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Sat May 23, 2020 10:02 am

I wanted to see a larger version of the above photo and was able to find one.
Here it is, click to see it full size:

Sat May 23, 2020 11:44 am

Dumb question and it is not in the dictionary here. What is the Type 29 on the plates. I assume it is a model designation ? Does it designate prototype?

Sat May 23, 2020 12:14 pm

TYP 29 = Transporter.

Sat May 23, 2020 2:33 pm

djfordmanjack wrote: TYP 29 = Transporter.
Thank you.

Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:43 pm

Bottom picture is ‘new’
You can see the door-shuts are crude from this angle

Mon Oct 19, 2020 8:13 am

Gets a mention in this 1949 book

Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:13 pm

Swiss ad in Le Radio News, 27 October 1950...which depicts a Prototype Bus (with thanks to Jérôme).
Looks like they’ve used the photo from the post above for this rendering...same angle.

Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:45 pm

RockStock wrote: Swiss ad in Le Radio News, 27 October 1950...which depicts a Prototype Bus (with thanks to Jérôme).
Looks like they’ve used the photo from the post above for this rendering...same angle.

interesting:

démultiplicateur sur roues arriere = gear reducer on rear wheels = Untersetzungsgetriebe an den Hinterrädern

the german is perfect, english translation is a little awkward.

the interesting part: << Ritzel >> Ritzel in German is a gear, a cog if you will. like what you would see for the chain on a bike. don't think this means anything in french. In switzerland a lot of people do understand german.

Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:01 pm

I like the Swiss mechanic with the little French mustache !
He's real classy ! :D

Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:00 am

have we had this photo before?

Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:57 am

finster wrote: have we had this photo before?

No complaints from me as it's a great photo, but yes, it was posted early on in the thread.

Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:39 am

binz doka prototype?

Sun Jul 18, 2021 8:55 am

Smooth gate Binz!

Thu Jul 22, 2021 2:46 pm

WOLFSBURGER DELIKATESSEN TYP 29 VW Prototype
Volkswagen Factory Wolfsburg Germany 1949

Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:25 pm

WOLFSBURGER DELIKATESSEN TYP 29 VW Prototype
Volkswagen Factory Wolfsburg Germany 1949

Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:42 pm

Volkswagen currywurst hauler :D
https://www.elginvw.com/blog/where-can-i-buy-vw-currywurst-in-the-us/

Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:48 pm

So just putting the best photos of this particular bust in one place. Do we have a consensus that this is the earliest of all known prototypes? It was mentioned earlier that this panel van was already driving in March 1949.

It does look different from all the other ones in this thread. Besides that it looks like it was constructed by Stevie Wonder with nothing more than a baseball bat... well it is super rough. It really looks like it was put together in a hurry. The bodywork is wavy and misaligned.

The main differences I can spot are the roof panel made up of several pieces and they did not bother hiding the joint lines. It's even sagging in the middle. Then the funky door handles only seen on this panel as all the later ones had regular icepick handles with a finger recess just like Beetle. Also the drip rail seems uniform all round unlike the later ones that had a thicker rail above the doors and correspondingly on the other side.

I have a plan to make a scale model of the earliest known Type 2 prototype. I will base it on the Revell 1:16 panel van kit, naturally with a huge amount of modifications. I have already done their Samba so know how the kit comes together and its limitations.

What does everyone think was the color of this panel? Was it Dove Blue or some other color? What about the color of the wheel rims and the base of the VW emblem on the front?

Any help highly appreciated!

Sat May 07, 2022 11:49 am

Wed May 11, 2022 9:47 am

^👍
———

Slightly improved picture

Wed May 11, 2022 12:22 pm

I love this bus so much ! looks totally handmade and awkward, and yet has the superb chromed letters with pun-intended meaning.
Anybody wants to drill a few dozens of screw holes into a brandnew prototype VW transporter??? brave workers for sure ! :D