Archives for posts with tag: Westfalia
Imagine Dr. Frankenstein pulling the sheet off his creation and, instead of recoiling in horror, people stood back and said, “Huh… He looks good.”
Well, somewhere under a full moon, in a strange lab in Germany, a dead Type 2 T3 Westy was dissected and grafted on to the back of a living, 1965 Unimog 404 (with a 6-cylinder, gas engine, and a six-speed, manual transmission). It was given twin 33-gallon fuel tanks, a 24-volt, 140-amp alternator, six Hella 4000 driving lights, olive green paint, and a full exo roll cage.
You might think cutting the face off of Volkswagen bus and grafting it onto a Unimog might lead to a horrible freak of nature, but no. This thing actually looks good.
OK–sure. You can’t look too closely. The interior looks like a velour-covered, Unabomber shack. And the roof-top tent has got some tears. But the asking price is $18,500! You can’t get a normal Westfalia Syncro for that. Or a normal Unimog, for that matter. This is both!
Other things to know: 25,000-lb. PTO winch with 300 feet of cable, on-board air compressor, 34,000 kms on the clock. Find this thing in South Chula Vista, near San Diego and the Mexican border. $18,500!
More photos and original ad text after the jump.
Thanks to Mas for Spotting this one!
Link trail: Bring a Trailer: Mega Westy > Craigslist: Custom Mercedes Unimog
Volkswagen weren’t the only ones to benefit from Westfalia’s raise-the-roof camper conversions. A few of these boxy-but-beautiful, Mercedes-Benz Transporters got the treatment as well. Finding one, however, is like trying to get your hands on a unicorn covered in pixie dust.
It could be lucky-leprechauns for you though, if you’re in the market, because this sweet, 80s-era, white-on-white, 207 Diesel Westy is for sale on ebay.
We’re back from following the footsteps of Mark Twain through the eastern Sierras (more on that in future posts). After having set the tent up for the fourth night in a row, the conversation turned to self contained 4-wheel-drive camping vehicles. The VW Westfalia Synchro came up. Only about 1500 of these rare, 4×4 campers were sent to the US between 1986 and 1991 and prices have risen into the $40k–$50k range for clean examples and into the $80k range for restored ones. Back at home I wondered if anyone still produces a small 4×4 camper that could be considered a spiritual successor to the old Syncro Westy.
My research turned up the Fuso Earthcruiser from Queensland, Australia, the spiritual home of off-road travel. The Earthcruiser is built on a Mitsubishi Fuso light truck chassis and features turbocharged diesel engine and a pop-top camper. Four-wheel-drive systems vary depending on the buyer’s specifications. The available 5-speed manual transmission is mated to a 2-speed transfer case and offers traditional 4-wheel drive. The available 6-speed automatic offers all-wheel drive and a single speed transfer case. Either spec includes a limited slip rear differential. 37″ tires are standard and enable a 3-foot (900mm) fording depth. All that and it’s still compact enough to fit in a standard shipping container.
Inside the Earthcruiser offers about 80 sq. ft. (7.5 sq. m) of sleeping, cooking, showering and living space. The vehicle also includes 23.8 gallons (90l) of water in two tanks. Not only can the water system purify water from any nearby stream, it can provide hot running water and showers (indoor or outdoor—your choice) with a Webasto diesel hot water heater. This same heating unit heats the interior air and, on the North American model, also heats the house batteries and water tanks, a boon for winter camping. As far as electricity goes, a solar panel-assisted electrical system will power the living space for up to ten days (given clear skies). After that, it’s simply a matter of topping up the house batteries with the engine alternator.
The Earthcruiser is available in the US for $220,000. While it’s not quite the spiritual successor to the Syncro on price, it does seem to step up the old Westy’s game quite a bit.