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The Volkswagen Transporter first appeared in the UK in 1954 at the Earls Court Commercial
Motor Show � 60 years ago this year. This is a perfect excuse to take a look back over
the lifetime of Volkswagen�s iconic van. Known elsewhere as the VW Kombi, the Transporter
also famously forms the basis of Volkswagen�s much loved Campers, including the current
California. Few vehicles of any kind have inspired such a passionate fan base.
The Transporter that was shown at Earls Court in 1954 represented the first right-hand-drive
versions, suitable for the UK market. But this Volkswagen�s history dates back to
just after the end of the second world war.
The van that was soon to become known as the VW Transporter T1 started life as a modified
Beetle with a flatbed truck platform, at the behest of a British army officer, Major Ivan
Hirst, who was in charge of recommissioning the Volkswagen factory after the end of hostilities.
Built simply to help move parts around the plant, it was spotted by the Dutch importer
Ben Pon who suggested a panel van as an actual product. The T1 was ready for sale just 13
months later � a timescale that is unthinkably short in the complex world of today�s automotive
industry.
The T4 was the first Volkswagen Transporter to switch to the front-engined, front-wheel-drive
drivetrain layout more familiar in most modern cars and vans. This arrived in 1990 and, according
to VW, set "new standards for refinement, quality and flexibility".
The fifth and current generation VW Transporter, the T5, was introduced in 2003, and is a very
"Volkswagen" van � which is to say practical, high-tech and boasting a level of quality
just that bit above the run-of-the-mill competition. It continues to prove popular, too. VW sold
18,350 T5s in the UK in 2013, more than in any year previously.
Famous fans include the Who. This 1955 panel van Transporter was the prize in a Teenage
Cancer Trust fundraising competition back in 2008. Wonder where it is now?
Though that doesn�t stop others from trying to improve on Volkswagen�s official camper
design. The vehicle pictured above is the British firm Danbury's Doubleback extending
camper model.