1953 VW Bus breaks world record for fastest VW van

12.65 seconds is not a terrible quarter-mile time, but the number is more impressive coming from a Volkswagen Transporter van.  That time was posted by a 1953 Transporter as it moved on to an impressive 102.84 mph (165.50 km/h) top speed.

Although more than 10 million Transporter vans have been produced over the last 59 years, few (if any) were put together like this one.  The Frankfurt based team swapped the original engine for a VW 2.8-liter unit that produces a maximum 253 horsepower and 330 Nm of torque. 

Northamptonshire's Santa Pod Raceway played host to the time trial, which became a world record for a naturally-aspirated VW van according to VW UK.  The quarter-mile record for all Volkswagen vans is 12.5 seconds, but maybe not for long.

The Frankfurt-based team behind this '53 Transporter believe they can smash the record during July's Bug Jam VW Festival at Santa Pod.

Press Release

RECORD-BREAKING PROOF THAT VOLKSWAGEN VANS GO THE DISTANCE!

As a great demonstration of Volkswagen's legendary durability, a 56-year old Transporter van has just achieved a top speed of 102.84 mph and done the quarter mile sprint at the Santa Pod racetrack in a time of 12.65 seconds.

Although this in itself represents a new world record for a non-turbocharged Volkswagen van, this unique 1953 Transporter, run by a team from Frankfurt, Germany, is planning to beat the record of 12.5 seconds for any Volkswagen van when it returns to Santa Pod for the annual ‘Bug Jam' Volkswagen enthusiasts event from 17-19 July.

Not surprisingly, the original 50 bhp, 1.6-litre engine from 1953 has been replaced with a highly-tuned, 2.8-litre Volkswagen engine producing 253 bhp and 330 Nm of torque, and the vehicle has also undergone a number of other mechanical updates.

The Transporter is Volkswagen's best-selling van, and one of the most popular vans ever with over 10 million being produced since production started almost 60 years ago in March 1950.

For more information on the Bug Jam event, please see www.bugjam.co.uk.