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Sat Nov 22, 2025 7:23 am

Does anyone know much about the Karamellen barndoor? I accidentally stumbled across it on Instagram being restored by irvsrestos in the UK. He stated it was a 1950 but the keen eyes on this forum would verify. I'll assume Karamellen means candy. If it is not a barndoor, administrators would you please relocate it?

https://www.irvsvwrestoration.co.uk

I like how the handheld belt sander gets into nooks and crannies. Time to add one to my toolbag.

Sat Nov 22, 2025 8:30 am

It definitely is an early barndoor, as it has:
- no rear window (only until VIN # 20-012342 - April 1951)
- 3 shorter, upper air vents (only until # 20-015399 - early August 1951)

another hint about dating the bus would be the rain gutter - on the very early 1950 buses, it was shorter (until # 20-05050, End of October 1950). But on the clips on instagram i can't see those parts very good.

I personally remember this bus when it was found several years ago. It was posted in a popular german facebook group about "abandoned and forgotten cars" back in 2017. A guy found the wreck in a forest in Germany, surprisingly very close to a road. Back then i had a facebook page called "VW Bus Wrecks & Finds" with about 10.000 followers where i shared lots of recent barn and forest finds around the world. I discovered said post by the german guy who found it and shared the post on my page. I think it was deleted within an hour and about a week or so later, 3 guys from UK already went there and picked the wreck up.
So if i remember right, it was Ben Laughton, Mark Spicer and Dai Watkins - the usual supects so to say :wink:

There still is a post from the day when they picked it up and there they also confirmed that the panel has a VIN around Nr. 7000, so that confirms the 1950 model as well.
[* Edit: I just checked the barndoor registry in barndoor.dk and the VIN makes it one of the 30 oldest barndoors that are still known according to the registry :shock: ]

And some more about the lettering on the bus:
on the side: "KARAMELLEN" = caramels
on the rear: "Süsswaren SCHARF Gelnhausen" = confectionery/candy | SCHARF (probably the owners name, would translate to SPICY) | Gelnhausen = the location.
and underneath the "SCHARF" lettering, there is another line with some numbers, probably the founding year of the company. I can't read it completely, but the last 2 digits are 48.

And also another great thing about this bus:
After IRVS posted this bus a couple of weeks ago, a local guy contacted them and said he still has the original front mask of this particular bus hanging in his shop.
So they met each other and IRVS got the original mask for free again and they wrote that they sure will build it back into the panel.
:thumbsup:

Tue Nov 25, 2025 4:33 am

I am pretty sure the lettering on the long side panels has the old 'Storck' logo above the belt line, which was- and still is- a Berlin based candy business, founded in 1903.

Tue Nov 25, 2025 1:31 pm

Tue Nov 25, 2025 4:04 pm

A headlight bucket rusted off the nose... that's crazy

I like that little man... no need to find a front emblem either

Wed Nov 26, 2025 10:31 am

That front nose clip is cool. Great knowing it will be reunited with the Bus.

Wed Nov 26, 2025 11:51 am

EverettB wrote: I like that little man
Irv is more solid than he looks in that photo

Wed Nov 26, 2025 12:32 pm

RockStock wrote: EverettB wrote: I like that little man
Irv is more solid than he looks in that photo

:lol:

Wed Nov 26, 2025 1:37 pm

I would guess the nose had been changed at some point in its life as those wiper divots are of a post BD bus.

Fri Nov 28, 2025 10:09 am

Irv said he and his team are pushing to get that bus ready for Hessisch Oldendorf 2026. Its a tall order but if you're familiar with his work he's pulled off some impressive builds over the years

Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:53 pm

X2 and much of a little man at all. :lol: :lol:

Wed Dec 03, 2025 7:50 pm

I wish I could follow along on this build! :cry:

Tue Dec 09, 2025 4:53 pm

https://youtube.com/shorts/QliN6GAfNpg?si=nOCgNV2eL-47M4p6