Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus goes out with special edition

The longest-produced model in the global automotive industry — the Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus, made legendary through portrayals on the silver screen, is going to be phased out.

It is 56 years of history, or the end of an era, which started back in September 1957. Nevertheless, the VW model shown above is called the ‘Kombi Last Edition’ which is one of the 600 units that will be produced before new safety regulations in Brazil force the company to put an end to its production.

According to Autoblog, the Last Edition will be sold in Brazil for the equivalent of US$ 35,637, which translates to a whopping Dhs 131,000. It also comes with a “certificate of authenticity” from VW and a numbered plaque on the dashboard identifying it as one of the scheduled 600.

The original Microbus was equipped with an air-cooled 1.2-litre flat-four mounted in the rear, and it was good enough for 28 hp. But as time went by, they upgraded the original engine to a 1.4-litre water-cooled engine. The inline-four cylinder engine produces a much more respectable 78 hp on petrol and 80 hp on pure ethanol. On top of that, the power is routed to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission.

The interior is clad in blue and white vinyl, which complements the unique two-tone exterior paint. There’s also an CD/MP3 sound system from this century.

And while we think it is sad that the Microbus gets the hammer for being a bit old-school, its in-house descendant will reign in the form of the Multivan. But those white-walls and the iconic looks will surely be missed.