Eurotripper: 1979 VW Adventurewagen Camper Van
Sean Rooks | June 7, 2024

I love camping. My preferred style is dispersed or primitive camping, as for me it’s all about solitude, testing my survival abilities and connecting with nature. Sadly, my wife doesn’t find the lack of amenities and sleeping in a tent all that attractive a proposition. Perhaps today’s Good Find Friday car, a 1979 VW Adventurewagen Camper Van could change her mind.
Summertime is the traditional vacation season and with kids getting out of school I expect a lot of families will go on a road trip adventure this year, perhaps camping on the way. Yes, a rented RV would be a great way to travel in comfort, but who knows where it’s been—if you know what I mean. Buying an Airstream or travel trailer is an option, but then you need a tow vehicle and with gas prices as high as they are, fueling the journey will be costly.
Instead, why not purchase this 1979 VW Bus Adventurewagen Camper Van? It’ll be great on gas, sleep 4, easily park at nearly any roadside attraction and look way cooler in your social media snaps than a Winnebago.

If you’re familiar with other VW camper vans, this one may look a little different from a Westfalia or Dormobile conversion you may have seen before. This is an all-American conversion done in California by Adventurewagen, founded by a man named Ed Anderson. Formerly called Adventure Campers, Adventurewagen converted Type 2 buses into camper vans at its factory on the Mendocino coast.

A differentiating feature of Adventurewagen conversions is their goal of being a true mini-motorhome. They were intended to be a higher-quality option to the Westfalia pop-tops and featured a larger refrigerator, a thermostat-controlled furnace, water filtration, insulated fiberglass roof with storage and bed, and hardwood-finished cabinetry.
An interesting feature of this and other Adventurewagens, is the “tail” on the raised roof cap which supposedly provided better aerodynamics and resistance to cross-winds.

This Adventurewagen was built in 1979 and is currently on offer in the Netherlands from one of my favorite VW dealers, Kieft en Klok. Apparently, it’s one of their employee’s vehicles and has recently been serviced to be a reliable tripper.

Externally, it’s got a bit of an “Uncle Rico’s Van” look, with its 1970s brown and orange paint scheme with a pleasing original patina. Areas of worn paint and surface rust are visible throughout the body, with a significant bit of rust in the left rear wheel arch that should probably be corrected at some point.

The interior was one of the areas given some attention for sale, and it looks remarkably clean for a campervan of its age. Visible features in the main compartment include a sink with cutting board cover, storage cabinets, folding table and seats that fold into a bed.
Up above, a coffin-like space contains a single-piece mattress, and is thankfully illuminated by several windows, including a sliding unit in the rear tail. In addition to its aerodynamic properties, the rear tail piece appears to provide a little more length to the bed space, a nice feature if you’re tall.

Of note is that instead of a range, this Adventurewagen has a jump seat so you’ll need to bring the ol’ Coleman stove if you plan to do some camp cooking. Adventurewagens and most campervans don’t have showers or toilets, so choose campgrounds with those amenities. Honestly, the idea of emptying a cassette or chemical toilet grosses me out, anyway. There’s no mention as to whether this van has a refrigerator.

The cockpit is all standard Bay Window Bus, with an exposed steering column and black dashboard with basic instrumentation including a speedometer, fuel gauge and warning lights. Of note are the ductwork extensions across the doors which feed fresh air to the rear compartment.
The standard engine on a 1979 Type 2 VW Bus was a 1600cc flat-four putting out 50hp and 77 lb-ft of torque mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. While it’ll get you there cheaply, it won’t get you there quickly. It’s all about the journey and not the destination anyway, right?

Mechanically the van has apparently received an engine reseal, new clutch and trans fluids, new brakes and tires and new wheel bearings. That’s nice insurance if you’re planning to take it on the road immediately after purchase.
Final Thoughts

Since this American-made Volkswagen campervan is currently located in the Netherlands, it’s probably not the right fit for a 2024 sightseeing trip across the US. But if you’re contemplating a European vacation this year, how cool would it be to buy this beauty, fly in and drive it across the Continent? When done, sell it to a dealer or ship it home for next year.
Values for Westfalia campervans in similar condition range from the low to mid $20Ks, so this rarer Adventurewagen is fairly priced, in my opinion. Really nice Westys have asking prices in the $30Ks and up, so with a little bit of sympathetic restoration, you could probably at least get your money back if you brought it Stateside. Its rarity over a Westfalia or Dormobile plus its wonderful patina and USA-origins make it pretty special.
Have a great weekend, everyone, and we’ll see you next Friday with another good find.
Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!