Rare 1957 Vw 23 Window Microbus Samba Safari Bus Volkswagen Untouched For 30yrs! on 2040-cars

Brief History:  One Owner Microbus purchased new by a Doctor in New Jersey. He had converted the rear interior into a camper style van and used the van to travel with. I found half of a warranty card that shows the original motor was replaced under factory warranty in the early 1960's. Also found taped to the ceiling was a Certificate from a camping club he belonged to. The bus has old medicine bottles still in the van! The motor was blown again in 1966 except this time the bus was parked. He placed the VW in the woods behind his house after the motor and rear transaxle where removed ( I looked all over the property but was unable to locate the engine or transaxle) The NJ plate is still on the van. The owner passed away in 1987 and was buried along side his wife on the property. The son inherited the home and property and moved in. He has been living there every since and never wanted to part with the VW. Sometime in the 1980's they covered the roof to help protect the interior since the canvas roof at that time was full of holes. About 6 months ago the the home had burnt to the ground along with the title that was in the original owners name. Now being sold with a bill of sale only. ( I took a picture of the VW in front of the burnt down home ). The son now decided it was time to sell the bus after the home had burnt and so many memories where lost. I had to cut down 22 tree's just to make a path to get the the bus as it was over 500 feet into the wood! The bus was removed on 4-28-2013 and now rest's in a storage garage I have.

This is a rare 1957 23 Window VW Deluxe Samba Bus for sale. This is the holy grail for VW Buses with restored examples fetching prices exceeding $175,000 USD. This one will need a complete restoration, but the payoff could be huge.

The 23 Window VW Bus is a rare model indeed. Only between 5-10% of all VW Buses made were this unique model. The 23 Window Bus has 8 skylights, and windows all around the bus including the rear corners making for an awe inspiring view. All original glass is intact except one skylight glass panel.  With the skylights and full-length sunroof it's no wonder these buses were popular for tours of the Alps back in the day. The VW Samba is the Volkswagen-given name to these Deluxe VW buses, and to give you an idea of their rarity, for every 5 VW Bus Pickup trucks manufactured, Volkswagen made only one VW Samba. So these are about the rarest and also the most desirable model of VW Bus ever made. It's been since July of 1963 that any new 23 window buses came into this World. The high demand and the very low supply combine for a very high retail market.

This VW Samba for sale is the same model bus that sold for the highly referenced $217,800 sale price (including buyer's premium) back in 2011. Sale figures in the $140-$185k range are expected from any quality restoration. Sold at Barret Jackson.

This bus is still in original paint, so there is no bondo hidden anywhere on the bus. Another positive is the sides of this VW Bus are very straight. It can take a lot to get the long sides of a VW Bus straight if they are damaged. So you'll save the hassle of getting those long sides and nose straight. Additionally the wheel wells have not been cut, and the radio area in the dash is also as it should be. The wheel wells and radio hole were common areas to make bigger to fit either fatter tires or a larger radio. Luckily this bus never suffered either of those fates. She was last driven in 1966!

The main repair / restoration work needed will be lower rust repair. Luckily the roof is Salvageable. The roof section is the only metal completely unique to this rare model. The lower parts of the bus is where the rust repair will be extensive, but those parts fit most all other models of VW Bus. There is a strong aftermarket availability of the reproduction metal parts needed to properly restore this bus. But as far as dent removal this bus is ahead of most out there for sale (should you even be lucky enough to find another 23 window VW Bus for sale).

If you have been looking for a restoration project, this one could be it. Trying to get the sides straight after a collision is certainly time consuming and difficult, and this bus is decent in those areas. This is a 1957 Model so there's no M plate.  The very hard to find sunroof mechanism is still with this bus.  The bus rolls on dollies only, I could work with the buyer if they need to make it a roller to make shipping easier. I sell Worldwide and I can help with a good shipping referral.

This is an extremely rare find and if you end up selling it after a restoration there is money to be made. If you do metal work yourself this could be a real opportunity. If you have any questions feel free to ask. No Title, Will be sold with Bill Of Sale Only!