VW Camper & Bus – June 2019

CAMPER&BUS 77

Westfaliaweatheredthetougheconomictimes

andcontinuedworkingwiththe1979-1990T3

models,introducingthewell-equippedandpopular

Jokerseriesthroughuntil1987,afterwhichit

cameupwiththeCaliforniaandAtlanticbadges

asreplacements.ItalsodabbledwiththeSyncro

4x4,toproduceaCamperthatcouldgo(almost)

anywhere,whereitsoccupantscouldthencook

bratwurstonacompactstove and then sleep them

offinadoublebed.

50 yearsyoung

TheCaliforniadesignationcontinuedintotheT4

erafrom1989,withspecialeditions,theCalifornia

Event(whichsoundsmorelikeacelebrityfestival

ornaturaldisasterthanaVolkswagenmobile

home)andtheCaliforniaGeneration(dittoabunch

ofselfie-obsessedbaseball-cappedteenagers)

comingalongin2001.Theywereproducedto

celebrate 50 yearssinceWestfalia’sfirstCamper,

butalreadythewritingwasonthewallforthe

company’sco-operativecollaborationwithVW.

Thebusinesshadbeensplitintothreein1999,to

separately build campers, towing equipment and

trailers.DaimlerChryslerpromptlypurchased 49

percentofthevancompany’ssharesandtookover

completelyin2001.Thatessentiallyfinishedoff

theVolkswagen-Westfaliapartnership,whichfully

ceasedin2003,withtheDaimlerChrysler-owned

Mercedes-Benznaturallybecomingthefavoured

conversionmarqueinstead.VWwasobviously

far-from-keenongivingarivalearlyaccesstoits

forthcomingT5,asithaddonewithWestfalia

anditsearlierTransportergenerations.Theloss

ofWestfaliapromptedVolkswagentobelatedly

produceitsownCamperinstead,purloiningitsold

mate’sCaliforniamonikertonameit.

BackinWestfalia-land,amanagementbuy-out

in 2008 allowedthecompanytogoindependent

againandbackcameVolkswagens.

Therevivaldidn’tdoenoughto

staveoffbankruptcyin2010,

butfollowinganothertakeover

bytheRapidoGroupin2011,

Westfaliaisstillgoing.Andit’s

stillofferingVWs,evenifthe

relationshipwithWolfsburgis

more distant now.

▲‘Nexttime
yougocamping,
taketheBus.’And
thousands did.

▲

TheCalifornianamewascontinued

onVolkswagen’sownCampersafterit

had brokenits links with Westfalia.

▲

WestfaliaalsobuiltCampers

basedontheSyncro4x4,forreal

go-anywhere outdoor adventures.

A

TO

OFZ