 1961 Volkswagen Microbus. Click image to enlarge |
Article and photo by Bill Vance
Much credit for the popularity of the minivan must go to the Chrysler Corporation for its T-115 “Magic Wagon” garageable vans, the 1984 Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. They were an immediate success and became immensely popular. Along with the utilitarian Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant K-cars, they saved the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s.
This led many to believe that Chrysler had invented a whole new class of vehicle, a belief that Chrysler promoted. But while Chrysler made it a household item, it was Volkswagen that really created the modern minivan.
Although there were a few minor attempts earlier, the genesis of the modern minivan began in 1950. With Volkswagen’s war-damaged Wolfsburg plant recovering and Beetle production well under way, the company decided to move into the commercial field.
Starting with a ladder-type frame, VW engineers designed the largest possible vehicle using the same 2,400 mm (94.5 in.) wheelbase as the Beetle. The van’s 4,191 mm (165 in.) length was only 127 mm (5 in.) longer than the car’s.
Not surprisingly, it resembled a box on wheels. With a flat front, almost horizontal steering wheel and front seat mounted directly above the wheels, it was the ultimate cab-forward design.
Access to the cargo area was through two right-side swinging doors plus a rear hatch. Its compact dimensions, huge 170-cubic-foot volume, high manoeuvrability and curb-side doors made it ideally suited for light-duty urban delivery duties. Its carrying capacity was three-quarters of a ton.
This VW Type 2, called the Transporter, had the Beetle’s 30-horsepower, 1.2-litre, air-cooled, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed (flat) engine behind the rear axle. It drove the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission, and like the Beetle, suspension was independent all around via lateral torsion bars.
To increase ground clearance and give commercial grade pulling power for cargo and the van’s 1,048 kg (2,310 lb) weight, reduction gears were fitted in the driving wheel hubs. These had been used in Volkswagen’s military Jeep-type Kubelwagen, and they served their purpose, although gear whine and engine noise did create a real din in the bare metal box.
These gears speeded up the engine, and since VW’s engineers weren’t comfortable turning the little flat four much over 3,500 rpm, an instrument panel decal on early models warned: “The allowable top speed of this vehicle is 50 mph” (80 km/h), a warning that was often ignored.
Volkswagen soon expanded from the original van and window van to a luxurious nine-passenger bus called the Microbus. Other versions included a pickup truck, camper and ambulance. The addition of seats, carpets and sound insulation reduced mechanical noise to a distant thrum.
As might be expected with a small engine propelling a vehicle of this weight, its 36 horsepower gave very modest performance. Road & Track (12/’56) tested a VW Microbus and recorded top speed of 95 km/h (59 mph) with a best run of 96 (60). Acceleration to 96 km/h (60 mph), largely academic, was reported as 75 seconds. Zero to 80 (50) took 30.6 seconds. Fuel economy was a respectable 26 to 29 mpg U.S. (31 to 35 Imperial).
Volkswagen had the minivan field almost to itself for over a decade until 1961, when Chevrolet and Ford brought out rival versions. Dodge followed in 1964. Chevrolet’s Corvair 95 Greenbrier, based on the Corvair car, had a flat air-cooled six in the rear. The Ford Falcon-based Econoline van’s conventional front engine, rear-drive layout placed the inline six between the two front seats. Both added pickup versions.
The arrival of VW’s American challengers invited comparison. Car Life magazine (9/’61) conducted a three-way test of the VW, Greenbrier and Econoline. They found that while similar in concept, each had its own character. The VW was the most economical, the Greenbrier the most comfortable and the Econoline the fastest. The VW (now at 40 horsepower) could barely reach 96 km/h (60 mph), the Chevrolet 113 (70), and the Ford 121 (75).
Acceleration was equally leisurely. Although the VW was not rated from zero to 96 km/h (60 mph), the Greenbrier did it in 32.2 seconds, and the Ford 25.8.
Volkswagen’s brilliant concept had pointed the way for the rest by providing the maximum carrying capacity in the most compact of dimensions. It was a practical, economical workhorse that was at the opposite end of the automotive spectrum from the garish, chrome-laden, finned station wagons of the ’50s and ’60s.
This unpretentious, almost anti-establishment machine was embraced by the hippie/beat movement of the ’60s. Cheap, economical and easy to repair, it became the quintessential counter culture car. Sometimes it was even a home, usually decorated with flowers and phosphorescent colours.
While Chrysler and others took minivan leadership from Volkswagen, it has the satisfaction of knowing that it established the genre back in 1950.
