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A Bus Toy I Designed Is Now Actually A Real Thing You Could Buy

In that video, as a way to better understand Candylab’s design and production process, I had an idea to propose a new car for them to build: a toy based on mid-century old buses like the Volkswagen Type 2 bus, or, really, any number of other similar mid-century one-box buses of that era, like the Palten or buses made by Mercedes-Benz or DKW, or Fiat or any number of others.

Of course, the VW is the one you’re most likely to think of, but just in case VW’s lawyers are reading this, it really could be any of those buses and trucks, you know?

Now, I didn’t want just any toy bus, I wanted it to have a bit more going on, a little something surprising to make it more fun. That’s why I thought it would be cool to make it a sort of three-in-one design: the basic toy would be a single-cab pickup, but you could pop on a little magnetic module to transform it into a bus or van, and another little magnetic bit could pop on to make it a camper, with a pop-top.

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Image for article titled A Bus Toy I Designed Is Now Actually A Real Thing You Could Buy — Screenshot: Candylab

I drew it on the whiteboard, and the Candylab team got it immediately; they’ve been using magnets for little stick-on surfboards to go on station wagons, so the process was well understood.

From there, Candylab’s talented designers began to make the idea real, modeling it in a 3D program and then making some quick 3D prints to test the concept, which is what’s happening in the machine behind me as I seemingly pet a phantom hamster, delightedly:

After some discussion of details of how to do lighting and wheels, and then passing things off to the pros to figure out all the complexities of manufacturing and all that, we can fast forward to now because the damn thing is real.

It’s real, and it’s just as I imagined it, even better, if I’m honest. A bus, single-cab pickup, and camper, all in one box! It’s just what I was imagining!

I’ve had lots of ideas over the years on this site, and some of them have even ended up in reality, even if I never benefited from that in any way, beyond being referenced in a lawsuit. This time, though, an idea has become reality, and I’m actually involved, and I’m pretty thrilled.

What former kid hasn’t wanted to be a maker of toys? I know I had all sorts of ideas about it as a kid, and I’ve made weird little toys for my kid over the years. But this is, of course, a lot bigger.

So, yes, this post is self-serving, but I’m excited. I’m pleased a silly idea I had that I scrawled on a whiteboard came all this way to become a physical object in our reality—a physical object that can, I hope, bring some manner of happiness to car-obsessed kids wherever they are, and, sure, those car-obsessed former kids as well.

If you want to buy one, you can, right here! If not, I’ll still think you’re great, no worries.

Pick of the Day: 1972 VW camper bus equipped with Porsche power

The Volkswagen Type 2 was and forever will be the quintessential camper bus, beloved by hippies and other counter-culture types, veterans of a zillion Grateful Dead festivals and honored guests at any VW collector car gathering.

The Pick of the Day is something of an oddball, a 1972 VW Type 2 camper bus that has been enhanced with such things as a 2.0-liter Porsche 914 flat-4 engine, a large solar panel on top, and a tall composite roof to boost interior space.

“This is a truly awesome VW Bus that is powered by a Porsche engine, rides on Porsche wheels which are wrapped in new tires,” says the Kentwood, Michigan, dealer advertising the VW on ClassicCars.com. “It has a full-size bed and plenty of other cool features.”

Vintage campers and other such outdoors vehicles have become enormously popular among younger collectors because of their fun usability, either for getting away from it all or joining in at Burning Man-style gatherings of the clan.

This bus is of the second-generation of VW microbuses known as “bay windows” because of their broad, curved, one-piece windshields, compared with the two-piece split glass of the iconic first-gen buses, which are more desirable and thus more valuable.

But this camper would be more practical for cross-country travel than the originals. The air-cooled Porsche engine was factory rated at 99 horsepower, still not a whole lot but certainly beefier than the 60 horsepower of the 1.6-liter VW original, making it more viable for modern highway driving and such things as climbing steep grades.

The engine was rebuilt five years ago, the seller says, and it runs strong.

The dealer describes the VW as an “adventure bus,” and while the title of the ad refers to it as a Westfalia, I’m not too certain that it was actually built by the German company, which was retained by Volkswagen for camper conversions and generally uses pop-up roof designs among its signature features rather than a lofty roof addition like this one.

Still, this camper looks like a great way to hit the open road and get back to nature in style and comfort. It’s also quite attractive in its unique repaint and graphic treatment, and the bright chrome VW emblem on its nose.

“Originally coming from Utah, this bus is painted in a sweet turquoise color which is complemented by a white extended height top,” the seller says in the ad. “The increased height of the roof makes the interior significantly more spacious and leaves plenty of room for the full-size bed, recently replaced stove, sink and refrigerator.

