Volkswagen Type II Panel Bus, 1971

1971 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon All new professional build! Additional Info:

1971 Volkswagen Panel Van Bus, finished in VW "Velvet Green" by a high end hot rod body shop (no flaws- mirror finish). It's a California life-time original VW that's never had a speck of rust anywhere on it. Every part of the body, top to bottom has always been 100% rust-free. Perfect drip rails, perfect battery tray, perfect floor, perfect around doors- no repairs. The paint from top to bottom is show quality perfect. The original bumpers are beautifully triple chromed. All door and all rubber seals throughout have been replaced with new. All door handles are new, as well as headlights, taillights, and mirrors. The rear door window is an aftermarket chrome framed, top hinged, fold-out window for flow-through circulation (fully adjustable- opens and secures up to horizontal position). The suspension is all new, and was done correctly (with the best components available) by a professional suspension shop, and steering components were all rebuilt or replaced at that time as well. Steering wheel is new. Has new front disc brakes, all pads replaced (less than 100 miles), the brake lines were also replaced with new because it was in storage for so long before I bought it. Brand new black leather sport bucket seats (very high quality seats, thick leather, extremely comfortable- the van smells like new leather when you're in it). Dashboard was replaced with a perfect VW bus dash (took me forever to find) because the original California dash was used and faded- all gauges work, a couple were replaced with new OEM gauges. New top-of-the-line custom molded for this vehicle black carpeting included, new black vinyl door panels included. Original perforated black vinyl headliner is in near perfect condition, and matches all of the new interior exactly. The headliner is one of the few original parts of the van, and it looks great. New wiring harness. Brand new battery just installed a month ago.

The engine is a brand new top to bottom high-end custom build by "CB Performance" (build by Pat, he's kind of famous in the VW racing community). It's a 1914 cc with dual Weber carbs, built specifically to last- and runs like a clock, with less than 100 miles on it. The cost of the engine alone was $7500 (probably closer to $10,000 in today's money). The exhaust is a top of the line ceramic coated headers / exhaust, and it sounds full, deep, and throaty (not your average VW sounding engine). The transmission is from a shop in California called A1 Transmission that is well known for building near bullet-proof transmissions (less than 100 miles, installed with the engine). All linkage from the engine to the gas pedal is new. Most of the assembly was done by our local high end specialty "German Auto" after I accumulated all of the parts. The suspension was done by a shop that specializes in race car suspensions, the bus sits low and handles nice and tight.
Driving a VW bus like this is an experience. If you know, I don't need to tell you. The 'driver-forward' seating position alone is fun, but if you haven't driven a VW bus with a nice big engine, tuned transmission, and tight suspension like this, then you're in for a treat. You can keep up with modern traffic without any problems at all. City driving is a rush because it's much quicker than you'd expect it to be. It will turn heads and get attention wherever you go, both for the looks and the sound. When A1 Transmission builds a transmission like this, they ask you what you want to do with it, then they custom build it to your needs. I asked for a close geared lower end setup for good quick response, and zippy city driving, and a tall top gear for cruising at highway speeds. This is a popular setup.

