Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
9th October, 2024 13:00
1980 Volkswagen Type 2 (T2) Devon Moonraker Camper
Estimate
£12, 000 - £15, 000
Registration No: NEA 421V
Chassis No: the details below
MOT: April 2025
Desirable UK-supplied example that pleasingly features a highly original interior
Utilising a 1641cc ‘Super Street’ engine
Subject to mechanical improvement in 2023
Used since by the vendor for several camping trips including to Brecon Beacons, Suffolk, and Bristol
Introduced in 1968, the T2 generation of Volkswagen’s iconic, forward-control Type 2 which has proven versatile enough to serve as a panel van, minibus, camper van and even fire engine was immediately recognisable due to its adoption of a large single-piece windscreen. Nicknamed the ‘Bay Window’, the newcomer incorporated a revised half-shaft driveline to the rear which not only facilitated an increase in ride height but also improved handling. The T2’s lengthened wheelbase was welcomed by motor caravan builders if only because the increased interior space it yielded made conversion and customisation easier. Facelifted in 1972 for the following model year, the Volkswagen gained more visible / higher set indicators and stronger square-profile bumpers that enabled the so-called T2b to meet contemporary US passenger car safety standards (tests from which vans were technically exempt).
A notably late production T2, having been manufactured in July 1979, it was converted from new to Devon Moonraker specification and was first registered on the 6th of July 1980. A desirable UK-supplied example, the Volkswagen is presented in attractive Yellow and White paintwork and features its pleasingly largely original interior, this includes a side opening ‘pop top’, worktop and cabinets with two-burner hob, sink with drying rack, rock-and-roll bed, folding chair, table, curtains, a plethora of storage, integrated fridge, C-TEK charger with leisure battery and much more. Utilising a ‘Big bore super street’ 1641cc engine that was fitted in 2009 by The Engine Shop, the engine received a full overhaul including reground crankshaft, a new Engle fast road camshaft, main bearings, big end bearings, and camshaft bearings. As well as this, new valves, 1641cc barrels, 87mm pistons with rings, new gudgeon rings, a re-faced flywheel with new oil seal, a new cylinder head, spark plugs, gaskets, the crankcase crack tested, single port units fitted with re-manufactured heads, a distributor fitted, the ignition timing set and the car built to run on unleaded fuel.
In previous ownership from 2012, the Volkswagen benefitted from over £6, 000 enhancement with specialists Absolute VW shortly after purchase, with these works included the van being lowered with Creative Engineering beam and adjustable spring plates, replacement front discs, calipers, pads and flexible hoses, rear star adjusters, the engine removed with new oil cooler seals, attention to the wiring, head gaskets replaced, a new exhaust was fitted, a leisure battery fitted with split charge, a 12v fuse box fitted, under-seat lighting fitted, as well as a 240v hook up, and much more. Subsequently ‘NEA 421V’ covered approximately 3, 000 miles including a European road trip, before passing to the vendor who has continued both the improvements and the camping trips with journeys to the Brecon Beacons, Suffolk, and Bristol. Last year receiving a carburettor overhaul, a new dual Marine battery (costing £120), and a new coil, distributor, heat exchanger, service items, and Pertronix ignitor kit costing some £600 all supplied by specialists Just Kampers. ‘NEA 421V’ comes accompanied by a history file with a collection of invoices, a copy instruction manual, a no advisory MOT until April 2025, and the current V5C document which displays a modest six former keepers, as well as a full set of black-out window covers.
