Welcome to my blog on my 1955 Barndoor VW Split Screen Van!

History lesson..

The bus was bought in 2011 from Barnwest ( www.barnwest.com/) Wales, however the bus is originally from Sweden. The bus was manufactured on the 14th Jan 1955 and left the factory on the 15th (I bet it wont be rebuilt in a day!).
It was shipped to Scania-Vabis in Soedertaelje in Sweden and after that all I know is after its useful life it spent along time in the forest as a hunting lodge until being discovered around 2009/2010!

Barndoor / Type 2 T1a models are quite rare as there are only <800 left of this Wolfsburg built buses and the 1955 are no exception as they where only made to March 31st.
This one has a strange specification of being a Standard model ( one trim above Kombi - one below Deluxe), Left hand Drive, with Left Hand doors and supplied in primer paint. According to the factory this was useful in tracing the chassis number and confirming its identity as it was the only one in 1955 of this spec.

The condition of the bus is terrible, there's no getting away from it - its rotten!

Video by the previous owner doing the recovery and main chassis work.