A strange regulatory quirk means the ancient Type 2 Kombi can still be imported into the UK as a new vehicle. These fresh-out-of-the-box campervans look like the originals from the 70s, but there’s a big difference at the back—VW has swapped the air-cooled motor for its new water-cooled 1.4 liter ‘Total Flex’ fuel-injected engine.

The largest (and only ‘Official’) VW Kombi converter in the UK is Danbury, the 70-year-old Bristol company famous for creating the six-wheel-drive Land Rover. Your new Kombi comes with a comforting 3-year warranty, and Danbury told us it’s “the only company in the world that can convert these vehicles to right hand drive using new parts.”

So far, so good. But then there’s the small issue of price. In Brasil, your average Juan can buy a new Kombi for around £11,000 ($18,000). But when it’s been shipped to the UK, modified to meet local regulations, given a lick of paint, and fitted with a campervan interior, the price doubles.

Danbury charges £18,999 (US$31,500) for its basic ‘Amigo’ model. For the top-of-the-range SE, the well-heeled English hippie will need £31,354 ($50,000). Which is enough to put a 2009 Airstream Flying Cloud 19 on your driveway.

And that’s before you’ve perused the massive accessories list—which includes an elevating roof, and will soon feature power steering too. (If you want that conversion to right-hand-drive, add another grand on top.)

Another UK specialist is VW DownUnder, a younger British company that imports Kombis via VW Heritage, the UK’s largest supplier of VW parts. They’re offering kitted out campervans for just under £25,000, and they also stock new ‘old stock’ air-cooled models and secondhand buses.

VW DownUnder’s buses are mostly custom-built: “The vans we convert for our customers are 100% bespoke,” they tell us. “Each one is totally unique and tailored to our clients’ individual needs and requirements. Our big thing is quality–we won’t allow any van to leave the workshop unless it is 100% perfect, something our customers have commented on time and again.”

No matter where you get your ‘new’ Kombi from, the base vehicle is the same. The water-cooled motor is hardly a fireball–it splutters out 80 bhp at an asthmatic 4800 rpm–but it does meet the UK emissions regulations. Top speed has crept up to 130 km/h (80 mph) and it takes a slightly stoned 16 seconds to reach 100 km/h.

Unfortunately VW Brasil fits a new plastic grille on the front of the Type 2 body, and it’s an abomination. It’s needed to supply airflow to the radiator, but the chunky design jars badly with the otherwise smooth, timeless lines of the Type 2. Danbury and VW DownUnder fix this by color-coding the grille to match the body, and Danbury also offers a dummy ‘spare wheel cover’ that allows air to pass through.

Most bodies roll off the South American production line in white, which has a cool, minimalist vibe. But the UK converters can respray your new vehicle in almost any color you want—whether it’s just the lower half, or an all-over tan.

That’s enough for us: we’re sold. We’ll take one in a flat sandy beige with hi-gloss chrome hubcaps. We’ll slap on a couple of discreet Coop decals, cut a loop off the springs, and then take it straight to the neighborhood engine shop for some light head work.

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It’s rumored that VW is going to build a new Microbus in the USA soon. But if the lure of oldtimer camping is too strong, get an instant fix with the rustic Tonke Camper from Holland. (Oh, and thanks to Steven from the VW camper hire outfit Snail Trail for helping with this article.)

When Track Trailer launched its Tvan in Australia in 2000, it caused a stir in the world’s toughest overlander market. Nearly a decade later, the Tvan is still the one to beat—and not just because of its huge ground clearance.

There are several good US competitors, but none are quite as tough as this space-age machine. Whether you actually need that toughness is another question; Outback tracks such as the 1,200-mile Canning Stock Route are more gruelling than overland routes in the States.

A Tvan will set you back at least $28,000—AU$36,000—which is Lamborghini territory in this market. In comparison, US-built trailers such as the King Kamper retail for around US$20,000. (The well-regarded Adventure Trailer is a different beast, being smaller and more basic.) But it’s easy to spend $50,000 on hardening up a stock Jeep Rubicon, so we’re inclined to say the Tvan is worth the price for those who need the performance.

The suspension is built to military spec, as you’d expect from a supplier to the Australian army. Track calls it ‘MC2’: it’s an asymmetric link, trailing-arm setup with long-travel coil springs and custom Koni shock absorbers. This gives up to 250mm (10 inches) of travel and extremely stable handling with very little bump-steer. The Tvan tracks tight in the roughest terrain, and belies its 750kg (1650 lbs) weight.

