An eye for detail – 1961 Split

Rainer Staller is the man responsible for this beauty and he should be very proud of himself because he has achieved something most VW restorers don't - the ability to appeal to both VW enthusiasts and generic car buffs with his creation. Is it the subtle colour scheme, the minimalist look or the luxurious interior that makes everyone stop, nod and approve? Who knows, but what we can all agree about here on planet VolksWorld is that this is an amazing Bus and once we saw it we knew it HAD to be featured.
Rainer was lucky to get hold of the Bus in reasonable condition, which is always a good start. The originally grey Microbus had at some point been converted into a Camper, as often happens with these multi-functional vehicles. However, nothing so drastic was done to it that it could not be converted back into straight Microbus mode, which was the plan. Rainer owns up to a little "restorative work", which could mean this was an easy resto and all he had to do was have it painted, or it could mean that it was the worst pile of scrap he'd ever had ever had the misfortune to waste money on and the resto hurt like a pain in the ass! Of course, Rainer was just being modest, and the results speak for themselves.
As can be seen from the photos, the overall look was to have an updated and modernised version of the original look. Starting at the bottom and working up, Rainer focussed on the stopping power and there's no better company to turn to to stop your pride and joy than CSP, so a set of their disc brakes was fitted up front while renewed drums can be found at the back. The front axle is shortened and adjustable to give that oh so desirable nose-down stance. To address the deafening scream when cruising and to improve the handling, the original rear axle was safely stored in the bin and in its place is an IRS Beetle unit. Rolling duties are taken care of by chromed 5.5-inch Mangels with an offset of 15 wearing 195/55 all round. They are finished off with smooth domed hubcaps, which go a long way to aiding the minimalistic look.

For the full story on this car make sure you pick up a copy of the March 2010 issue of VolksWorld

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