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Is it really a Westfalia Camper? Yes. It was delivered "unfinished" from the factory to Westfalia for the installation of the top and rear cabinet. (The Weekender has both the "unfinished" delivery sticker and Westfalia Werke sticker.) The Wolfsburg edition is a trim option, a Vanagon with the VW Camper (bronze beige metallic) color option and Wolfsburg emblems. It is called a Weekender because it does not have a kitchenette. Our Weekender has a 1.9 liter watercooled engine and is an automatic with (currently non-functioning) air conditioning. Although it does not have the extra power items such as power windows, power mirrors, power locks - it does have power steering. Sources:
A discussion came up recently on the Vanagon list as to why someone might want this kind of Vanagon. First, you couples out there have no idea what it is like to drive several hundred, maybe a thousand miles with kids in the back. On a recent trip we travelled with a 2.1 WBX I picked up - you can't do that comfortably in a full Westy. Also, this is a "daily" use vehicle - and the additional room makes it more livable. To learn more about Wolfsburg campers, visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers For those just passing through, the Vanagon name was used in the United States. Elsewhere, it is known by more historic names such as Kombi and Transporter (as were previous generations of bus and microbus). In Europe, the Caravelle name was also used to describe non-commercial wagons. At home, I try to enforce the "van" nomenclature. My '65 bus is very sensitive to the presence of the Vanagon. (For now they are seperated, but I think they are getting used to each other.) So keeping identities intact is very important. And if you already didn't know, Type 2 was the historic designation for the microbus. By the time the third generation (T3) Vanagon arrived, the Type 25 designation was used. In comparison, the wheelbase is about 2.4 inches longer than a Bay Window (second generation) bus. In fact, it is much larger all-around than my '65 - and much heavier as well. The Vanagon is a brick in motion. Its drag coefficient is .44. In heavy winds, you definately feel it. Like the bug in Mexico and the bus in Brazil, the Vanagon was produced long after it departed Europe and the Americas. But rather than Brazil or Mexico, the Vanagon continued to be manufactured in South Africa. That was until recently. I've posted the farewell video here.
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We bought our Vanagon Westy in April 2003. Like all Westies, it has been a joy and also a struggle. Most of the struggle has come from trying to fix or improve the Vanagon - such as replacing the canvas top, replacing the seals in and around the gas tank, replacing corroded turn signal bulb holders, etc. (This is an 18 year old vehicle after all.)
The Weekender was a version of the Westfalia Camper without the kitchenette (refrigerator, sink and stove). Without the space taken up by extra equipment, it has a wider rear seat (and more storage underneath). The seat converts into a bed like other Westies. There is a rear-facing jump seat behind the driver's seat that has an integrated metal-lined cooler (my 7-year-old loves riding in this seat). The pop-top is all Westy, with the flip-out mattress. Aside from having more room than a normal Westy - it is about the same weight as a standard Vanagon, because it lacks a kitchenette and does not have a (heavy) middle seat (except for the jumpseat, which is relatively lightweight). Also like the Westy, it has a large rear corner cabinet, which stowes all our camping gear, blankets, etc.