TradeUniqueCars.com.au 29WORDSJOHNBOWEWITHALEXAFFATPHOTOSALASTAIRBROOK1957 VW SAMBA
KOMBICOLLECTINGCANBEA HEAD-SCRATCHER,
BUTCANYOUREALLYPUTA PRICEONSMILESPERMILE?THE CURRENT state of Kombi collecting can be a bit
bewildering for those of us who remember them as little
more than consumable white-goods. Yes, they birthed a
massive beach-going subculture but in actuality they were
a tremendously simple utility vehicle with a somewhat
underpowered air-cooled four-pot boxer out back.
They’re notoriously simple, and were cheap to develop and
produce in the post-war context when production began.
In decades past, you’d see them dumped on the roadside
rusting away, and tips around the country were littered with the
things. But it’s a very different story these days.
The current world record for a Samba bus is a whopping
US$302,500 paid at auction in 2017 in the United States.
Converted to Down Under-dollars, that’s an absolutely
eye-watering Au$440,000. Which is a lot for what some might
argue is little more than a rolling box.
On local shores, our record breaker came in February 2015,
when a 1960 23-window Samba sold for AU$202,000.
And these prices aren’t ridiculous outliers either...
But to understand the echelon of collectability they inhabit
today, let’s go back.
Volkswagen’s Beetle-derived commercial bus was launched
in 1950, designated as the ‘Type 2’ given that it was just the
second model line after the Beetle. The Microbus with windows
and seats followed in 1951 with the top of the range being the
Microbus ‘deluxe’ or “Samba”.
The first-generation Type 2 is the most collectible,
affectionately known as the ‘Splitty’ due to the split, two-piece
windscreen. The Splitty ended German (and Australian)
production in 1968 when it was replaced by the revised model
with a curved one-piece windshield. Brazil however, continued
producing the split-window models up until the mid-70s.LEFT JB reckons
driving a Kombi
is a great way
to meet new
people.