Welcome to The Campervan Channel - the YouTube channel for all things VW Camper. Things don't
much more VW camper than the California. The only camper van VW have ever made themselves.
VW's in-house camper brand arrived on the scene a little late in the day to be honest,
but it has more than made up for lost time and is now blossoming into an entire California family.
You'll find videos on all the different models of the California on the channel, so don't forget to
check those out, but for now, enjoy the big picture of the Volkswagen California Story.
If you're new to the camper van scene like me, it's easy to think that Volkswagen have built
camper vans since the beginning of time. Not so. They made variants of the Transporter right
from the start, kombis, minibuses, pickups and even ambulances. But camper vans were never on
the drawing board. It took an independent German coach builder, Westfalia, to spot the potential
for using all of that space in the back of a Transporter for living accommodation.
The story goes that in 1951, an officer in the British or American forces - no one seems to be
sure which - was stationed in Germany, bought an early Transporter, took it to Westfalia and said
"Would you mind awfully turning this into something I can live and sleep in
as well as drive?". Westfalia said Yah! and their solution was to come up with camping boxes. A kind
of camping kit of parts that you could slide into your Kombi or window van at the weekend,
enjoy a couple of days camping, and then slide it all out again when you got home and needed your
van or Kombi for the working week. these camping boxes became official special order VW items
and about a thousand of them were sold between 1951 and 1958. Not massive sales, but the
camping box had established that the Volkswagen Transporter could be used for camping, even if
it was on a part time basis. VW credits Westfalia with showing its first true conversion in 1951,
but it was a few years before permanently converted Westfalia camper vans could be
ordered through your VW dealer. Westfalia's VW campers evolved through the life of the SPlitty,
and became even more popular as converted Bay Windows.
When the third generation ofTransporter arrived, the straight edges angular, wedge fronted T3,
T25 or Vanagon - call it what you like - Westfalia turned it into a very well-equipped and very
successful camper called the Joker. By 1988, VW was keen to increase campervan sales with
something a little bit more affordable than the Joker. And when the new, more accessible, slimmed
down T3 camper arrived, it was called - wait for it - The California. See we got here in the end.
So, yes, these T3s were the first Californias. Influenced and sold by VW, but converted by
Westfalia. The layout and key features of these first Calls are still very familiar today. They
had a folding, two-seat rear bench that flattens to form a bed. A narrow kitchen pressed up
against one wall behind the driver. With a fridge, storage cupboard, sink and gas hob all built in.
The wide, sliding door gave access to the living area where you could put up a table which stowed
away when you were travelling. The T3 Californias had the option of an elevating pop top roof,
or a a solid glass figure high top, both creating space for an extra double bed.
You could choose one of four engines, but only two colours, pastel white or marsala red. It was a
mobile holiday home for four people, according to the brochure. VW say there is no official record
of how the California name was chosen. But at first it was only applied to this one special
model. It was built alongside the Joker for a while and around this time, Westfalia launched
The Atlantic, a very high spec camper costing 7000 Deuchmarks more than the 40,000 DM you would
pay for a California. I tried to work out what all that adds up to in modern Euros or pounds,
but it was so complicated I gave up. The California came along only three years
before the end of the T3's main production run. But still managed to sell over 22,000 units.
In 1990, VW launched the radically different T4 Transporter. And the California version
appeared a year later. Inside, the camper van layout was pretty much the same as before,
but the big difference with the T4 was that the engine was in the front.
Westfalia, and by now scores of other independent converters, no longer had the inconvenience of a
blooming great lump of engine stuck in the back. It gave them more room to play with,
and it gave them even more if they opted for the new long wheelbase option. Or a T4 with a high
or half-height roof. The T4 Cali had other refinements like swivelling driver and passenger
seats that could turn 180 degrees and turn to face into the van. Smart though the new T4 Cali was,
the cost had crept up to around 50,000 DM, so in 1993 they trimmed a few features,
and a couple of thousand DM off the price, with a leaner version called the California coach.
But other models went large - the California Tour and the California Club making the most of long
wheelbases and high top options. A limited edition of 500 Highway models appeared. Packed with car
like extras including electric windows and mirrors and central locking. Westfalia threw everything
it had at the Exclusive including a long awaited toilet. There had long been calls for a built in
loo from people who can stomach answering the call of nature in their very expensive camper vans.
The longer wheelbase finally allowed the space for a separate washroom. The price tag - 60,000 DM.
I still haven't a clue what that means. In 1996, the T4 had a bit of a facelift.
Actually, it was more of a nose job. But it was more than cosmetic. The T4 got airbags and ABS,
and a stiffer body went down particularly well on camper van conversions. In these T4 times,
special editions became an almost annual feature of California production. They would bundle in
items that would cost you extra if you added them to a regular California. The light green
T4 you've been watching is the Freestyle. Other specials included the Advantage and the Event.
In total, about 39,000 T4 Californias were sold. And Volkswagen's relationship with Westfalia had
been going swimmingly well. But i 2001, just before the T4 was due to go out of production,
Westfalia was taken over by one of VW's biggest rivals - Daimler Chrysler. Awkward.
But it did prompt VW to finally make the decision to build its own Californias in house,
on the new Transporter, the T5.
The first all-VW California T5 went into production in 2003. They started life on the
Transporter production line at Hannover. And then moved to a new VW facility in the city's suburbs
to complete their camper van conversion. The T5 Cali's followed the tried and trusted layout of
their earlier namesakes but featured a whole range of new materials and improvements.
