Westfalia Interior Descriptions '58-'67
by Susan Crandall
Remember this article is meant to be an overview
or an introduction anda way to describe as many features as we can.
It doesn't mean it's gospel. Owning Volkswagens should make you
aware that every country kept features for a different length of
time and that Volkswagen subscribes to the left over theory. If
it's left over just put it onthe first ten or first two hundred
models of the next year to confuse everyone!
During the early sixties the idea of a "ready to
go" camping vehicle seemed to have caught on in Europe and
especially here in America. Volkswagen had already made in roads
with this new market as early as1952, when they made available roof
racks and awnings. In America, interest in the camping vehicle
steadily grew right through the end of the split window era and
beyond. Some of the refinements that we've seen are still being
used, some were discarded as impractical.
Camping Box
Westfalia did incorporate distinct styles of kits
in the early buses through 58, unfortunately not many good examples
exist today. Whatmakes theses kits unique was the large use of wood
(not much plastic there) and a fairly simple design. 1953
introduced the camping box. Aremovable box that would allow part of
the kit to be removed to be used as a sort of chuck wagon by the
picnic table. One of the models used arollback bread box style
cabinet as rear compartments. The camping box expanded to
"standard" and "export" models in 1955. In 1956, the kits were
renamed "standard" and "deluxe". These early models used a set of
very prominent decals with the Westfalia horse logo. Most unusual
of all were 2 large red fuel containers for an optional Westy
cooking stove. (pretty high on my cool factor) While the sleeping
cot was primitive by later standards, it was very functional.
Available from 1952 to 1964was the operable steel hatch in the roof
so you could enjoy the good weather and the stars at night or let
the bus fill up with water if you forgot to close it tightly.
1958 brought about the deluxe SO-23. SO
designations come from "sonderausfuhrung" meaning special model or
edition. The original standard SO22 camping box was still available
and possibly was available through1966. We are unsure of this total
timeframe. Offering the same basic design 58-61 Westfalia was using
the 2 rear seats with 2 back cushions to form a bed. Either red and
black or yellow and black plaid were thechoices for upholstery.
Cabinets were made of plywood veneer with woodfinish, the doors of
cabinets were oval or half rounds with metal edging. Early style
child's hammock using same plaid as rear bed hooked around back of
front seat to make a small hammock and bottom of frontseat could
actually hold another child. These campers came with or without an
ice box section that included another storage compartment on
thedriver's side above the engine compartment. Also as an option
was anelastic catch all for shoes across the ceiling of the rear
area. These campers came with the highly sought after spun colored
aluminum drink sets in the clear bread box display cover. There
were your basic cocktail 6 oz cups and your accompanying shot
glasses. There was anenormous water tank that took up half the area
under the seat behind the driver that operated on an electric
siphon hose. There were 2 clamshell side lights and an abundance of
homey charm. There were 2 tent
options. Small foyer and large cabana room. A lot of busses came
with both sets of mounts on the roof hence the four mounting eyes
on early Westys. To increase the amount of stuff you could bring,
Westfalia racks started to appear regularly. A rack from this era
is distinctivefrom a side profile. The back bow has a lower profile
than the other 2,or look at the attaching clamps. They are smaller
without press marks from stamping. The wood slats were screwed with
2 screws instead of oneas in later racks. The later racks all had
equal bow height. In 1960 the "MOSAIK" program was introduced to
create more optional kit offerings. With the MOSAIK program you
could buy just the camper pieces you could afford or really wanted.
Additional pieces were available through the dealer.
1962 brought out a different kit altogether. The
SO-34 or 35 depending on the upholstery. While the flip top hatch
was retained and the hanging locker and rear cupboard unit was in
the same place everything was different. From a kid�s perspective
it is also the "funnest" year.
The hanging locker unit was wider than before.
