VW Van History
The birth of the myth
Bernardus Marinus Pon, known as Ben Pon, is the person considered to be the "father" of the T1. It was a Dutch trader, importer of Volkswagen in the town of Amersfoort and exporter of popular Beetle to the U.S. market.
During one of his visits to the Wolfsburg factory he saw a strange vehicle that caught his attention. It was just a transformation of a car done by the workers of the assembly line used to transport parts inside the factory. It was this encounter with that device that would later become the embryo or starting point of T1, now nicknamed and known worldwide as Bulli. Ben Pon made drawings in his agenda of a rear wheel drive and light vehicle capable of carrying up to 750 kg. In his original sketches he also provided the vehicle with smooth bodywork to protect the merchandise from the elements. Without knowing it, the myth of Volkswagen was beginning, which would go even far beyond than the not-less popular beetle.
After seeing the overwhelming emotional response to the 60th anniversary bus celebrations at Hannover in 2OO7, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles decided to set up its own team and dept with the specific brief of preserving the heritage of the VW Bus.
This is the remarkable story of a vehicle that became an icon. Anyone who has ever driven a Volkswagen Bus already knows that it’s a nostalgic tale of freedom, love, friendship, breakdowns and adventures.
