Scope
Every Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) with the split windscreen, from the first production bus in March 1950 to the last one in July 1967: panel van, Kombi, Microbus, the Deluxe 21- and 23-window "Samba", single and double cab pickups, Westfalia campers, ambulances and special bodies. Highroofs are shared in from the Highroof registry. About 1.8 million T1 were built; only a small share is known to survive – this register is an attempt to find out how many.
Barndoor, 1950 – March 1955
The earliest buses carry the big one-piece engine lid (the "barndoor"), a 15-inch wheel/small-tail-light body and chassis numbers with the 20- prefix, from 20-000 001 up to the last barndoor, 20-117 901, in March 1955. They are the rarest split-window buses and have their own specialist register; they belong here too, with the era field set to Barndoor.
Reading the chassis number
- Until July 1964: a running six- or seven-digit number (with the 20- prefix until 1955). TheSamba's chassis table dates it to the month.
- From August 1964: nine digits. The first two give the model – 21 panel van, 22/28 Microbus, 23 Kombi, 24/25 Deluxe, 26 pickup, 27 ambulance – and the third the model year (215 = 1965 … 217 = 1967). Conversions keep the base vehicle's code.
- Model years run August to July, so an autumn-built bus carries the next year's digit.
Where to find it
The chassis plate sits in the engine compartment, from November 1963 on the fresh-air duct; the M-plate (options and paint) behind the right front seat from October 1958. A photo of the stamped number or the plate lets the registrar check a car against the known ranges.
Production
The per-year figures below are from TheSamba's production table and are approximate: they may include plants outside Germany, and the source does not say whether they are calendar or model years.