Barndoor sales brochure

[tasb]

I received a very nice 1965 bus sales brochure from David Evans aka Herbie Love Bug this week. The factory brochure had a very interesting reference:

"The Volkswagen's double doors are more like a barn door than anything else."

Now I know we have all done our share of snickering bashing and correcting the newbie and uneducated on this topic but perhaps this factory statement sheds a little different light on why there is some confusion. I think the naming of barndoors as 1955 and earlier buses may have come sometime after this brochure was printed.

maybe we should go a little easier on the newbies...

[kintail]

Or the term was already used in the past..... and they decided to recycle it again for the '60s???.......
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Scott

August 1954 Beetle Canadian Deluxe

[krusher]

People get confused because barndoors dont look anything like the engine lid on a pre march 55 bus, I have no idea what kinda farm the guy that coined that farm lived on.
Its stuck now and any logical new vw bus person is gonna look at there cargo doors and think "hey a couple of barndoors"

[IN2VWS]

When I talk to guys that have been in the VW scene since the 1960's, they also call the cargo doors "barndoors". They also called the large engine lid {Barndoor} the treasure chest, because when you opened it, there was a little treasure inside (a 25hp motor).
I believe Jeff Walters from Hot VWs magazine started calling the engine lid a barndoor in the late 80's, and it has stuck ever since.
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⨴⨵--⊗--⨴⨵ 𝕊ℙ𝟚¹⁹⁷³

[orangeeyesore]

busses were also called "station wagons" in vw literature back in the day. but we dont call our busses station wagons. the term barndoor has come about as a way to differentiate march 55 and down busses from march 55 until 1967.
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HBB

As it says, who have you got as a quote in your signature line and why?

[Red Fau Veh]

I posted pics up in the gallery of one for 1950.

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1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey

[mandraks]

[EverettB]

[Red Fau Veh]

Do we have the 1951 brochure scanned in yet Everett?

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1971 Deluxe Sunroof Bay 1905 stroker, dual idf40's, 74mm Scat forged crank, engle 110 cam. CB 044 heads, AutoCraft rockers, chromoly push rods
1973 Orange transporter stock type 4 with dual 40 Dellortos and Empi single quiet pack
1969 Adventurewagen blue whale Gene Berg 1776 built by Dave Kawell dual 36 DRLA's, Vintage Speed exhaust, Bosch 019 screamer
1961 Swivel Seat camper, L345 grey

[IN2VWS]

[mcdronkz]

[EverettB]

[IN2VWS]

[RockStock]

Prototype/49 buses too
Low cab door top hinge, early bumpers, raised headlight area
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-StockRocks-

[Merlin]

[IN2VWS]

Ok, it's Dutch.

No barndoors in South Africa? While there were not many in South Africa, there were a few there.

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(⦷ ⥢ Ĭ ⥤ ⦷) 𝗞_𝗔_𝗥_𝗠_𝗔_𝗡_𝗡 𝓖𝓱𝓲𝓪¹⁹⁵⁶
⨴⨵--⊗--⨴⨵ 𝕊ℙ𝟚¹⁹⁷³

[Merlin]

You are correct; there were a few.

There are now four BDs here, one of which is the former ambulance shown in your post, one in the local VW museum, a Westy and my Kombi.

I got confirmation some years back that the Palmietfontein buses were crushed, many decades ago.

None, however, were ever sold here by VW. Local bus production/assembly started here in late '55.
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[IN2VWS]

According to VW, they exported the following to South Africa:
1951 - 433 cars (0 Transporters)
1952 - 518 cars, of which, 24 were Transporters
1953 - 715 cars, of which, 6 were Transporters
1954 - 711 cars, of which, 38 were Transporters
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⨴⨵--⊗--⨴⨵ 𝕊ℙ𝟚¹⁹⁷³

[Merlin]

That's very interesting info'. I've never heard or read of it, from VW, its employees, past and present, private sources or otherwise here, or abroad.

Every one I've ever come to know of was as a result of private actions.

Would you mind elaborating on your source, please?
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[IN2VWS]

The 1955 edition of the VW Salesmans Manual.

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(⦷ ⥢ Ĭ ⥤ ⦷) 𝗞_𝗔_𝗥_𝗠_𝗔_𝗡_𝗡 𝓖𝓱𝓲𝓪¹⁹⁵⁶
⨴⨵--⊗--⨴⨵ 𝕊ℙ𝟚¹⁹⁷³