt you will find an M-Plate, I thought they only appear on buses assembled in Germany.

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:28 am

Useful info, thanks people.
Another question; I am in South Africa - is it a worthwhile project?
Also, where could I get a manual for it?

Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:01 am

It would be OK to make road worthy and get up and running as a daily driver and runabout, get some second hand wheels, windscreen etc, nice to keep it alive due to it being unusual.

But I myself would not sink loads of funds into it, it will be a bottomless money pit for a vehicle which is considered something of a 'hodge podge' in VW production history, as described in the Type 2 .com link above. You would be lucky to get back a fraction of what you spent on a full restoration if you ever came to sell it, in my opinion anyway. If you want a full on project get a German bay or split.

Also, anyone know the facts about the term "Fleetline". It seems something of a misnomer applied to these hybrid vans.

The 'true' Fleetline seems to have been a limited production run of actual split screen RHD - CKD kits to VW South Africa from VW Brazil in 1975, with only 849 being produced.

Were these post 75 hybrids also marketed as Fleetline in South Africa between 1976-1978? I'm just interested to know!

Good VWSA forum here: http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/