The kombi we are currently travelling NZ in is a 1975 T2b VW camper from Classic Campers. The campervan conversion is from the English company Devon Ltd. This company still exists and nowadays offers VW T5 campervan conversions, but the web page unfortunately has no useful information on their history and the camper conversions of the 1970ies VWs. Apparently the most common classic VW campervan conversions can be differentiated by the way their pop-up roofs operate: Devon conversions pop upwards altogether, Westfalia conversions fold up via hinges at the front or back of the bus, and Dormobile roofs fold up via a hinge along the side of the van. Our Devon camper has a nice large pop up roof which provides standing height for the back part of the car (if you are smaller then say 1.85m). The speedo is in miles-per-hour, with stickers reminding you of the relevant km/h, which are actually pretty useful. (The change to the metric system in New Zealand happened in December 1976, so our little camper predates it by one year.) Unusual 240V electricity inlet, sticking out from the side of the van – but I have seen this now with a number of older and also very modern campervans in NZ.
The gas cooker block, the sink unit and the rock-and-roll bench/bed are still original Devon. The kitchen block opposite the sliding door has been replaced by a more modern cup board with a 12V fridge.
The two-flame Devon cooker is pretty cool: Metal side boards fold up to form a chimney which protects the unit from wind and probably also the curtains from the flames. The complete block can swing out of the car so that one can cook either inside or outside the van. Fun to see this sophisticated seventies (or sixties?) design still working beautifully.
Anyway, it’s great to back in a kombi!