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VW and The Who Rock Out for 60th Anniversary of the Magic Bus



Automakers take note: if you want to achieve enviable retention rates, put on a 60th anniversary event for one of the most iconic vehicles the world has ever known, invite owners of this
VW invited "Bulli" owners and fans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its beloved Microbus... and 3,500 buses came! (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)
vehicle to join the celebration at one of the most awe inspiring convention facilities in the world at no charge, and then, amid displays of classic and current versions of said vehicle, cap it all off with a free outdoor concert played by one of the greatest rock groups in history.

Such was the recipe Volkswagen stirred up to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its iconic Microbus, otherwise called the VW Van or Bulli, as it's known in Europe. More variations on the T1 through T5 theme were on hand than most anyone, even those buried neck deep in VW folklore, probably knew existed, and, in VW's display at least, all were in impeccable condition. The parking lots that surround Hanover's architecturally stimulating exhibition center were filled to the brim with Volkswagen vans, from the truly peculiar to the wonderfully original, all in various stages of repair and all surrounded by an especially eclectic mix of owners, friends of owners and families of owners.

Interestingly, the first VW bus, as we know and love it, didn't arrive until 1949,
The one that started it all... (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)
precisely 58 years ago. The forerunner to the van was a flatbed with an open cab at the rear, used for transporting heavy Beetle panels around the company's Wolfsburg factory. This truck, nicknamed “Plattenwagen”, was the inspiration for a concept sketch penned by Dutch importer Ben Pon, which shortly thereafter became the T1.

After two decades of commercial use and family hauling the T1 transformed into the iconic transport for the flower power movement, and later in T2, T3 and T4 guise as the quintessential camper van with WESTFALIA stamped in bold letters across its pop-up fiberglass roof.
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