The king of VW campers- The LT range.

Having owned all sorts of VW camper and a few non VW campers. I feel I can safely say.The bay range is by far the most versatile range of camper van, It is simple to work on, easy to drive and usually pretty well equipped for the job. It is nice to look at, sounds super cool and draws smiles wherever you go.

I have owned three. A 71 Devon, a 74 Danbury and a 72 Westfalia. They have always been good and we have camped all over Europe in them. We have taken them for little trips locally and used them as our daily. They are superb vans. for me the best. But as we have got older our needs have changed, we can no longer sleep in a cramped space, and need more comfort. The thought of leaving the VW range and buying a Fiat or similar, never appealed to me much, so when I saw a picture of the superbly constructed classic LT camper, I began to investigate.

These are my findings thus far...

The LT range ( Lassen Transporter ) is basically the VW name for its light commercial range. It has been produced since 1975 at the Hannover factory. It came in two types. Van, and flatbed. The chassis is very sturdy and versatile enabling a myriad of conversions, it has gone down well with the light transport industry, coach builders and camper conversion companies alike. The big name in German camper conversions ' Westfalia' used the LT van range to create some of the most reliable and user friendly campervans they ever produced. They remain the sought after LT camper, Not only are they collectable, they are also sought after by world travellers as a very desirable tourer.

The Westfalia M1 LT. 89 - 93



The Sven Hedin..





Foster and Day a British coachbuilder based in Yorkshire England...They based their coachbuilt Campers on the bigger Lt 35 and 50 chassis, but created some of the finest VW luxury campers of the day..


Niesmann + Bischoff

Based on the LT50 CHASSIS - 5 TON OF GERMAN LUXURY



The superbly reliable d24/ d24i and the d24tic engines produced 108 to 120 bhp and were economical. The petrol engine a 2.0 Audi carbureted engine produced 70 to 89 bhp and the 2.4 injected engine 93 bhp. both were considered thirsty.

Some people consider the Niedermeyer-mobile the best VW camper ever made.



The VW Vanagon, especially the Syncro AWD version, represents an ideal that no other vehicle can quite match: the maximum amount of utility, interior living space and vagabonding capability in the smallest practical package, a vehicle that can be driven to the store as well as a remote hidden lake. Its multi-functionality might well be compared to a Swiss Army knife; no wonder it has such a cult following. But for some jobs, something a bit bigger and gnarlier is called for: a Leatherman, for instance. Or even a machete. And here’s the automotive equivalent: the VW LT 4×4. Everything to make the world a smaller place, all wrapped up in one tidy box. ( Stolen from curbside classics)

A link to their site...
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curb...-brother-and-the-ultimate-niedermeyer-mobile/

My own personal LT50 is a very rare item indeed. Very little is known of the British based Wooodland Campers of Cheadle. But they produced an handful of bespoke coachbuilt LT Motorhomes on the LT35 and 50 Chassis. There are a couple still around.









Superbly equipped for its day 1984 and VERY expensive.

I am just giving out some info at the mo guys, please don't diss the thread yet as I will be putting up some more stuff in a while and we can discuss it then

 

The ' look' will always be contentious for us bay owners. I think we like bays because of the curved lines and possibly the A/C engine. The rigid straight lines of the later VW range will always be the hard bit to see through. Once you do start looking at the LT and T25 range it is soon evident they are fantastic vehicles beneath the ugliness. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I quite like the Vanagon lines tbh.

 

Yes, I saw those.

 

Hi Alex. feel free to add your knowledge mate. I am hoping for people like yourself to chip in. M

 

Yes. I investigated that and found it was used in the whole range..

• Volvo 240
• Volvo 740
• Volvo 760
• Volvo 960

960



740



These are the million mile cars.

 

Syncro lads have a LT40 on youtube for sale atm,



Nice bit of kit, but expensive.

 

Was yours a diesel Glyn?

 

The d24i and the Audi 2.0 carb engine I presume?