TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN LANGUAGE SITE meinklassiker.com
At that time the company was still Westfalia Van Conversion GmbH – and had financial problems. On 27 January 2010 put the – in the meantime renamed – Conversion Van Camping CVC eventually file for bankruptcy. Today is the company Westfalia Mobil GmbH, part of it since November 2010 on the French Rapido Group. The money, apparently, has again brought into the company. Because Westfalia plans to buy back the vehicles once sold out. Managing director Mike Reuer notes to know what fans and aficionados of the brand for more than two years: “We have noted with dismay that a beautiful museum was closed.”
Back then it was still called, the company’s own museum would be dissolved, because in the past few years, hardly – had been used – or not as good as. Therefore, Westfalia had decided to sell the camping vintage and classic cars and deliver the brand aficionados. Via online auction at the time they separated several VW buses with camping conversions, including a T1, two T2, a T3 and a model of a section based on the VW Westfalia Joker T3, which brought just € 4110. Also offered was a Gutbrod Superior. No buyer found then a DKW with RV structure of the model 1953/54 (other sources say 1956). As the “rapid delivery van” known DKW drives a 0.9-liter three-cylinder two-stroke engine, the motor home is – for those times – quite luxuriously furnished and has gas fired heating and cooking as well as a flush toilet. The DKW heard today, as well as a Ford Transit Nugget in 1986, the company.
The VW T1 Campingbox of 1953 with only 41 miles on the clock at the auction brought around 41,000 €.
For a private company Westfalia museum lacked the time the money. It already financially squeezed at every corner. Thus, then also the veterans auctioned – some voices say “wasted” and sold off. For a small budget. The auction brought a total time less than 200,000 €. The sum is, as we know now, Westfalia not saved. Therefore, the collection was scattered to the winds. But maybe not forever. Because the traditional company remembers well but now back to its own history – and wants to bring the early examples of holidays back in the van owned by the expansion. Thus, the mobile Westfalia Westfalia GmbH might ventilate the museum again and back to life.
The company wrote to the purchaser of the museum pieces: “Our great desire,” it said in letters to the owners of the former museum pieces, “is the Westfalia museum rebuild in order to revive so the history again this reason. ask us … “.. Signed, the letters managing director Mike Reuer The manager reminded of the history and significance of the work in Rheda-Wiedenbrück for the German motor homes and states:”. The first German camper van was launched in 1951 by Westfalia “The former Owner of Westfalia, the family puzzle have to keep from everyone at Westfalia manufactured vehicle one each from the first series in the works. Now you think on the vintage market initially for this collection of ten to twelve campers lookout. Reuer said that they knew from Westfalia at . the value of the vehicles and he absorbs too much hope the owners to sudden wealth, by referring to a “modest budget” for the purchase and he adds:. “We can not pay high prices.” It would, however, with the owners of “fair” deal. That seems to be a promising recipe. Cologne was one of the works he bought back a 1981-camper based on the T3. Perhaps this is the vehicle, together with the remaining DKW and Ford, the foundation for the emerging factory museum of Westfalia.
