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A quarter-century ago, Volkswagen discovered the motorhome. Before then, conversions of its rear-engined T2 and T3 buses—the latter known in the U.S. as the Vanagon—were handled by aftermarket companies such as Westfalia or yacht-maker Dehler. But these elaborate, if compact, motorhomes became unaffordable, and VW moved to fill the niche. Based on the T3, the first-generation California hit the market. It was succeeded by a California version of the T4, and the current T5 also is available as a California model—a perfect companion to explore the roads far from the beaten path.
The naming of the California models was and is no coincidence. VW's affordable motorhomes are a nod to the incredible popularity the T2 and the T3 enjoyed in America's West Coast—particularly among the surfer and hippie communities, where it was sometimes fondly referred to as the "Love Bus." Today's California is about love as much as it is about leading the segment—with diesel engines of up to 180 horsepower and an available gasoline engine with 204 horsepower. The gallery below provides a look of the California's evolution from T3 through today's T5.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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Friday, April 12, 2013
A Quarter-Century of Volkswagen’s California
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