If ever a vehicle represented the hippie culture of the early 1970’s, it was the Volkswagen microbus (officially known as the Volkswagen T2). Many a flower child hit the open road in these VW’s during the Summer of Love. And those flower children who found love soon found themselves to be flower parents. So, what better way to transport the growing family than in the Volkswagen “Kombi” edition. It’s a bus that blends hippie cred with the respectability of a responsible adult. With 23 windows that let the sunshine in, this vehicle was made for family road trips. The Kombi features three rows of seats plus room for bongos and tambourines…or diaper bags and strollers.

Dashboard controls are spartan, limited to just two gauges and a radio. The horizontally mounted steering wheel and flat front end delivers that bus-like vibe. The 1,500cc air-cooled, rear-mounted gas sipping engine is easy on the wallet and a blessing for drivers short on bread. The three-door + clamshell door configuration makes it easy for everyone to pile in for that journey to Woodstock. And when it’s time to air-out the inside, the split windshield props open.

It wasn’t the only vehicle of its type, but it’s fair to say it’s the most iconic vehicle of the counterculture era. Before there were SUVs, cargo vans, and passenger vans, there was the Volkswagen Kombi – designed for social butterflies and all their peace-loving butterfly friends. Very few cars elicit the same kind of free spirit. The Kombi walked so that minivans could run.

Performance specs are scarce for the Kombi. Then again, for owners it was never about getting someplace fast. It was about everyone arriving happy together. Legend has it that the act of singing during a road trip originated inside a Kombi. Groovy!