Whether it’s called the Bulli, the VW Van, the Transporter or the Microbus, you could argue that the classic Volkswagen Type 2 should at least be in the running for a sort of automotive Mount Rushmore – or at least some cliff face’s B Team.
No, it’s not as sexy or as well made as a 1968 Mustang GT, an E-Type Jaguar, an Aston Martin DB-5 or a Ferrari Daytona. But, that Bulli is every bit as iconic and immediately identifiable — a vehicle overflowing with personality and history.
To celebrate that personality and the ongoing love affair with the Volkswagen Transporter in its various incarnations, author Edwin Baaske explores various VW-centric, automotive romances in the new book, Bulli Love.
Also: CES 2016: Volkswagen BUDD-e Electric Microbus Debuts for the Tech Hip Hippie
Originally designed 65 years ago, the Transporter is still in limited production around the world. However, its older, original editions are highly south after collector cars regardless of condition. In some cases, if battered during the right sort of lively outings, a beat-up Bulli can still demand a solid auction price because of they story it tells.
Paging through the pages of Bulli Love, you’ll find personal, passionate stories of Transporter owners and their vans — tales of adventure and “day in the life” portraits of owners united with and (at times) defined by their connection to their VW buses.
As much a work of photographic art as a read for gearheads, the $52.95, the 200 page, hardcover tome includes 182 color photographs featuring these Volkswagen people carriers in the wild and around the world.
It’s an especially interesting time to look back at the classic Bulli as the Volkswagen Microbus is flirting with a return. CES 2016 saw the arrival of the BUDD-e Concept – an all-electric, touchscreen Microbus of the future that VW indicated could go into production in the next few years.
It’s safe to say that that gleaming Transporter of the future might very well be a supreme technological achievement for Volkswagen. But, it’ll never have the outright character of a Bulli.
