Say farewell to an iconic symbol of nomadic hippydom: The Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi van

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/30/say-farewell-to-an-iconic-symbol-of-nomadic-hippydom-the-volkswagen-type-2-kombi-van/



Say farewell to an iconic symbol of nomadic hippydom: The Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi van
By Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian
Monday, December 30, 2013 13:53 EST

It was the defining image of nomadic hippydom, gracing Bob Dylan album covers, hauling surfers and their boards in search of killer waves and serving as the vehicle of choice for Scooby-Doo and his hapless, ghost-busting gang. But this month the last ever Volkswagen camper van rolled off the production line, 63 years after it was first unveiled at the Geneva motor show – because it can’t be fitted with an airbag.

Brazil is the last remaining country where the iconic Type 2 Kombi van is still produced, where more than 1.5m have been made since 1957. But new health and safety laws to be introduced in 2014, requiring every vehicle to have airbags and anti-lock braking, mean it is no longer compliant. Production in Germany was halted as far back as 1979, when the Kombi no longer met European safety requirements. It seems strangely fitting that the symbol of 60s freedom has gradually been hounded from existence by bureaucratic regulations.

The curvaceous minivan won hearts and minds after being promoted as not just a vehicle, but more of a holistic lifestyle choice. “Do you have the right kind of wife for it?” asked adverts for the van in 60s America. “Will she let your daughter keep a pet snake in the backyard? And invite 13 people for dinner even though she has service for 12?” Hell, with that kind of free spirit, you’re clearly suited to driving a Kombi!

Transporting revellers to Woodstock and innumerable gap year travellers around Australia – all at the stately pace of no more than 60mph – more than 10m Kombis have been made since they were first manufactured in postwar Germany. Following the success of the Beetle, the Kombi was the second vehicle produced by VW, its name short for “Kombinationsfahrzeug”, or “cargo-passenger van”, a multipurpose shed on wheels.