#wheelswednesday and (hopefully) #monochromemonday swapped places today so I can celebrate International Volkswagen Bus Day
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“Let me out of your Volkswagen bus at the next corner.” — N.D. Wilson
The National Day Calendar and Volkswagen of America collaborated to establish International Volkswagen Bus Day to be celebrated on June 2. This International Day celebrates the iconic Volkswagen Bus and the new VW ID. Buzz, bringing smiles to the faces of generations.
The Volkswagen Type 2, better known as the Volkswagen Bus, is an automotive icon that captivates people around the globe. Introduced in 1950, it’s called Type 2 because the bus was the second vehicle that was designed by Volkswagen after the venerable Beetle.
The Volkswagen Bus was originally designed for commercial use but was quickly adapted to a family vehicle because of its ability to comfortably transport lots of people and stuff. The VW bus has also been used for a wide variety of applications including campers, ambulances, and even a mobile recording studio. In fact, the most famous and well-known association for the VW Bus may be its association with the 1960s when the bus became a cultural icon.
On June, 2023, Volkswagen of America introduced a modern-day reincarnation of the Volkswagen Bus-–the ID. Buzz. an all-new, electric version of the beloved VW Bus classic. While the Buzz may not be the runaway success that VW may have hoped it would be brings the nostalgic charm of the original Bus into the 21st century and every time I see one of the road it makes me smile.
How I made this photograph: I could not pass by such a colorful VW bus owned by none other than “Joe Cool” himself without making this photograph. It was made with a Nikon D800 with a Nikkor AF-S FX 24-120mm f/4G ED-IF lens (at 24mm) in HDR mode with a nominal exposure of 1/1000 sec at f/13 and ISO 400 with a minus two-thirds exposure compensation.
Our VW History
Mary and I are longtime VW enthusiasts. Somewhere I have a photograph of Mary when she was just a baby being held by her mom with her dad, standing next to their brand new 1952 VW Beetle. (When I find it I will scan it and post it here.) As more kids were born into her family—she’s the oldest of nine—Dad traded the Beetle for a Bus.
VW’s have long been a part of Mary’s and my life and early in our marriage she drove a 1989 VW Cabriolet that she loved but it did not love her back. Regular readers know that currently her personal car is a 2016 VW Beetle convertible that she also loves and happily seems to love her right back. For a while, I owned one of the early New Beetles that I later swapped for a VW Golf GTI 337. While I’m awaiting the arrival of a new JoeCar,—will it be a 1995 C4 Corvette?—I’ve been driving Mary’s Beetle and it’s been fun.
If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat Joe to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50), click here. And if you do, many thanks.