1951 Volkswagen VW T1 (Type 2) Samba Bus Van and 50 similar items

This 1951 VW T1 Type-2 Samba Bus measures 7" long, 3" wide and 3" high. It has openable tailgate and passenger side doors. The seats/benches inside are visible and molded quite accurately. Hub cabs have the VW logo embossed and the tires are made of rubber. The headlights, side view mirrors and bumpers add nice and realistic details. This model ships in a window box. The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombior Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US) or Camper (UK), is a panel van introduced in 1950 by the German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model. Following - and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 (Beetle) - it was given the factory designation Type 2. The Volkswagen "Samba", officially the Kleinbus Sonderausführung (small bus, special version) and marketed as the Microbus Deluxe and Sunroof Deluxe in the United States, was the most luxurious version of the T1. Volkswagen started producing Sambas in 1951; in 1952 the name in the home market was changed to Sondermodell (special model). the precise origin of the Samba nickname is unclear: sources refer to "samba cars", special train cars for dancing used by the Bundesbahn in the 1950s, while others suggest that it is an abbreviation for either Sonder-Ausführung mit besonderer Ausstattung (special version with special equipment) or for Sonnendach-Ausführung mit besonderem Armaturenbrett (sunroof version with special dashboard). The Samba name first appeared in official literature in Dutch price lists.