Description
For sale "Oli", our beloved 1972 Type 2 Camper Van finished in Neptune Blue with Devon Moonraker camper conversion, and a full selvedge denim interior
This is a UK Original Right Hand drive bus, and one of the rarer 'crossover models', meaning he has early-bay lower front indicators at the front, and the larger 'late-bay' rectangular rear brake clusters at the rear.
The current v5 shows 7 previous keepers, with the previous owner having bought the bus in February of 1997.
Service history before our purchase was lost, but we bought the bus while it was undergoing a full restoration in 2012
Current Mileage is 31794
Oli is a 1584cc bus, with a full original Devon Moonraker interior:
- Forward-facing rear bench seat with 2x lap belts
- 1 rear-facing 'buddy' seat
- Detachable Dining Table
- Fridge + Sink unit
- Swing-out stove unit (2x burners + grill)
- Vertical Pop-Top roof assembly on gas struts
- 2x fold-out hammock beds
- Table and interior units that convert into a double bed
- Full curtains
- Interior storage (under Buddy Seat, and Rear Bench / Cupboards + Drawer under stove / Rear cupboard with mirror on rear of door)
While generally a very original example of a crossover buses, the exception is that during the restoration work, some opening slatted side windows were installed, which the kids always loved, and we've always appreciated when camping in warm weather.
The original headlining was not replaced during the restoration, so does show it's age, but it really contributes to the original feel.
The original VW interior spare wheel cover, which is often missing from these buses is present.
We sourced an original period-correct Blaupunkt radio for the dash, but please be aware that it is not wired in. It was purchased as a working unit, but we were never brave enough to drill the bodywork to install the required aerial so have never used it. The original Blaupunkt manuals are present, as is the power cable needed to connect this up if you so choose.
For camping trips, we had a secondary leisure battery installed, which is wired up to the cigarette lighter in the dash, which we use to charge phones or run a camping fridge when on the road. This is installed with a 1-way cutout, so it's not possible to drain the main battery if the leisure battery is fully depleted.
In June 2023 we decided to give Oli a little more pep to help him get around in the hills where we live, we had the engine reconitioned by Retro Revivals (- details above).
This included:
- Engine case rebore
- Replacement of new cylinder heads / seals / gaskets.
- Fitting of twin Weber carbs
- New brake master cylinder servo-assisted brake conversion
(orginal parts removed were retained and will come with the sale)We bought the bus after a serendipitous moment - when we moved into our current house in 2010, the garage was severely dilapidated, and by 2011 we eventually ended up carrying out a rebuild. As the works were completing, my wife made a passing comment to the builder that she was worried that the roof trusses would be too low to fit her dream car - a VW Camper.
It just so happened that our builder had been best man at a friend's wedding the weekend before, and that friend was just in the process of launching a new business dedicated to the restoration of classic VWs...
We purchased the bus in April 2012, after a complete, back-to-metal restoration carried out by the company that became Restore And More North East (- details above). There are a few pictures of the restoration right at the start of the photos on their page.
Oli was my wife's present to herself as she went back to work full-time after maternity leave for our son, and in those days was used regularly for family camping trips and going to VW festivals from Alnwick Castle to Santa Pod.
13 years on, our children are now 22 and 15, and we have to admit to ourselves that we do not make enough use of him to justify keeping him in the garage.
During the 2012 restoration, the restorers were unable to source an original spec pop-top roof assembly that included the clear window sections of the original Moonraker Spec. After a lot of searching, I managed to source an original spec roof from a UK fabricator still making new roofs to the original VW spec as a birthday present for Sarah the following year. Unfortunately, I've since lost access to the email account containing the details for this. Oli went back to Restore and More to have this fitted.
Another unique feature of Oli is his full denim interior. During the Restore and More restoration, we were given a selection of interior fabrics. Instead, my wife asked her brother Jason, founder of Denham The Jeanmaker (- details above), for some denim to use. He very kindly sent us a roll of selvedge denim from one of his Italian suppliers (- details above), which Restore and More used to re-upholster the interior.
As mentioned above, selling Oli is something we have considered for a few years now, but have not been able to bring ourselves to do. The real deciding factor in us listing Oli has been that a lot of our time is currently being taken up by the restoration of a building in our village. We saved the building from potential demolition in 2022/ 2023, and are trying to restore it for community use (- details above). This is where all our time is going, and rather than leaving him in the garage, we realised someone else should be enjoying him. The sale of Oli will help us with the restoration of the building.
Oli drives really well, and is a practical, usable classic - we had him out for the first time in a while a couple of weekends ago, and we'd forgotten how much of a head turner he is on the road.
We look forward to passing him on to a family who will make the next generation of memories with him!
