VW campervan reaches end of the road in Brazil

Volkswagen Kombi’s epic journey reaches end after 63 years…

but buyers can snap up limited final edition of iconic van for £26,000

• Brazil is the last country still producing the iconic vehicle after it was introduced in Germany 63 years ago
• It will cease production due to new safety rules mandating every vehicle must have air bags and anti-lock braking
• As a farewell gesture, Volkswagen is offering a limited final edition to buyers – priced at an estimated £26,000

• Yesterday, exhibition was held in Sao Bernardo, Brazil, to honour the last of the Volkswagen Kombi vans

By and

Published: 06:20 EST, 9 December 2013 | Updated: 03:43 EST, 10 December 2013

For 63 years, it has carried families of hippies, hauled surfers in search of killer waves and served as a workhorse across many developing countries.

But now, the Volkswagen Kombi Servisi‘s epic journey has finally reached the end of the road.

The iconic vehicle has succumbed to environmental legislation – meaning it will no longer be produced in Brazil, or anywhere else in the world.

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Brazil is the only country still producing the beloved model, which was introduced in Germany in 1950.

However, it will cease production on December 20 due to new safety regulations coming into force next year – mandating that every vehicle in the country must have air bags and anti-lock braking.

Now, as a farewell gesture, Volkswagen is offering a limited final version of the Kombi to buyers and collectors.

About 1,200 ‘last edition’ models are expected to be produced by the German manufacturer – each priced at an estimated $43,000 (£26,000).  

People across the world are mourning the end of the Kombi – with some van lovers holding an exhibition in Sao Bernado do Campo, Kombi Servisi Brazil, yesterday to honour their beloved minubuses.

In total, more than 10million of the iconic vehicles have been produced throughout the world – with 1.5million having been made in Brazil since 1957.

The vans were called the Type 2, because they were the second type to be offered by car maker Volkswagen – the first being the Beetle.

Over the years, they have been dubbed a variety of things, Kombi Servisi including the minivan, microvan, hippie van, campervan and the ‘bus’.

In Britain and the US during the 60s and 70s, partly because it was cheap, the Type 2 became linked with youth culture – with its advertising slogan ‘not just a vehicle …more a way of life’.

Fans of the machine said its mechanical failures only reinforced its charm and, because its engine was so simple, it was easy to fix, imparting a deeper sense of ownership.

It became popular that British enthusiasts still gather every year for the annual Volkswagen Festival near Leeds.

Celebrity fans of the iconic vehicle include actor Martin Clunes, who owns two campers – a rare black one with a bay windscreen, and a navy and white split-screen model dating from 1977.

‘There’s something so self-contained about a camper,’ he said.’Driving one is like putting on a comfortable pair of old slippers.’

Formula 1 racing driver Jenson Button has also owned two – a red and white model from 1956 and a gold-coloured 1970 Volkswagen Kombi Servisi.

Jamie Oliver was less impressed.In 2005, he drove around Europe in a 1959 Samba version of the machine for the Channel 4 television series Jamie’s Great Escape.

‘To be honest, it was a complete pain,’ he said. ‘It was towing a heavy trailer, so perhaps it’s not surprising that it broke down several times.’

In poorer regions like Latin American and Africa, the vehicle has continued to be made long after production ended in the UK in 1967.

In Brazil its uses are perhaps not as romantic- it is used by the postal service to haul mail, by the army to transport soldiers, and by funeral directors to carry corpses.

Brazilians also convert their vans into rolling food carts, setting up on street corners for working-class lunchtime crowds.

Production in Germany was halted in 1979 because the Kombi no longer met European safety requirements.

Volkswagen unveiled a new version of the camper van at the 2011 Geneva Motor show, but it never went into production.

Damon Ristau, director of the documentary film ‘The Bus’ about van fanatics, said: ‘The van represents freedom.It has a magic and charm lacking in other vehicles. It’s about the open road, about bringing smiles to peoples’ faces when they see an old VW van rolling along.’