30 TradeUniqueCars.com.auInterestingly, Australia was one of the
first nations outside of Germany to produce
Volkswagens. Aussie production began in
mid-June 1954 in Clayton Melbourne, where cars
were built up out of CKD (completely knocked-
down) kits. Government mandated Australian
content meant that by the early 60s, most of
the Volkswagen sold in Australia were ‘Made
in Australia’, with local businesses providing
everything from tyres to paint, to nuts and bolts.
The highest spec Type 2 buses, as well as
Karmann Ghias and Beetle Cabriolets continued
to be imported whole from Germany.
Given the dwindling rate of survival, and
the various options and variants available, the
Samba’s extremely rare specifications saw this
1957 23-window Samba occupy the pinnacle of
VW’s offerings at the time, and it remains the
ultimate Kombi collectible today among the
Microbus faithful.
This bus was originally delivered new to the US,
optioned exactly as you see it today.
It was painstakingly given a 100-point
restoration by renowned Kombi specialists
utilising both original and OEM components over
12 months and was completed in June 2012.
The most eagle-eyed Kombi-spotters shouldlook on with approval, down to the tiniest
details – semaphore indicators, correct chrome
trims, Wolfsburg steering wheel centre cap,
Hella headlamps, Bakelite switch-gear and VDO
gauges are all present and correct. It’s got some
period-correct flavour courtesy of the Fuchs
wheels, and 2.4lt CB performance engine with
more than enough poke to send a breeze through
the retractable cloth roof.“AUSTRALIA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST NATIONS
OUTSIDE OF GERMANY TO PRODUCE VWS”
ABOVE This
2.4lt boxer
promises better
performance
than the tepid
efforts of
standard Kombis.TOYBOX
BREAKING GLASS
ceilings Kombi values
can be hard to get your
head around, given the
plethora of variants
available. Roughly
speaking, more windows
equates to more money.
Split-windshield? More
money. Barn doors as
opposed to sliding doors?
More money again.
For first-gen Type 2s,
you’re looking at a
minimum of $30,000 for
a simple bay window.
First-gen split-windows
will start at $80,000-
$90,000 with values
quickly surging north
depending on condition,
specification and
originality. And of course
the number of windows,
be they 11, 13, 15, 21 or 23.
Second-generation
T3s, are nowhere near
as collectible as first-
generation Type 2s; but
have certainly shored up
with plenty of headroom
in the future as original
T2s become more and
more scarce. This is the
smart entry-point if you’re
after the Kombi ‘way of
life’ without the price-tag
to match. $20,000 to
$30,000 will see plenty to
play with in this sector.KOMBI
VALUES
LEFT Panoramic
views all round
are part of the
Samba package.