Aluminium allowed the pop top roof to be flatter and lighter. And it was now opened
electro-hydraulically at the push of a button. A new source of pop top envy if ever there was one.
Inside, the furniture was made from thin aluminium plates with a corrugated core
and surfaces and surfaces trimmed with wood effect film. Space saving sliding doors were everywhere.
The standard vehicle was anything but basic. But customers could buy a comfort line version.
They eye-catching all-white No Limit went on sale. Despite its name, there was a limit.
A production run of just 222. The beach was the less expensive entry model. It was
more of a Multivan that you could sleep in as opposed to a full blown camper.
A manually operated pop top had to ordered, otherwise, you got a standard roof. And
we can't wrap up the special editions without mentioning the Black Edition.
Only 50 of these sexy beasts were made. If Batman ever needed a camper van - tis was the one.
Storing the fold away table had been a challenge for camper van converters for years.
The T5's ingenious solution was to store it inside the sliding door. A similar solution
was found for two camping chairs - they slid in the rear portion of the rear tailgate.
Using all available space had become an art form.
VW's T5 California had set the bar for quality, innovation and clever camping ideas. When the T6
California came along, it kept all of that, but took it to whole new levels of sophistication
and tech. Electronic driving aids, some of them optional I might add, mean you know longer have to
worry about a whole load of things. like running pedestrians over in town - if you have City
Emergency braking. Another system can stop you careering out of control going down steep hills.
Warnings will stop you pulling out into the path of vehicles in your blind spot.
And you no longer have to use all that energy dipping and un-dipping your headlights thanks
to automatic main beam control. It seems we're well on the way to a fully-specced California
not needing a driver at all. Only joking. I think.
Recent styling updates have had more than a nod to camper van heritage. Very smart 18 inch dis
alloys are reminiscent of the original steel wheels on the original T1. Two-tone paint jobs
are also a reminder that however high tech and well-equipped these modern California's
are - they're still the great, great, great grandchildren of those legendary 1950s VW campers.
All the Caifornias I've mentioned so far have been built on the VW Transporter. But we mustn't forget
that VW's in-house converters have worked their magic on other Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles too.
The third generation Caddy was first transformed into a micro motorhome in 2005. And for some
reason they called it the Caddy Tramper. The Caddy's fourth incarnation was trasnsformed
into the Caddy Beach - borrowing the name from its bigger California brothers - but never
referred to officially as a California. Recently we've heard that the Caddy Beach will live on
in the just released 5th generation. All we've got to work on is a set of artists' impressions,
but the panoramic skylight roof looks like the wow option for these tiny campers which
VW describe as being ideal for "The occasional, spontaneous micro adventure" . However,
the latest revelation is the Caddy California - the first baby to officially join the California
clan. It's big attraction is it's optional, pull-out kitchenette. With the tailgate open,
you just pull out the tiny kitchen unit to the rear. Ok, so technically you're outside the van
when you're sizzling your bacon and eggs, but you can still stand full height and the tailgate does
give you some protection if it rains. The bed is also a big upgrade on previous Caddy campers,
with the same comfy cup spring technology that you get on grown up Californias.
Eventually, you'll even be able to buy a modular tent system to extend your camping space.
There's much more detail in my video on the Caddy California. The link is in the
description below. So far, there's no guarantee that the new baby will be available in the Uk.
But big daddy certainly is. The Crafter has long been the large van in the VW range and when an
all new version was unveiled in 2016, Volkswagen experimented turning it into a big California.
The result was a California XXL - a concept for an astoundingly well equipped camper van,
or should that be motorhome, with unde floor heating, a digital projector, masses of storage,
an enormous panoramic roof, six USB points and an espresso machine. It generated an enormous amount
of interest - enough for VW to launch a real world version in 2019. Volkswagen named their big, cool
and contemporary camper, the Grand California. There are two versions - the 600 and the 680.
The 600 is the short version at 6 metres and sleeps four. The 680 is longer at 6,8metres,
and unexpectedly only sleeps two. Let's deal with the 600 first.
Shorter it may be but the600 has the higher campaign roof, which allows enough headroom to
have a slatted, pull-out bed above the cockpit. Up there, there's a skylight with a blind,
handy reading lights, your USB ports and a drop down ladder for access. The bed has a weight limit
of about 150 kg, so probably more suitable for two children than adults. VW does descriptive the
600 as a two plus two. The big news on the Grand Californias is their wet room - a combined shower
and toilet. The wet room is only 82cm square, but clever use of space includes a sink that
flips down when you want to use it, then flips up out of the way when you want the space for
a shower. The main double bed is at the back. You sleep crosswise in the 600 - and there's plenty of
locker space and generous storage space below the mattress which you can access through the double
doors at the back. The main difference with the 680 is that the rear bed is longer and you can
sleep in line with the vehicle. The kitchen is slightly bigger with a bit more cupboard
space and work surface than on the 600. And of course, there's no additional bed above the cab.
Under the bonnet of both Grand Californias, is a 2-litre, 177 BHP turbo diesel engine. An 8-speed
automatic comes as standard and the 680 model has the extra option of four-motion four wheel drive.
So there it is, the California name that first appeared on Westfalia's T3 camper van conversinso,
is now the brand for an entire family of VW camper vans. If you own any of them, tell us
what they're like to live with in the comments box below. And if you've enjoyed this overview video,
please subscribe to the channel and click on that bell icon. That way, you'll be the first
to know when every new video comes off the assembly line. For now, thanks for watching.