Lot 860: 1968 Volkswagen Type 26 Pickup

The Volkswagen Transporter was an incredibly versatile and useful vehicle.

Applying the basic Volkswagen concept of platform frame and rear flat four-cylinder engine, the first Transporter was based on the Beetle and proved to be so popular and versatile that Volkswagen soon had to build a factory devoted exclusively to the Transporter. Transporters were eventually built in both Brazil and Mexico, and they are still built in Brazil.

The boxy design lent itself to any number of applications including delivery vans, people carriers, ambulances, campers and even open bed pickup trucks in eighteen distinct cataloged variations.

Volkswagen learned a lot with the first, split front window, generation Transporter which was built from 1950 through 1967 in Germany and until 1975 in Brazil. In view of its success Volkswagen devoted significant time, study and engineering to the design of the second generation Transporter, introduced in 1968. In addition to being larger and heavier, it got a 1.6 liter, 48hp engine and true independent rear suspension with constant velocity joint half shafts. Its aerodynamics were the subject of special attention.

The Transporter’s engine placement dictated an unusual high floor layout for the open back pickup version which relied on fold down sides instead of the tailgate that was common on front engined pickups. The high floor had a significant advantage to offset the unusual layout in that its height left room below the load deck for secure storage compartments that more conventional pickup trucks didn’t have.

The Paine Collection’s 1968 Volkswagen Pickup is the Type 261 variant, lefthand drive with the locking “tool” compartment on the right flank. Finished in beige, the interior is beige vinyl. It is equipped with a heater but no radio (although it does have an antenna installed on the left A-pillar.) The odometer shows 27,401 miles and its condition indicates that this is the original mileage. The paint and interior are all original. The body panels are straight and fit smoothly. The wood wear strips and head boards in the bed have no finish left on them but the wood is sound and would easily refinish.

It appears to have sat for some time in the Seal Cove Museum’s shop and needs absolutely nothing more than that cosmetic attention and thorough mechanical restoration.

Avidly sought by hobbyists, collectors and legions of Volkswagen fanatics, this Type 26 Pickup is a highly unusual opportunity for collectors or restorers. Refreshed, resuscitated and sympathetically preserved, the Paine Collection’s VW Transporter will not look close to its 40-year old age and will still give yeoman service around the shop, farm or race paddock.