Over the years, we have seen numerous rescues of air-cooled VW Buses in all trims: camper vans, panel vans, pickup trucks and everything in between. Increasingly, the rescues are growing more dramatic, from requiring helicopter assists to being raised from river beds. This 1960 model was straightforward by comparison but no less fascinating; it was used as a storm shelter for protection from tornados when the owner tired of driving it. Find this incredible story and rescue here on TheSamba.
This is how the Bus first appeared to an aircooled enthusiast many years ago while hunting in Oklahoma’s untamed country. Upon approaching the property owner, he was told the Bus was not for sale despite being buried up to its roofline; after all, he still needed it in case a tornado came roaring through? Fast forward a few years until after the owner had passed away, and another enthusiast who was casually scouting for a new project was given the tip from the rifleman.
A few more phone calls were made until the interested party contacted the deceased’s brother, who agreed to a deal for the Bus. That was the easy part; now came the time to unearth the VW and see what sort of shape it was in below the beltline. The finder noted that it was buried in the “red dirt” of this particular area of OK, which apparently played a role in preserving the sides and lower sills. While I’m not an expert on the rarest types of Buses beyond the epic 23-windows, this example’s early model features, like the split windshield and bullet-style turn signals, are thankfully preserved.
The new owner of the Bus was able to corral several other air-cooled enthusiasts and members of The Samba message board to come and help with the extraction. From cutting down trees to digging out around the VW, many hands made light work despite being buried up to its windows since 1983. The Bus did have its torsion housing removed along with about “two feet” of frame, apparently to make it easier to bury in the soil of Oklahoma deep enough to be transformed into a suitable storm shelter.
A quick stop at the local car wash revealed a pleasing cream-over-red color combo and no major damage or corrosion. There’s sure to be some rot to repair along with sourcing a drivetrain, but this is a Bus absolutely worthy of rescuing. Kudos to the new owner who apparently had to master the art of persistence in order to have the opportunity to purchase makeshift shelter. Now that’s been reclaimed, I wonder how many times it kept the family huddled safe while a twister raged outside?
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