Volkswagen Westfalia Berlin 1979 SOLD

Lovely Original Vintage Camper

We do like to be beside the seaside.

Thanks for your interest but this camper has now been sold.

The late Westfalia bays are for many the epitome of the classic VW bus. All the charm but less of the aggravation of the earlier models. The two litres' have decent power, decent brakes and the layout is generally agreed to be the most spacious and practical. The best camper conversion was always considered to be the Westfalia (the only maker officially endorsed by Volkswagen) and the Berlin was the top of the range in it's day. The build quality really shows after all this time, it looks good as new. I mean, stainless steel hobs were a luxury in houses in the seventies!

As you can see this is a green Westfalia camper with the inimitable green 'Westy' plaid. It is a four berth, but we have the hammock for the front cab making it a five berth if required. It is Left Hand Drive as they nearly all are, don't let it put you off. The worst that happens is, to begin with, you get into the wrong side at petrol stations (embarrassing). Otherwise LHD vehicles are easy to drive.

Westfalia Berlin in Sage Green

Equipment

Cooker
3 way Fridge, (fully working)
Heater (original convection)
Sink with electric pump
Custom made drawers in cupboard
Swing out table
Dash table (often lost)
Rock and Roll bed
Double bed in pop top
All original veneers
All original green Westy plaid
Original Carpets
UK electric hookup
Zig unit fitted (all electrics fitted with circuit breakers)
2 x 240volt sockets
Alpine iPod ready stereo
Wardrobe with mirror
Rear ceiling cupboard
Strip Lamp
4 switchable cigarette 12v sockets in rear.
Propane gas bottle (better for colder conditions than butane.
'Ambulance fans' in front, (these are basically powered cold air fans, not standard equipment in old VW's
Spare wheel mounted in box on front.
2 x seat belts in back (one a 3 point harness)
Fittings for 3rd child seat in front with 3 point seat belt.
Louvre windows (completely refurbished so they're draught free and fitted with Midge proof netting)
Reproduction Box seat.

Stainless sink and two burner hob.

Our Westy

This has done 126,000 miles and it had a complete engine rebuild around three years (and 8000 miles ago) and has been very well maintained. It has had thousands spent on it since we bought it about five years back. As mentioned it is a left hand drive van from Germany. With 4 previous German owners plus the importer. We reckon it was probably stored in a garage for about 10 years, as the tyres were practically unused but were 20 years old! We replaced them all when one blew out on an auto route in France! We were doing about 75 mph at the time, scary. Like previous owners, I have maintained it well, always having the work done professionally. Most recently it had the two rear corners rebuilt and the area below the windscreen replaced by Sam at PFP coachworks. Thirty-three years of weather can lead to bad corrosion on these and this one has been properly repaired when required. Body work undertaken as follows.

Both rear corners replaced
Driver door replaced
Both front steps replaced
Sliding door replaced (in the past)
Re sprayed 4 years ago
Pop-top fibre glass re gelled
New pop-top canvas
Front arch rebuilt for this years MOT
Many new window rubbers
Deluxe rubber bumper inserts
High Quality shocks fitted
New Steering box

It is a very reliable camper, we've been all over Scotland, England and France in it and it never misses a beat. Some claim old campers are unreliable but I can't say I agree based on our experiences.

This all contributes to the peace of mind of owning a very solid camper that really is as good as it looks on the surface. No wads of filler hiding nasties here. It's a pretty sound investment. If you maintain it, you may not make money but you won't lose it like you do with other cars.

Classic 70's Interior.

Engine

It has the 2 Litre engine. In my opinion this is essential if you want to keep up with modern day traffic or get up steep hills in anything other than second! The engine in this camper was rebuilt by the renowned engine expert Laurie Pettitt. It has covered 8,000miles since being rebuilt 2 years ago and should be good for another easy 100,000 miles. The rebuild involved.

New Barrels
New Pistons
Performance Heads (Porsche 914 type)
Performance cam
All new seals of course
New clutch
Crank checked and found to be excellent
Twin Weber Type 34 carbs
Electronic ignition

Afterwards it was set up on a rolling road and it has an output of around 76hp (10% better than stock) But it really shows on climbing hills, even fully laden it can do steep ones in third. It can also pull over 90 mph (we once did that and on satnav so accurate). I wouldn't recommend that speed in one of these! I personally prefer to take it easy though and enjoy the trip. You arrive more relaxed and don't burn so much fuel. But it is happy at motorway speeds (70-80mph) all day long if you're pushed for time.

With performance exhaust and bigger carbs you could get quite a bit more out of it, but it's tuned for useable power and reasonable fuel economy.

Click the above image to see the larger version.

Buying her

If you should want to buy the van I will accept cash but only if you are prepared to come with me and deposit into my local bank (to eliminate the risk of counterfeit notes). Or a bank transfer or cheque along with a cash deposit of £200 on the day. Once the bank has confirmed the money is safely in my account (usually 4 or 5 days) I will release the vehicle. I could be persuaded to deliver it to you for a reasonable mileage fee and/or return ticket.

There a loads more pictures on the gallery page.