The camper interior was arranged for seating looking out the side
doors rather than facing each other front to back. The bed was made
up from 3 narrow (uncomfortable) cushions going lengthwise in the
middle of the bus that used the front seat and the fold up middle
seat in the rear tunnel as extensions for tall people. Extra
seating for socializing was provided by spinning the back of the
front seat 180 degrees on swivel arms accessed at the front doors.
The seat back completely flipped around so from the side doors you
could access the entire bench seat now facing backwards. So in
addition to the bench seat facing the double doors there was one across the
front of the bus and in the tunnel or alley in the back in front of
the engine compartment a single seat flipped up. An optional item
was also a small standard folding chair that clamped to the floor
for travel in front of the hanging locker. The table screwed into
the floor but could swivel on a bent arm that allowed the long way
to be either horizontal or vertical across the bus. But the best
part about the table was its ability to come out of the bus and be
used. Why did they ever give that idea up?
SO-34/35 parts
photo by Michael Heron.
The back of the bus under the rear hatch was the
primary access to the kitchen area. Facing the rear of the bus the
left hand unit had a large fold
down doo to act as a flat surface with 4 recessed shelves to hold
canned goods, silverware, condiments, fuel bottles, cups,etc. and
in front of that was the icebox. On the right hand side was a
cupboard with 2 side opening doors behind the hanging locker. But
if the weather was inclement just unbolt the kitchen fastener and
swing it around on its roller wheel to face the interior of the bus
and work from there albeit hunched over. The swivel unit itself had
logical storage and even accommodated the stove when you were ready
to pack up. No digging under the bed for kitchen stuff. While the
unit was swiveled forward it allowed access the spare tire behind
it. By taking the spare tire out and laying it flat on the ground,
with the plate that came in it you could mount your table to the
tire and have a little serving table or prep table wherever it was
most convenient.
On the front of the ice box facing the front of
the bus was a very early sixties traditions, the bar. The upper cupboard sported the traditional
spun aluminum glasses in the 8 oz size with space for your own
extras and the bottom cupboard tilted out with cutouts to support
two fifths of your favorite before dinner beverage and storage for
a third. This was definitely a martini crowd camper!
This year introduced the common green child's
hammock that we saw through 1967 and its basic style is still used
in today's Westys. The "social" frontseat swiveled to a 90 degree
rotation to form the lumpy support underthe child's hammock if
needed but also opened up the front seat to be the overflow foot
room for the main bed. This year instead of the traditional wood
finish the white laminate with the gray dashes and lines was the
indestructible material for the cabinet surfaces.
The upholstery was either yellow/orange plaid
with a red vinyl front seat or blue/green plaid. Instead of a water
tank and pump this model came with 3 water jugs. Very handy to take
out of the bus and use anywhere and refill. One of the most novel
ideas was that of a movable light. Alittle cone shaped patio lamp
on the end of a lamp cord that plugged into a cigarette lighter
like opening and could be hung from various hooks or even hung from
the tent made seeing what you were doing a breeze. This kit has
been seen in 1963 which appears to be a transition year, sharing
most designs with 1964 but not quite.
1963 and 1964
Interestingly the 1963-1964 kit is reminiscent of
the 1958-1961 kits where the 2 back seats oppose each other and the
table affixed itself inbetween them. To make the bed the seat
bottoms slid to the middle andthe seat backs came off and were used
to fill in the gaps. The rear seat back fit fine as is but the
front seat back was thinner and needed to use lifters to level out
the bed. These were the little hinged pieces of wood inside the
forward seat compartment. Under the seat bottoms were huge storage
areas. A lawn chair easily fits in the storage compartment. The
cupboards had squarish doors with roundedcorners trimmed in plastic
but instead of the wonderful brass swivel latches used previously
Westfalia attempted to copy a cheap American camper design and went
to plastic pull knobs that bent broke and fell apart. The conical
light remained through 1965. 1964 marked the last year of the real
wood finish. It was also the last year for the fliptop and the
first year of the large rear window. Seat cushions were still the
yellow/orange or blue/green plaid Pendleton wool material. On the
front side door was the �bathroom� with a rectangle cupboard
divided in half. The top opened up and had 3 shelves with a mirror
on the inside and snapped to the door and the bottom folded down
and was held perpendiular with a chain and the cupboard held a
�dishpan/bathroomsink�.
