The Brazilian Kombi

Volkswagen Microbus gets special edition before retirement Published: Aug. 20, 2013 at 4:46 PM
Volkswagen Microbus gets special edition before retirement. KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com The VW Bus is retiring, but before it does, 600 Last Edition Kombis produced with powder blue paint.. The Last Edition Kombi, pictured, will be the final limited production of Volkswagen's iconic Type 2 microbus, which has remained in production in Brazil since 1957 under the name Kombi. (Credit: Volkswagen)

The Brazilian Kombi! This article originally posted around 2006
Here’s Some Big News for all you Bay Window Lovers! Volkswagen of Brazil announced that the last air-cooled 1.6L engine will be mounted in a “Kombi” Bus at VW’s plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil as production of this famous engine ceases. The good news is that the Kombi will still be produced in its classic form and design with a new name “Totalflex” and some interior changes to accommodate a new 1.4L water cooled engine that will meet new Brazilian emissions laws to reduce pollution in effect in 2006.

Some 6 million of this boxy, breadloaf looking vehicle were built with air-cooled engines worldwide. VW Brazil says that Kombi production will increase from about 10,000 vans annually to 12,000 because the new engine can run on either gasoline or grain alcohol, which is widely used as a fuel in Brazil and costs about half as much as gasoline.


The new engine is a derivative of the 1.6L inline 4 used in the VW Fox and Polo models. Here are your basic engine specs. Longitudinal, 4 Cylinders, Inline 2 Valves/cylinder 1390 cm³ (1.4L) Displacement Compression Ratio 11:1 HP at 4800rpm, 78 (gas) HP at 4800rpm, 80 (alc) Multi point sequential fuel injection

Marking the engine change-over, VWBA will produce 200 Kombi “Serie Prata da Kombi” (Silver Edition) for collectors. They will have the old engine and be painted silver, instead of the classic Brazilian white. Some 30 of the Serie Prata will be shipped to England, modified to British standards and sold to collectors for about $23,300 USD for the basic vehicle and $30,400 USD for the decked out camper version. Unfortunately, none are headed to the US and there are no plans to export the new version here either. The new Kombi will be produced in Brazil in 4 versions that range in price from R$36,192 (BRL) for the “Furgao” to R$43,684 for the “Escolar”. ($15,414 to $18,604 USD). Medium priced models are the “Standard” and “Lotacao”


The Bay Window Bus, especially the camper version, is only one of many versions of the T-2 like the Kombi and has long been a favorite with many LiMBO members. They can be seen at VW Shows and Camping events throughout the world.