When we hear the word Volkswagen bus without a steering wheel, we think of the 2017 IDBuzz concept car and the autonomous future it foreshadowed. However, the steering wheel-less Klv-20 is not from the future, but from the past... 70 years ago, to be exact. The modified Klv-20 is certainly one of the most timelessly stylish railcars in history, with the upper part resembling an original T1 bus and the lower part resembling a train carriage. Volkswagen microbuses offer a different way of traveling.
The Classic division of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has a way of unearthing vintage one-off Volkswagen vans that look entirely imagined but actually exist in the real world. Two years ago, the department showed off a 1962 Model 2 Splittie four-axle slush truck called the Half-trackFox. This year, the company went back a few years to recreate and display a 1955 Klv-20.
The Klv-20 was developed in 1954 as a work car for Deutsche Bahn (DB). The railway needed a compact service vehicle and, to simplify the development process, it commissioned Volkswagen to produce the Transporter rail vehicle rather than design a new car from scratch. Over the next year, 30 Transporters were built by two different German manufacturers: Martin Beilhack in Rosenheim and Waggon & Maschinenbau GmbH in Donauwörth.
Each Klv-20 car is composed of a T1 Kombi van body, a 28-horsepower Volkswagen industrial engine, a track chassis and running gear. Through the hydraulic lifting and flipping device, only one person can lift the car, flip it 180 degrees, and then put it back on the track, so that the car can be returned to the original point without the need to drive in reverse gear.
As can be seen from the photos, the T1's iconic round headlights and taillights have been removed without any decoration. To further comply with railway regulations, two white headlights were installed higher up next to the split windscreen, and a round red light was added at the rear. We love how the metallic trim and body-color exterior of this restored model, number 20-5011, complement the T1’s own aesthetic.
The model sourced and displayed by Volkswagen Classic was built by Beilhack at DB's Plateren/Bavarian Railways and Signaling Maintenance Station. Like the entire Klv-20 Transporter rolling stock, this model remained in service until the 1970s when it was phased out.
According to the sales brochure Volkswagen received with the car, the T1 car was powered by a four-stroke gasoline boxer engine and a four-speed manual transmission with reverse gear. Power from the 550 mm (23 in) rail wheels is transmitted through a pair of articulated laterally oscillating axles, and braking power comes from a pedal-activated hydraulic shoe braking system.
The body is attached to the steel chassis with rubber fasteners and has three upholstered benches for a total of seven seats. The two rear benches can be removed for cargo storage.
This spring, Volkswagen put the Klv-20 back into orbit for a scenic trip beneath the Steinberg Mountains in Lengenfeld, a small village in central Germany. It made several runs on the 244-meter-long (800-foot) Lungenfeld viaduct, presenting a particularly striking effect in photos and videos.
Volkswagen showcased the Klv-20 at International Volkswagen Day in June this year. It now forms part of the carmaker's classic vehicle collection in Hannover. You can see its unique scenic journey in the one-minute short video below.