javier romagosa
Last January we released the news that the Volkswagen Combo its production would probably cease in Brazil, where it had been manufactured since 1957. Although it was the van most loved by Brazilians, the problem was that it could not comply with the new safety regulations implemented by the Dilma Rousseff government.
There was little hope for its survival and it has finally happened, the iconic Volkswagen Type 2 has ended its commercial life. Designed by Ben Pol in the late 40s, and derived from the VW Type 1 "Beetle", it was the second model of the German brand, a resounding sales success that has hit the roads in countless places in its different Kombi versions. Camper, minibus or pick-up, among others.
The Type 2 began to be assembled in Brazil in 1957, just seven years after it was assembled in Germany. The first series -T1- covers from 1950 to 1967, while the second -T2- goes from this last date to 1979. The T3 produced from the end of the 80s until 1990 is no longer a Type 2, but its generational change. ; and then the Transporters would come, which I personally think do not have the grace of their classic sisters.
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Thus, and as happened in Mexico until 1996 with the Beetle, Brazil continued to manufacture a vehicle that stopped being marketed at the end of the seventies. Sixty-three years of the history of the Rio de Janeiro country go through its own, from the years of developmentalism until the country took off just a decade ago, passing through the successive economic crises of the 1980s and 1990s.
Coupled with the Jurassic imprint left by the little van on the rest of the world, where it is considered a symbol of genuine freedom, it is no wonder that the end of its commercial life has had a planetary impact. And it is that the media from all over the world have touched the news of what on more than one occasion has been described as the end of an era. This is possibly true, since Type 2 is inextricably linked to what historians call the Golden Age, that is, to the optimism of the years 1950 to 1973.
It is not surprising that the Brazilian population has an overflowing affection for the Type 2. And, for this reason, VW do Brasil has decided to shoot the little movie that you can see above, in which it tries to pay it a well-deserved tribute in the first person. Yes, the Combo He talks and tells us his story, and it is not uncommon for the lucky possessors of a unit to drop a tear as they see it. Because it's just a car, right?
