Update – This school Samba sold for an impressive $32,000! Hopefully, the new owner will get in touch with us.
This 21-window VW Bus here on eBay is one of the best conversions I’ve seen of the popular 60s people-hauler. This VW was ordered new by the Alfred I. Dupont school district in Delaware to serve as a school bus, quickly being repainted to the classic shade of yellow synonymous with hauling kids and their lunch boxes back and forth to campus. What’s amazing to me is that even after being retired – and sold to a private owner – the bus retains its original, VW-stamped glass and folding canvas roof. The school bus equipment, like the flashing lights on the roof, are still in place, along with the faded remnants of the school lettering. Although the original color combination sounds stunning, I don’t think this Bus should be repainted. If anything, the lettering should be restored and it should remain what is clearly the coolest school bus in town. Bidding is already over $20K and I have little doubt it will creep higher in the days ahead. Thanks to Charles H. for this awesome find!
Rusty as hell, no motor or interior and bidding is already over 20K, it amazes me what people will buy off ebay. I never was a big fan of the VW buses, give me a 60’s Econoline and I would be much happier.
Granted it is a 21 window and a double door but manis that thing rusty! all the expensive delux interior is missing. KlassicFab and Autokraft have started gathering the sheetmetal to fix this but your total invoice will look like a small lotto winning number.
Someone should have brought the Pope by to bless holy bus before he left the US.
The pope would drive this as is. So would I (once you put a motor in it).
@MH likely to crumble to bits on your first outing….
I’m wondering if this ‘school bus’ is legit. I’m pretty sure there are laws regarding the permissible vehicles to cart children around. Even back then.
School buses have very unique construction features regardless of the manufacturer.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_bus
I doubt any State could skirt the imposed mandate.
“As full-size school buses grew larger during the 1950s and early 1960s, they became difficult to navigate the crowded, narrow streets of urban neighborhoods; other rural routes were extremely isolated, with roads that could not accommodate full-size buses. To fill this role, yellow-painted vehicles such as the International Travelall and Chevrolet Suburban came into use. As they entered production in the 1960s, passenger vans were converted to school bus use, largely by the use of warning lights and yellow paint. ” In the 60’s, sure they could.
Especially small districts. I’ve seen all kinds of yellow small town shuttle school busses sitting in back lots and wrecking yards.
Absolutely, they could, and did use many of these tiny buses as real school buses in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. I remember them well, and I even rode on similar Chevy and Ford vans painted up like this, as well as an International Travelall.
In fact, I also remember that in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s there was a glut of small van school bus conversions on the market because the new school bus regulations went into effect, and these could no longer be used for this purpose.
I believe that this VW is a real school bus, and it is very cool because of that, but $32K, wow! Just Wow!
The ORIGINAL short bus.
Had one of these in College. Not all the doors or windows version but a bus none the less. My fraternity built a keg holder in the back with taps that ran down the inside about 1/2 way on the wall. Darn near had to get out and push it when loaded (in both regards) but it was used on every “outing” we went on! I was stupid and traded it in on a Honda Civic CVCC! For those of you who don’t know, the CVCC was an inch or so short of being a clown car! (tiny is overstating) needless to say my Fraternity Brothers were none too happy. Oh, by the way, I am 6.4′. Basically I sat in the back seat in order drive that thing. Needless to say, eveytime I see one of these going for stupid crazy $$$$, I want to kick myself!!! (remember the keg/loaded was back before they figured out the two did not go well together)
@Tundra:
SHOCKED…SHOCKED I say….. that there was liquor involved with college kids and a bus. I hope you have repented! I had a cvcc…while not quite as tall as you I thought it was a blast Of course it was owned before me by a Foreign garage guy and it was set up to go like hell! Orange with a wide matte black racing stripe down the hood roof and back hatch. Attracted Chippies like your bus attracted sorority sisters
Wow… 32,000 for a rust old bus that will need restoration… Insane!
I don’t get it. I have loved air cooled VWs my entire life, but I don’t understand paying $30000 for one this rusty with no engine. I’m not saying it’s unworthy of restoration, but there are at least one too many zeros in the price.
As with all things vintage automotive, untethered from financial reality
I seen it going through KC Friday, headed to Oregon.
I am currently supplying the shop that is doing the restoration on this bus here in Oregon. I am excited to see the progress of it as the months roll on. I had my first encounter with it today.
Any update, Bryan? Curious how much $ will be invested in the restoration in addition to the $32K for the purchase.
The project sits in limbo at the time. I am the builder of the bus, not the owner. Owner is in Texas. I have collected numerous original metal panels for it in the last year. But still looking for more before I perform a miracle. As far as a finished project, there has been talk of making it look as it was back in its day of glory.
I’ve been building buses since 1992, started as a hobbie, now for the last 15 years it has been a full time job. By Fay this is the rustiest one I have seen. Yes the bill for metalwork will be expensive. But in the end who knows what It could be worth
Jeff