The innovation continues up top. Most camper trailers, even the ‘off-road’ ones, have a pop-top design. The Tvan is different, and although it can’t take a roof rack, it’s better thought out. If you’re caught in a storm, you drop the tailgate, open the hatch, get inside and pull the hatch down. It takes just seconds and there’s no canvas flapping around. If it’s warm, you just leave the hatch raised and slip over the flyscreen.

For longer stops, there’s a Tent Mode. You extend the floor panels, drop the tent canvas out of the hatch, and attach it to the floor. It’s not quite as quick as a pop-top, but the design has one huge advantage over most camper trailers: the tent has its own compartment when folded away, so it won’t soak your bed if it’s been raining.

Thoughtful touches abound. The storage, lighting and slide-out kitchen facilities are all top-notch, and the overall feel is one of complete indestructibility. This is a camping travel trailer you can hitch up to the back of the Patrol and forget about, instead of stopping every ten minutes to check that the axle’s still there. The departure angle, after all, is a remarkable 30 degrees. And the recommended service interval for major components is five years or 60,000 miles.

If you’ve got the cash, a Tvan likely to outlast your three-score-years-and-ten. The biggest problem is how to get hold of one if you live outside Australia. At least one Tvan has been exported to Canada, and there are several in Europe courtesy of a dealer in France. But if you want to land a Tvan in the States, you’ll need an importer who can handle NHTSA regulations. That might be the toughest obstacle of all.

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Like the idea of camping, but would rather not tow a trailer? Check out the EarthRoamer XV-JP. And if that’s not hardcore enough for you, try on the Unicat for size.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports, “There appears to be renewed enthusiasm to see the Microbus reach production—although in a much more modified form than planned.”

If production does go ahead it’s likely to be at Volkswagen’s new plant in Chattanooga, which is set to build a four-door sedan in 2011 for the North American market. According to the Herald, spokeswoman Jill Bratina “confirmed VW was considering production of a second model in Chattanooga but stopped short of revealing more.”

Could this mark the resurrection of VW’s widely acclaimed prototype? Based on the T5 commercial van and originally slated for production in Hanover, the styling held promise: it captured the flavor of the original in the same way that the BMW Mini and the new Fiat 500 resemble their legendary forebears.

Volkswagen boss Bernd Pischetsrieder formally killed the project but his replacement, former Audi boss Martin Winterkorn, apparently sees profit potential in the Microbus.

Interest in the Microbus, or Kombi as many territories know it, has never waned. The original bus is still made in Brazil, but powered by a 1.4 liter watercooled engine. And a couple of years ago, VW’s Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto took the slightly bizarre step of retrofitting a perfectly good 1964 Deluxe Microbus with oodles of modern technology, calling it the VW Chameleon. The only real innovation was getting Hybrid Technologies to swap out the original engine with an electric motor powered by lithium polymer batteries.

Aside from Volkswagen’s own 2001 concept, the most promising reinvention of the Microbus was the Westfalia Verdier. Revealed two years ago by Canadian industrial designer Alexandre Verdier and friends, it never made it to physical prototype stage.

But now it looks like VW has finally come to its senses, and realised that the iconic Kombi is still relevant after all these years. With a little luck, we’ll see the world’s best-loved camper back on the road again—in a form that does justice to the original.

See also:
You can still get a ‘new’ Type 2 Kombi campervan if you live in the UK. But if you hanker after modern amenities in your retro-looking van, check out the beautiful Tonke Campers built in Holland.

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The XV-JP only has room for two inside, but there are compensations. As the Colorado company’s blurb says, “Keep your gear in your XV-JP, keep the fridge stocked and the water tank full, and you’re ready to cut out of work early on Friday and head for your adventure.”

Now that sounds like our kinda vehicle. The electric ‘Loftop’ roof rises to give around nine feet of headroom inside, and there’s a queen-sized bed for when the two of you have had enough of exploring the bush. Offroad nuts will approve of the twin Dana 44 diffs and super-low 4:1 crawl ratio, and there’s no shortage of pulling power thanks to the Warn 9000 heavy-duty winch.

Batteries are charged by a rooftop 80-watt solar panel when you’re parked up, and by a 160-amp engine alternator when you’re driving. And if things get a little chilly above the snowline, there’s a 6100 btu “ultra efficient forced-air furnace” that sips fuel from the main fuel tank.

There are inside and outside hot water showers, and there’s even an inside toilet for when nature calls in a different way. You can get filtered drinking water from the onboard 25-gallon fresh water supply, but we think we’ll just open that fridge. When you’re staring at what’s left of the ever-retreating snowline, there’s nothing like an ice-cold beer.

See also:
Like the idea of camping, but would rather tow a trailer? Check out the Track Tvan.