Home » A Strange Kind Of School Bus Was The Most Expensive Volkswagen You Could Buy In 1955: Cold Start

A Strange Kind Of School Bus Was The Most Expensive Volkswagen You Could Buy In 1955: Cold Start

Cs Vwtrainingbus1
ADVERTISEMENT

This past week, I was covering the global launch of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, the three-row version of VW’s electrified and resurrected (you know, like the process Victor Frankenstein used) Type 2 Microbus. While at the event, VW also announced that June 2 is International Volkswagen Bus Day, by decree of, I guess the Pope or something? There was a meeting of lots and lots of vintage buses to celebrate the day, and while there I saw a particularly fascinating one I’d like to share with you. It was a school bus, of sorts: a Mobile Service School. When it was made, in 1955, this was the most expensive vehicle VW would sell you. Let’s look at it.

If you follow our Instagram account, which you absolutely should, for ethical reasons, you may have already seen me geeking out about this thing:

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Autopian (@theautopian)

I got the year wrong there, it seems. It’s not a ’54, it’s a ’55, which I know because I found the owner/restorer talking about this on The Samba. Though, it might be a ’54 sold in ’55? I talked to the owner and I could have sworn something like this was said, but I’m not certain. This incredible machine, which cost about $5,000 in 1955 – that’s about $57,000 today – was a mobile training center for VW technicians.

It started life as an ambulance-spec bus, which is why it has that flip-down tailgate in a time when most buses only had an opening engine lid at the rear. That’s also why, as you can see in the top picture, it has that funny “hat” – that was a fan/air intake unit for ambulance-spec buses that would later become unnecessary when the Type 2 grew a little visor over the windshields that had fresh air intakes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Look inside this thing, though:

Cs Vwtrainingbus2

As it says on the tin, it’s a whole training center in there. We have workbenches and racks of drawers with tools and equipment, and there’s a whole other VW air-cooled flat-four engine in there, for technicians to practice on. These were usually Beetle engines, though this particular one is an unusual VW industrial engine, though it looks to have Beetle engine tin at least in parts, since I think VW industrial engines had more rectangular lower tin elements.

Still, it’s incredible. Look at this, too: there’s a VW transaxle there, set vertically, and, for training reasons, one of the axles is a Beetle-style swing axle, while the other is from a Bus, with its Kübelwagen-derived portal axles/reduction gears:

Cs Vwtrainingbus3

ADVERTISEMENT

I’ve never seen one of these before, and very likely never will again. The restoration of this was meticulous and careful, with as much preservation of originality as possible, and it was all very well documented.

Cs Vwtrainingbus4When it was found, the bus had been extensively modified and altered from the more original state you see here. In fact, it had ten layers of paint, including the following colors:

Blue
Black
White
Silver
Red
Blue
Grey
Green
Tan
Purple
Copper
Orange
Blue

Holy crap. I’m so delighted I got to see this thing.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on reddit
Reddit
Subscribe
Notify of
23 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
GhosnInABox
GhosnInABox
1 year ago

Adjusted for inflation that baby is still cheaper than an ID Buzz.

Cargeek!
Cargeek!
1 year ago

Now THAT is what I call a “magic” school bus!

Knowonelse
Knowonelse
1 year ago

When I was prepping my then just-bought ’67 VW squareback (100k miles in 1978) for painting, I found something unusual.
Sanding a deep chip in the hood revealed 23 separate colors of paint! The so-far only reasonable reason for it is that the hood kept getting rejected at the factory until someone gave up and installed it. There wasn’t any other significant damage on the vehicle to need replacing the hood.

Crank Shaft
Crank Shaft
1 year ago

Coolness turned up to 11. Rareness, probably 13. There must be another somewhere in Brazil. The Pope really should order an expadition.

Yes I Drive A 240
Yes I Drive A 240
1 year ago

How did I not realize this was happening in my hometown lol. Hope you enjoyed yourself. Also, its on your other article but there’s almost always a ship docked at the naval weapons station off PCH these days.

Last edited 1 year ago by Yes I Drive A 240
Amberturnsignalsarebetter
Amberturnsignalsarebetter
1 year ago

Will the iD Buzz version of this service bus come with its own chainsaw? My understanding is that this is critical maintenance equipment for EV technicians…

Also worth noting that we already knew you worshipped at the altar of old VWs, but it’s great to see VW honoring your affection for both ancient VWs and taillights by throwing a bus party for your special day. You judiciously excluded any shrimp-barrow photos from this article, but I hope you had a good one JT!

Beer-light Guidance
Beer-light Guidance
1 year ago

Sorry for the diversion here, but what is the silver car in this picture? Watched the episode last night and I just can’t place it and it is driving me nuts. IMCDB is a couple of seasons behind so no help there.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YjYV2Tf9z4M/hqdefault.jpg
Here is a shot of the front end if that helps.
https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Maisel.jpg

Mike Harrell
Mike Harrell
1 year ago

That’s a Valiant and from the trim I’ll say 1960.

Beer-light Guidance
Beer-light Guidance
1 year ago
Reply to  Mike Harrell

Thank you! I knew it was something I knew I just couldn’t place it. I think the silver was throwing me off for some reason.

Dogisbadob
Dogisbadob
1 year ago

Why the fuck are those vans so fucking expensive? Too bad Chrysler never brought over this Samba version of the Doblo/Promaster City! A brand new one would be cheaper than a 60-year old bus 😀

https://static.automarket.ro/v5/img/db/model/003/247/940417l.jpg

Geoff Buchholz
Geoff Buchholz
1 year ago

Kudos to the Autopian team for sending Torch on a perfect assignment for his birthday. Also, shout-out to Gemini szn!

Clark B
Clark B
1 year ago

Did the owner strip off all those repaints to reveal the original Dove Blue(?) underneath? I see some bare spots which are often indicators of that process, which I’ve seen done on countless buses. Every once in a while someone comes across one that wasn’t prepped for its first repaint at all, with all the original paint preserved and unsanded underneath.

Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent
1 year ago

This got me wondering what an equivalent VW training vehicle would be like today. Could you even fit all of the tools needed to work on modern VWs into a van? Would it include flashcards teaching you the phrases: “We have to ship the part over from Germany.” and “That’ll be another $1,000.”?

Vanillasludge
Vanillasludge
1 year ago
Reply to  Duke of Kent

“Mystery’s of the disappearing coolant 201”

Tacofan
Tacofan
1 year ago
Reply to  Duke of Kent

History of VW 2000-2004 – we just don’t talk about those years…

Zeppelopod
Zeppelopod
1 year ago
Reply to  Tacofan

Vee vere all on vakation!

Torque
Torque
1 year ago
Reply to  Tacofan

More like 1932 – 1945
And 1993 -2015

Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
1 year ago

The Bishop would know if the Pope had declared June 2, International VW Bus Day. Or perhaps The Bishop made the declaration?

ExAutoJourno
ExAutoJourno
1 year ago

So…if the regular engine went “flooey!” during a run, could you slot in the spare?

MATTinMKE
MATTinMKE
1 year ago

So, did the example engine and transaxle slide out so the students could get at it? There isn’t much space in there…

Zeppelopod
Zeppelopod
1 year ago

What a glorious font on the stern of that thing. You want serifs? We got yer dang serifs.

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
1 year ago
Reply to  Zeppelopod

And capital letters, too – I vaguely remember when companies used to use those

Collegiate Autodidact
Collegiate Autodidact
1 year ago

Seriously cool! And kudos to the person who restored it with such lovely results.
If it was made in 1954 but sold in ’55 one could say it was…NOS.

23
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x