Vanagons are a lifestyle as well as a car

Vanagons. They’re like the comeback kid of vintage vans. Whether it be in Cornwall or Salisbury, on Route 7 or elsewhere, several of these Volkswagen cult classics can be seen puttering proudly around the Northwest Corner.

But what are they, exactly?

The Vanagon was introduced as the third version (T3) of the Type 2 Volkswagen Transporter. It was predominantly manufactured in Germany, from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. It is a square-shaped mini-bus typically featuring an air or water-cooled engine in the vehicle’s rear end with rear-wheel drive.

The Lakeville Journal spoke with mechanic Alex Kramer, owner of The Motorworks in Millerton, to learn more about these retro vans and their current appeal. He just happened to have one in the shop at the time of the interview, propped up for some work. 

The Vanagon is a practical vehicle, Kramer said. 

“It’s a bit bigger and it’s a little bit faster than what came before it.” 

The real perk, however, is the massive amount of information published in print and on the internet about Vanagon mechanics. 

With several businesses and websites devoted to the restoration of Vanagons (like The Samba and GoWesty), the amount of information is sufficient for any owner to know their van inside and out.

In the 1980s, the Westfalia model of the Vanagon was introduced to create a compact cross-country camp vehicle complete with a pop-up roof, a propane-powered fridge and stove, a sink with on-board water supply and more. 

Businesses that specialize in selling restored Vanagons, Kramer said, can sell them for prices “climbing into the hundred thousand dollar realm.”

He couldn’t pin down the exact reasons why the Vanagons have returned to the limelight, though he associated it with a form of nostalgia and a “romanticism of travel.”

“There are people who are trying to, like, live in their Westy and live the Westy lifestyle, and travel to South America and, you know, live with their dog and their surf boards — the whole thing.”

Kramer also mentioned more recent “Syncro” Vanagons that are customized and improved with modern equipment, such as Subaru engines or all-wheel drive controls.

“It takes away some of the originality and some people think that’s a bummer,” Kramer said, “and therefore they push the envelope with the stock stuff … but it’s [the original model] got its limits.”

With the modern specs, “now you’ve got wanderlust and road romanticism and a cool toy all wrapped up into one thing.”

Kramer expressed regret that he’d sold his own 1987 Vanagon Westfalia camper. When asked how many Vanagons the auto shop treats on a regular basis, his coworker, Steven LaCasse, was less enthusiastic about the Volkswagen classic.

“More than I would like to,” LaCasse said. “They’re alright. It’s just a totally different world from anything else,” he said, referring to the rear engine and other mechanical designs that are different from those of modern vehicles.

The actual number of Vanagons that they see on a regular basis, he and Kramer agreed, was likely around 10.