Volkswagen Type 2 Van Rips With Porsche Power
This rare people hauler is a cool slice of Porsche history.
Porsche Power
Of all the cool Porsche-related vehicles that have been created throughout history, few are cooler than the rarely-seen Volkswagen Type 2 van. Born out of a need for a 959 support vehicle at the Paris Dakar Rally back in the 1980s, this particular van is more than just any old T3 - in fact, it features Porsche power, and this rare example is currently up for grabs at Porsche Centrum Gelderland.
Photos: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
Super Rare
Just seven examples of the T3 B32 are believed to have been produced in total, and it was never directly offered to the public. Of course, some did wind up in the hands of non-racing customers, and every so often, we see one like this pop up for sale.
Photos: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
Big Money
As one might imagine, these vans are quite valuable. In fact, this one is listed for sale with a price tag of €364,900, which equates to around $389k USD - a hefty sum for a van of any kind, no matter how rare of special it might be. Regardless, it's in pretty excellent condition from what we can tell from the pictures, inside and out.
Photos: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
Normal Cabin
There are few tell-tale signs that this is anything other than a regular old VW van, of course, with a pretty standard-looking interior, save for the presence of a manual transmission shifter, which also isn't terribly strange considering these vans could be had with one in regular guise.
Photos: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
Power Infusion
What makes this van special is what powers it - a flat-six from the 911 3.2 Carrera- which cranks out 288 horsepower. It sends that to the wheels via a Porsche-sourced gearbox, and the van also got an upgraded suspension and beefier brakes to help it better keep up with the company's 959 racers.
Photos: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
Hot Rod Tricks
Of course, Porsche could have just used another 959 as a Dakar support vehicle, but it just wasn't quite big enough to hold the gear that they needed it to. The answer was to stuff an engine from a sports car in a van, which is about as old-school hot rod as things get. But there's no denying that the end result is one of the cooler vans the world has ever seen.
Photos: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
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