Rare VW Samba camper van sells for £67,500
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Most original VW camper vans are now rickety old wrecks consisting mainly of rust held together with spit, glue and the unrequited love of their deluded hippy owners.
But this immaculately-restored 1955 T2 Samba model is in a different league altogether selling at auction to an anonymous buyer over the weekend for a most un-hippy like £67,500.
The ultra-rare Samba - registration SGP 62 - was one of the very first VW vans to arrive in Britain. The model was never officially available for sale in the UK and is believed to be the only one of its type still on the road.
Glamper van: This lovingly-restored VW T2 Samba camper van sold at auction over the weekend for a cool £67,500
The van, believed to be the only one of its type in Britain, was kept in storage in the West country for 30 years before being discovered in 1992
Rarity: The Samba model was never officially available in Britain and is especially rare in right hand drive
Billed as VW's most luxurious microbus, the Samba featured 23 windows including eight panoramics in the roof, a fabric sunroof and pivoting as opposed to sliding doors.
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SGP 62 was was built at the original VW factory in Wolfsburg and imported by Britain's first VW dealership - Colborne Garages, in Ripley, Surrey.
In 1959 the dealership's then owner John Colborne-Baber had the interior converted by renowned specialists Devon Conversions so he could use the vehicle for family holidays.
Home from home: The interior of the Samba was restored to original specifications by renowned specialists Devon Conversions
The van was was built at the original VW factory in Wolfsburg and imported by Britain's first VW dealership - Colborne Garages, in Surrey
A brand new bespoke period-correct Devon interior was installed even featuring the same fridge and stove units that were originally used
History: In 1959 the VW Dealership's owner had the interior converted so he could use the vehicle for family holidays
The right hand drive model was kept in storage in the West country for 30 years before being discovered in 1992 and carefully restored back to its original condition.
A new bespoke period-correct Devon interior was installed even featuring the same fridge and stove units that were originally used.
Although the bulk of the restoration was done to original specifications several modern features have been added including an up-rated hand-built VW engine and disc brakes.
Under the hood: The van's original engine was replaced with a bespoke and hand-built 2015cc twin-carb unit
Although the bulk of the restoration was done to original specifications several modern features have been added including disc brakes
Nick Whale, of Warwickshire's Silverstone auctions, which sold the Samba, said: 'This is a fantastic piece of Volkswagen history and as such we expected a lot of interest when it went under the hammer.
'These vehicles are hugely popular around the globe and we're delighted that we've been able to find a new home for it.
'This is a beautiful and rare Samba Microbus, historically important in terms of its VW legacy in the UK and I hope the new owner will love it just as much as the Colborne family did.'
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