This weekend in SoCal I went to the 1st OCTO event of the year. The Orange County Transporter Organization (OCTO) organizes an event for pre-67 VW buses (splitty) which usually draws a huge turnout of splitty buses (200+) in Long Beach. With the great weather (clear skies 70 degrees) Saturday was especially crowded. As a big-time VW fan I've owned a few of these and this event makes me jones for another.
Here are some highlights... For best viewing click on pics to enlarge.
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Ouch - I clicked to expand the chaulky red bus --- only $62k! I had a no side window '63 that I sold 35 years ago for $400. Ok had a little bit of rust.
Thanks, Jim. You know how I feel about splitties.
Lovin' it Jim- thanks as always!
MusbJim, I'm envious of your weather!!(Lol) We just had a couple of days of white-out conditions, 7-8" of snow with heavy drifting and -15 degree temps. Anyway, thanks for those photos... gives us folks north of you, something to look foward to!
Cool shots of some nice busses! I had an old bus that I used to drive into Baja to Bay of Los Angeles and hang out several times a year. I miss that bus!
Nice shots my brother. You wear that hat proudly man, we earned it.
Did I ever mention "How many Vietnam Vets it takes to unscrew a lightbulb?"..... the best answer to a non-vet is "Dude you don't know, you weren't there." 
I would love to have an original, split window, single cab in sealing wax red! But the price on that double cab makes me realize it's probably just a dream (or never retire!)
@James posted:I would love to have an original, split window, single cab in sealing wax red! But the price on that double cab makes me realize it's probably just a dream (or never retire!)
That red and black single cab with roof rack, canvas cover, and safari windows is $40k, OBO. He’s got twice that in it, for sure.
We've all had one or more VW's (and 356's) in our youth (circa 1960-1980) that were dirt cheap and at the time were all that we could afford in our youthful careers that NOW go for CRAZY money. I won't bore you with my list of got-aways. 
My wife, Ginny, after seeing the prices of these buses tells me I should buy a project bus (like the patina'd single-cab pictured) and restore it to sell (or keep). As my buddy @Stan Galat noted, the days of turning profit on such a project are Looooooog gone.
If I were ever to buy one, it would be THIS bad-boy...
...otherwise, I'll just keep driving the vehicles I currently own until the wheels fall off. 
OK Jim you put me in a Flashback mode. Growing up in Auburn, CA Because of the local College there was a strong connection the Berkeley. My Neighbors were highly educated folks from UC. One was school teacher at Folsom Prison and the other the City Librarian. They had a 59 Split and an BMW Isetta. When her sister came to visit from Berkeley they also drove a Splitty. They were was ahead of the Hippie Movement as in the Bus they brought Chickens and a Goat for dietary reasons. The neighbor across the street saw the ass end of the goat, thought it was a deer and was going to drop it until his wife intervened when the goat turned around.
MUSB: tru dat.
Probably the coolest bus version I’ve seen. Obviously I’m partial since I’ve got a Spyder.
My friend Dennis just picked up a '59 split-window single cab. We're talking about installing a car ramp/loader onto it. He runs Vintage VW, a body shop 3 miles from me.
I LOVE the old stuff! Keep the buses coming, Jim!
Along with a decent 1600 and a taller 3.88 box, but keeping the reduction boxes, it should be able to handle my Vee on it.
It always blows me away that I hardly ever see an early bus on the road (or even a later one, for that matter), but when I go to the New England VW show in the Summer, 60+ of them show up, like they come out of the woodwork or something.
And they're always a treat to see, I rode all over Honduras and Guatemala in a 4-door pickup like Jim wants. It wasn't especially fast, but the roads wouldn't allow speed back then either.
In my book, you would be the coolest dude at the track if you pulled up in a 3.0-powered single cab (with Sebring or Sport exhaust) with your Formula V loaded on back!
Cooler yet: car on the single cab, pulling a polished aluminum teardrop for trackside accommodations.
There are a lot of Brazilian splitties for sale on thesamba. The seem more reasonably priced. They were made there into the mid-70s.
There are some odd hybrids from Brazil. There are type II's with splitty side windows. Also type 2's with radiators.
@550 Phil posted:
Probably the coolest bus version I’ve seen. Obviously I’m partial since I’ve got a Spyder.
Here’s your favorite getting loaded to go to a big open house event at the indie Porsche shops in LA at the end of the month.
I went over yesterday and helped him drill holes for tie downs in his new trailer.
@Michael McKelvey posted:There are a lot of Brazilian splitties for sale on thesamba. The seem more reasonably priced. They were made there into the mid-70s.
Michael, at this meet there are usually a couple of replica (fiberglass) Samba buses shells for sale. They are from Brazil, all you need to do is gather all the tid bits to put it together. Still big money to complete that kind of project.
