Woodstock and the Volkswagen Microbus’s History Runs Deep
The iconic Volkswagen Microbus at Woodstock is hard to miss. In 1963, the Type 2 Deluxe held 11 windows and read “Light” stretched across the doors in vivid cosmic patterns. The Associated Press took a famous photo of two hippies sitting on the roof of the bus, which became widely distributed.
In 1969, an artist named Dr. Bob Hieronimus celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock festival by creating a replica of the ’63 Microbus called “Light.” The original Microbus rusted away after serving its duty in the commune, but the customized VW Microbus was hand-painted to replicate the original. Earlier this year, in 2023, the painted replica of the long-gone original was displayed at the Amelia Island Concours, along with some working examples of the Transporter and the ID.Buzz.
“My friend, Bob Grimm commissioned the painting on it so he would have something eye-catching and meaningful in which to drive himself, with his fellow musicians and their gear, to their performances. He named it after his band, Light, and it was with friends and fellow bandmates that he drove it up to Woodstock the following year.”
-Dr. Bob Hieronimus
According to Julia Fell, who curated exhibits at the Museum of Bethel Woods and maintains an extensive Woodstock archive, 75 percent of the 1,500 attendees polled used their vehicles to get to the site. Out of that number, 45 percent reported using a Volkswagen vehicle.
Within the group of travelers, 42 percent reported using a VW bus or van. The Volkswagen Microbus ownership reveals that it is the preferred mode of transportation for many Woodstock attendees. Many festival attendants purchased the Microbuses for $100, replaced the engines (which only required removing four bolts), and drove their VW until the vehicle could no longer transit.
Ben Pon was an early Volkswagen dealer in the Netherlands who was quite ambitious. Initially, he tried to import Beetles into the US, but when that didn’t work out, he came up with another ingenious idea.
Ben Pon was inspired to create a more advanced cargo van after visiting Wolfsburg and observing the makeshift transporters on the Bug platform workers used in the plant. Although Pon may have been influenced by innovative designs such as the Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion or the Stout Scarab, his plan was similar to the realized Microbus. The driver and passenger occupied the front seats while the engine remained in the back.
In the postwar era, the German automaker was managed by the British administration. VW was excited about the proposal and produced a new ladder-frame chassis. The vehicle, known as the Bulli in Germany (a name that has been resurrected for some ID. Buzz prototypes), was launched as a 1950 model at the end of 1949.
The Microbus and Deluxe Microbus were introduced in the early 1950s, followed by an ambulance and a pickup truck.
Over the years, Volkswagen introduced several other models of the Transporter besides the Microbus and the Deluxe Microbus. The VW models included the panel van, the Westfalia camper, and the upscale Samba. The Samba model, in particular, had up to 23 windows and an optional fabric sunroof. Today, these models are the most sought-after Microbuses, and when properly restored, they can fetch prices of $200,000 or more.
The first-generation VW Microbus was produced until 1967, while the second-generation model held more potency but lacked charisma.
Michael Bream owns EV West, a California-based company that converts classic cars into battery-powered vehicles. One of the vehicles he converts is an early Volkswagen bus. According to Bream, the release of the all-electric ID.Buzz will prompt more people to transform their old buses to electric power. Bream believes that the benefits of battery power will become increasingly apparent and that the bus is an ideal platform for an EV conversion. Ewan McGregor is one of Bream’s clients, who is delighted with his electric Beetle.
Jack Smith, an EV enthusiast, and his companions took a 1964 battery panel bus from EV West on a 6000-mile road trip from San Francisco to New York and back. The Microbus they used had a beat-up and semi-rusty body. Smith and friends followed the same route Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson took, who was the first person to drive across the US in 1903 with Sewell Crocker and a bulldog named Bud in a Winton car. Dr. Jackson’s excursion proved that electric buses are suitable for local driving and can also be used for long-distance travel.
Jack Smith and his group met with Dr. Bob Hieronimus in Cleveland, where they displayed the newly painted Woodstock Light bus at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The vehicle, formerly known as the “Rust Bus,” has undergone a body makeover and is ready for Smith to drive on a road trip from Chicago to California. Smith and his group will follow the historic Route 66 for their journey.
“I have a passion for traveling across America, and I like to see it at a slower pace. I went coast to coast on skateboards four times and then again on an electric skateboard.”
-Jack Smith
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Photo Source/Copyright: Volkswagen Newsroom