Volkswagen Double Cab Transporter, 1962
Volkswagen Transporter
Volkswagen Transporter•
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Chassis No.: 1007408
Auction: Monterey 2016
Auction date: August 20, 2016
Lot No.: F177
$50,000 | High bid
- Exterior: Red/Black
- Interior: Gray
- Body: Transporter
- Comprehensive restoration
- Two tone Ruby Red and Black paint
- Fold-down bed doors
- Finished wood bed strips
- Frame painted in acrylic high gloss Black paint
- Rebuilt 1600cc engine
- 4-speed manual gearbox
- Gray vinyl interior with White piping
- Vinyl door panels
- Painted steel wheels
- Whitewall tires
- White painted bumpers
- Services records dating back to 1963
- Owner’s manual
- Certificate of Authenticity
Coined the Doka, for the German word "doppelkabine," meaning "double cabin," the transporter double cab pickup is one of the most sought-after of the original Volkswagen Bus-based people movers. Popular among many VW enthusiasts, the Bus and its derivatives served many purposes and were some of the most versatile vehicles ever built. A fun piece of history behind sluggish sales regarding the Volkswagen Transporter in the mid-1960s became known as the "Chicken Tax," or the "Chicken War." France and West Germany placed high tariffs on U.S. chicken and negotiations were at a loss.
At the time, Volkswagen announced it would be sending more vehicles to the USA, something that upset the American automobile manufacturers. President Johnson imposed a 25 percent tax on various goods from France and West Germany including light trucks as a public response to Europe’s chicken taxes. As is typical in all political situations, Johnson was simultaneously working with Walter Reuther, the president of the United Auto Workers Union at the time, to convince him to stop a potential strike just before the election—Reuther, in kind, wanted Johnson to respond to Volkswagen’s increased shipments of cars to the USA.
The timing worked perfectly to play the tax increase against the European’s taxes against chickens grown in the United States. It worked very well, with both the Germans and the French lifting their taxes on chickens and a UAW strike thwarted. But, during the time of the higher taxes, sales slowed considerably for Volkswagen light trucks. This 1962 Volkswagen Transporter Double Cab features a concours-level restoration in two-tone Ruby Red with Schwarz Black and a grey vinyl interior piped in white. Complete with the contrasting white bumpers and white-wall wrapped wheels, the truck has been fitted with vinyl door panels as an upscale touch to the factory cardboard pieces.
The bed features finished wooden strips and fold down doors. The frame has been painted in high-gloss acrylic paint and hosts a rebuilt 1600cc flat 4-cylinder engine backed by a 4-speed manual gearbox. With service records dating back to 1963, the rare and iconic Volkswagen is accompanied with the owner’s manual and will make a fabulous addition to any enthusiast’s stable.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/259517/1962-volkswagen-double-cab-transporter/