“A solar panel has been mounted on the roof which supplies power for the auxiliary battery. Also installed is an aftermarket audio system complete with Bluetooth compatible radio.”

The asking price for this interesting VW camper is $29,900.

To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Solid State Batteries Could Deliver The EVs We Imagine But Carmakers Ought To Be Realistic

We’re going to need an offshoot of Moore’s Law that applies to EV batteries soon, because progress is on the verge of rapidly accelerating thanks to solid state batteries.

Given the imminent focus on the new batteries, now is a good time to explain how these differ from their predecessors. Who better to explain than one of the companies at the forefront of developing this new tech, QuantumScape?

As you can see, the difference is in the name! A solid-state battery has a different structure than a lithium-ion battery, doing away with the need for as many layers in the construction. This results in a more compact, lighter battery.

Volkswagen, through its investments in QuantumScape, and Toyota have been proponents of the technology for a few years now, and development of the new tech is hitting strides. The batteries will not be used in current production EVs such as those based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, but Toyota is teasing the new tech in proposed models like the Lexus LF-30.

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In a recent report, Road Show provides a good overview of what this new battery can do for future EVs. Among the benefits:

Greater energy density. This could mean an EV with two or more times the current range, or possibly an EV with the same range but with a much smaller, lighter and less expensive battery that charges faster.

Faster charging. Estimates of an 80 percent charge in 15 minutes get bandied about a lot with solid state, performance that would be on par or a bit faster than today’s best li-ion applications.

Longer life. Solid-state tech is a key part of GM’s plan to produce a million-mile life battery, changing the equation of EV affordability and reducing concerns about mountains of toxic batteries that need recycling after 100,000 to 150,000 miles.

Thermal stability. Solid-state designs promise less likelihood of thermal runaway, which can cause a fire. Li-ion batteries have developed a nasty reputation for this.

All of this sounds great, but there is the concern that these advances in battery tech will cancel out. Let me explain: As battery technology improves and brings better range, faster recharge times and greater energy density, carmakers could get greedy.

We know the higher energy density offers the potential to reduce the size — crucially, the weight — of the batteries required to deliver the range customers want. Lower mass is great for cars all around, and it’s exactly what we want for future EVs, but what if carmakers instead stick to the current standard for battery pack weight and opt for greater and greater range rather than weight reduction?

I don’t want more range! I want a smaller, lighter, more efficient EV. Or at least some compromise. Carmakers will have the chance to design better, more efficient EVs but I hope this does not create an arms race similar to the cylinder wars. There has to be a happy medium for EVs and solid-state batteries could get us there.

Pick of the Day: 1975 Puma GT 1600, Volkswagen-powered sports coupe

The Pick of the Day is something you don’t see too often, or maybe ever, or even heard of unless you’re some kind of Volkswagen fanatic.

This little yellow sports coupe is a 1975 Puma GT 1600, a car made in Brazil for the home market and rarely seen in the US; in period, they were brought here only in kit form, and not too many at that.

With a twin-carb, air-cooled 1,600cc VW boxer engine in the rear, the fastback coupe has definite Volkswagen underpinnings, but it didn’t start out that way. Puma was a small Brazilian automaker that produced cars from 1964 through 1995, and the GT originally was built as a race car with front engine/front-wheel-drive powered by a DKW drivetrain.

But in 1967, Volkswagen bought DKW and moved production out of Brazil, which had strict taxation laws against automotive imports, thus leaving Puma with no engines available. So, the sports car was reborn in 1967 as the GT 1600 with a rear engine/rear-wheel-drive layout ala the VW Beetle, and now for street use.

“It’s reported that only 22,000 were built,” states the Pompano Beach, Florida, dealer advertising the Puma on ClassicCars.com.

This Volkswagen-powered Puma wears its all-original fiberglass body, which the dealer says has “some small paint imperfections” on the roof, and a black interior that the dealer says looks like new. There’s no information in the ad regarding mileage or any restoration history.

The engine is linked with a Volkswagen 4-speed manual transaxle and rides on a set of 14-inch 5-spoke wheels. The undercarriage is solid, the dealer adds, and the car “runs and drives great.”

“Lots of looks and fun to drive!!!” the dealer exclaims.

This sporty coupe would be a huge hit at any Volkswagen gathering, of which there are many, but the owner would need to be ready to answer loads of questions about what it is and where it came from.

The ad does not specify whether this Puma was built in Brazil or assembled from the kit, which most-likely would have been done by a handy owner in the US. The kit-based cars came fairly complete, with a builder needing to supply only a VW engine and transaxle, front suspension, wheels and tires.

The Puma is priced at $23.500.

To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.