The page you were looking for was not found.1952 Barndoor 23 Window! to see the full album of 100 pics of this Bus, more interesting Vintage VW's, Classic Cars, and Parts for sale.Can't read the text above?Try another text or an audio CAPTCHAText in the box:What's this?VW Campers & Buses For Sale Pre '53 Split Window Beetle 53-57 Oval Window Beetle 57-67 Big Window Beetle For saleTodayLast 7 days Parts for saleTodayLast 7 days Latest VW buses for sale 1967 - VW Bulli imported from Brazil 1974 1967 - VW Bulli imported from Brazil 1960 - 1960 EZ Camper Patina perfection 1967 - Vw Peruvian imported split screen bus Latest VW bus parts for sale 1955 - NOS 1955-60 Split Bus Headlamp Switch 1960 - Walkthrough bulkhead panels and spare wheel 1960 - 1960 and earlier walkthrough middle seat (Ma 1955 - NOS 1955-1960 Screw Terminal Split Bus Headl 1953 - Genuine Hella Barndoor Bus headlamp lenses 1 1950 - NOS Barndoor Split Screen Bus 3-way Semaphor
1956 - Split Bus 1955-58 Genuine VW Hella Tail Ligh 1956 - Bosch bus barndoor european 50's headlights 1954 - NOS Split Bus Barndoor 60MPH Speedometer 195 1955 - 1955 European bus headlights 1954 - 1954 hella Barndoor bus headlight 1966 - Rare OG Sea Blue Cab and Cargo Mats. View all VW Classifieds VW Campers & Buses for sale Place an advert for FREE! Set up email alerts Featured VW Classified AdsBarn door, rat rod, VW, type II, kombi, ambulance. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Volkswagen Bus may be a lot of things, and it's up to you to decide if deal is one of them. A lot of you were French Pressed to scrape together much love for yesterday's 1991 Peugeot 405 Mi16, a fact borne out in its 70% Crack Pipe loss. Exclusive it may have been, but with so many great contemporary competitors from which to choose, parts availability and general rough condition played significant roles in the Pug's fate. The patina of age may have been to that 405's detriment, but in the case of today's 1951 Barndoor VW Kombi it's an affectation that probably has been carefully cultured for its appeal.
When related to the VW Type II, the term Barndoor refers to an engine lid that is roughly twice the height of that of a standard bus. It's typically applied to all early Type II, from the ‘49 prototype to the those built up to March, 1955. All were built at VW's Hanover plant, and the change in engine lid took place shortly before production was moved to Wolfsburg in ‘56. This 1951 Kombi is a Barndoor, but it is also claimed to possibly be the world's oldest Type II ambulance. That's a head-scratcher as typically, while technically being barndoors the ambulances had cut-down engine lids and a lower rear shelf, as well as a windowless rear door that folded down rather than up. Early Type II ambulances also had left-side cargo doors, a repositioned gas tank and spare tire, cabinetry inside and numerous other identifiers. That all means this ain't a VW ambulance. The seller claims this ‘51 bus was sent to Miesen Ambulance in Bonn for conversion, and then on to duty in sunny Portugal.
The Miesen connectionmay lend veracity to the claim it's the oldest Type II ambulance in the world, however one might need to append ‘conversion' to make it remotely plausible. Right now the only thing that makes this Kombi look like an ambulance is the little red-cross light perched like a nurse's cap on the leading edge of its roof. The rest of the body is covered in an angry patina of age and use that makes it look - if it were an emergency vehicle - like it's the ambulance for perhaps Silent Hill. Orange over white and with a healthy dose of surface rust and panel deformations, it looks like an old shoe, or something Jessie James might have shat out after discovering Sandra Bullock's divorce conditions. It is a Splittie and rocks some cool traficators just aft of the doors that still appear to work. The floor inside has been replaced and a lot of the mechanical systems - drive train, steering, suspension, have been upgraded to more modern (i.e. post ‘55) pieces. Front brakes are out of a Porsche 944 while the rear drums have been enlarged an attempt to keep up.
Power is still VW flat four, but the original 25-horse 1,131-cc engine has been replaced with a 2,110-cc boxer, fed by a Solex 34 pict 3 single barrel carburettor. The installation looks reasonably clean but not anal, and raises the question where does one find hot pink Zip ties? This bus is more about appearance than the Autobahn, but at least it's reassuring to assume it can move under its own power. When it does move, it rolls on a set of shiny Porsche Fuchs which stand in sharp contrast to the bus' otherwise rat roddiness. The short driver's compartment (how scary is the fact that the headlights intrude on the space) features some old - kick-out windscreens, near-vertical three-spoke wheel, flat bench, and some new - big-ass gauges and an oh-shit grab bar made out of gas pipe. It's a mix that is not without its charm. So this an ambulance that's lacking pretty much everything that would have made it an ambulance. It also carries a style that appeals to a somewhat narrow - and typically tattooed - demographic.
But what the hell, it's a 10-window Splittie Barndoor and that's got to be worth something. The seller is hoping someone will think it's worth something around $55,000. Do you think it's worth anywhere near that? Or, is this a Barndoor that should stay down on the farm?eBay or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to Rollo Grande for the hookup! Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle. and let ‘em know. Cars for saleTodayLast 7 days Pre '53 Split Window Bug/Beetle/Käfer 53-57 Oval Window Bug/Beetle/Käfer 57-67 Big Window Bug/Beetle/Käfer 1966 - VW Beetle 1300 - with new 1600 engine, heated seats, pop-outs 1955 - Oval very original 1965 - Volkswagen Beetle 1200 (1965) 1956 - Patina oval 1960 - Early RHD Karmann Ghia in Fantastic condition 1966 - vw type 825 replica 1955 - '55 Oval. Heart tail / ribbed door model 1959 - VW bug Limousine 1959 with semaphores 1963 - karmann ghia