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A Norwegian Volkswagen fanatic is undertaking a mammoth restoration after recovering a rust-riddled VW Microbus from the bottom of a fjord.



The 1957 Samba, one of the most iconic and valuable VW Campers, was pushed into the lake by a local hotelier when its gearbox failed in 1974.
Thirty years later enthusiast Morten Lund learned of the drowned Volkswagen and hired a remote-controlled submersible to search for it, discovering the Microbus lying face down at a depth of 50 feet (15 metres).

Undeterred, he hired divers and a mobile crane and lifted out his catch earlier this summer.
Now Lund faces an equally mammoth task restoring the Volkswagen to road-going condition.
The determined and hugely optimistic enthusiast excitedly told Practical Classics magazine: "It took me less than 30 minutes to get both front wheels rolling, and the steering works perfectly... The cargo floor and cab are nearly rust free – just some minor holes around the edges."

The Samba is an iconic 23-window version with eight roof-light windows. That makes it one of the most prized and valuable variants.

In 2008 a completely original 1958 Samba made £56,000 at a UK auction. The year before, TV chef Jamie Oliver's much-pimped 23-window Samba sold for £48,000.

Source

sweeeettttttt,

i see these make 25-35k regular at vw shows.
but a ratty mot'd 23 window will make 12k

I reckon when the above van is completed, there will be less than 25% of the original van left, it will all be repair panels and new parts

just a thought,,,

just because the van was pushed into a lake, doesnt mean the hotelier still doesnt own it

He could demand a fee, or report it stolen... its wasnt dumped in the lake, it was just in storage

The original owner filled it full of bottles and debris to weigh it down before he put it in the river. You could probably sell that as it is for a couple of grand thanks to the 'scene tax'.

Read the full story about this in last months Practical Classics magazine. The guy is a WV fanatic, my hat off to him taking this on.

wow thats so cool

want 1 lol

wonder how hes going about making it legit? proof of ownership etc