This van was originally a California flower shop delivery van, bought new by them in 1971. They drove it for about 10 years to it's current 95,000 miles, and when it came time to replace it, they parked the van inside their shop and used it for storage (as a 'shed' I was told) until I bought it from them about 15-17 years ago. After I bought it, and had it shipped to Michigan, I parked it in my garage, and then took my time doing lots of research on VW's, and slowly buying up the best possible parts to build a show quality VW Bus. The build took several years, I got bored with waiting, and at some point I broke down and bought a nice old Arizona 1967 VW Split Window Kombi Bus, and started driving that one around instead. I put the '71 Panel into dry storage, and it's been sealed in there for about 12 years until a few months ago. It's never been exposed to a Michigan winter- it's been correctly stored since it arrived here from California. I took it from storage straight back to German Auto, and $1200 later, it's running and driving like a dream again. I'm not 'rich' anymore, so it's time to pass this incredible "new" bus on to the next owner.
Because I never really fully completed the project, it still needs a few finishing touches on the interior. It's running and driving perfectly- mechanically it needs absolutely nothing that I know of- except to be driven- but the wheels you see on it are the original VW steel wheels that it came with when it was new. The tires are the same set that was on it when I bought it, so they are at least 15-17 years old and probably several years older. The tires still hold air and have worked for all of the storage and transport without any issues. I had some fancy new wheels and tires for it, but because I had it in storage for so long, they were eventually used for another project. I actually like the look of the original wheels that are on it now, and if they were either chromed or powder coated (silver or black?), and had a new set of tires on them, I think the bus would look awesome as it is. But, I believe choosing custom wheels for an old air-cooled VW is a very personal thing. There are many different types available at places like CIP1. com. Some polished 'Fuchs' Porsche type wheels would also look great on it. The new carpeting (still in the shipping box) and door panels are all included, but not installed yet. The new steering wheel is installed, but I never installed the horn button. Again- there are some different designs available for the horn button for this steering wheel, so that should be up to the buyer to decide. The rear inside of the bus is a blank canvas. It's as clean as the exterior, and painted in the same "VW Velvet Green" inside as the exterior, but it's ready for whatever you have planned for it. You could get them from the factory with a birch-wood lined interior, and that was probably my eventual plan. Could be done up as a custom camper interior, or customized as an advertisement for your business, or used as a vintage race car support vehicle. There's plenty of room on the exterior for company logo's, and I can't imagine a cooler or more fun and dependable vehicle for whatever you might need it for. A virtually brand new 1971 VW bus- better than original- the possibilities are endless!
There's a lot of info included here, and I'm sure I've left a lot out. I may add more to the description as I remember it. But, please feel free to ask for more pictures of any part of the bus- it's all just as the pictures show and as I've described above, but I'll send more pics as requested. I have a few videos of the bus running on my phone, ready to send to your phone- the files were too big to post on this listing- just ask and I'll send them to you! I welcome and encourage anyone to come and inspect the bus. I am happy to have anyone look at it for you as well. I've personally traveled across the country to look at vehicles I was interested in buying. It's a small price to pay for piece of mind. I'm located in Grand Rapids Michigan, "Beer City, USA" (home of Founder's and many more, and an easy drive to Bell's Brewery). Good hotels, and a nice downtown area, there's plenty to do while you're here.
The only 'extra' that I can think of to offer to the buyer is, I have 2 of the rare old welded original VWOA bus roof racks. I wasn't sure which I was going to put on this bus, the full length one, or the half length. If the buyer is interested in one of these, I'm open to offers.

And, now the necessary "selling a vehicle on eBay" inclusions. This is a classic vehicle. It's been rebuilt to a very high level of standard, but it's still a 1971 VW bus. There is no warranty included or implied. I've been 100% straightforward in my description, but I may have missed something. This vehicle has never really been broken in other than short test drives, but if today was a warm summer day, I wouldn't hesitate to drive this bus anywhere -but I'd also be very aware that it's on it's true 'maiden voyage'. I've bought and sold several vehicles on eBay over the years, so I'm not new to the process. I know all of the scam tricks. If you bid on the bus- you are ready to buy the bus. Don't bid on it for fun (unless spending lots of money is your idea of fun- then please bid away!). Don't bid if you don't have the money to buy it. If you get the winning bid, I'll consider that to be a binding legal contract between you and I. I expect payment in full in a nice smooth timely manner in a method that we both agree upon. I reserve the right to cancel any bids. I'm listing the bus in other places, so this listing may end without notice. If you're really serious and you want to talk about it, please contact me. I'll supply you with my email and phone number after you contact me through eBay, and I'll send pics or videos or let you know where you can see it in person. Shipping is 100% the buyers responsibility. As winter is quickly approaching, I'd recommend an enclosed trailer depending on where you're located. I'm happy to help with loading the bus. Uship has worked out really well for me.
***The yellow/orange spots in the roof drip rail pictures are actually little leaves from a nearby tree.***
***I noticed the images don't have great clarity- I had to use a friends phone to post them to eBay, so I think that's why. I'll post better pics if possible ASAP, but if you want me to email you some better images, let me know!***