SO-42
1965 brought out a totally different kit and
certainly the one that is most familiar to everyone. It was known
as the SO-42. What really made this kit
different was the use of a retractable (very comfortable
withsprings) Z bed which allowed
instant sleeping arrangements and could be put away again post
haste. Coupled with the new fiberglass top and canvas side straight
up pop top there was plenty of room to move around in. They finally
brought the ice box to a more
accessible area in aself contained cabinet just inside the front
double door where it could be opened from inside or outside the
bus. This unit also housed the upright water tank and excellent
plunge pump dispenser. No sink was installed, so there was room for
a utensil drawer and a more useful flatcabinet top. The cushions were covered
in easy to clean solid color vinyl for the export market or the
yellow/orange plaid was available generally in Europe. The side
lights were covered with rectangular slide out covers and there was
no conical light with this kit. This kit came in a walk through
style with a single seat behind the driver and maybe a lid on the
map storage section in between the driver and rear passenger or
maybe not, or with a three quarter bench with a built in map junk
compartment with or with out a lid that a small child could sleep
on. If it wasn't a walk through then there was a narrow what-not
cupboard in the rear corner of the bus on the driver's side. A
surprisingly roomy cupboard went across the top rear. A full
week'sworth of clothes for one person could easily fit there. The
rear access hatch for the space behind the hanging locker opened
up, rather than sideways as in the past. Some how you had to hold
up the hatch and dig around in the depths to find what you were
after. A snap strap to hold it open like the kind used above the
table to hold the table up and out of the way would have been
handy. The table was permanently hinged to the side of the bus and
would fold down against the side wall out of the way or swing up to
the roof. The child's hammock remained an option. The most
practical addition was the what not cabinet on the rear sidedoor.
It holds a ton of food, spices and glassware. The two fold up
tables one on the front door and the other on the side of the
ice box under the pivoting arm
of the water dispenser made an easy working areaunder the awning.
To add a little sleeping room a factory option sparetire mount
could be ordered right in the middle of the space for the front
emblem. Or for those Alaska hiway trips you could bring two spare
tires. Since camping is sometimes done in the rain the jalousie
windows and screens made water and bug proof cross ventilation
possible. The SO-42 sold for 1850 dm in 1965. Basic components of
this kit can still be recognized in the newest offerings from
Westfalia even today.
SO-44
Also available starting in 1965 was the SO-44 kit.
It employed a significantly different interior layout. It was for
non walk throughbuses with the bulkhead behind the driver made up
of a kitchenette with a flip over cover and a hanging locker
directly behind the driver. Inside the lid of the kitchenette there
was space for a stove or work area and a small sink. In 1965 water
was obtained from siphon pumping from two removable bottles while
later there was an installed watertank. There were three doors on
the kitchen section the one closest to the outer doors was the ice
box. The middle one had 3 small utensil drawers and storage for the
bottles. The one by the hanging locker had 3 shelves and plenty of
storage for canned and dry goods. Instead of a fixed dinette table
the table was on a moveable swivel with a small jumpseat between
the hanging locker and the huge Z bed. The Z bed went wall to wall
and like the SO-42 was a spring bed with all the size and comforts
of home. What a difference a foot makes. There were cute armrests
on either side. The yellow naugahyde was the usual upholstery.
Hanging from the roof in the rear and extending from side to side
of the bus was an optional 3 section clothes compartment. Great for
extended storage but almost completely blocks the view out the back
window. Frequently found in this kit was the small hanging light
with the adapter hole. This kit was a bit more money at 2540dm.
While there is no ultimate year by Westfalia all
models have a favorite feature. It is the imaginative designs that
have made owning and restoring Westys a real treat.
