The Volkswagen Kombi van has always been iconic for it's distinctive look and body shape but as they say, all good things must end and when the last one came off the assembly line it was followed by the T3 Transporter, being the third generation of the Type 2 Volkswagen.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While often considered the ugly duckling of the Volkswagen van range the T3 is probably less recognised and unfairly nicknamed the 'Breadbox'.
What some people may not be aware of, however, is that the T3 Transporter saw the introduction of a four wheel drive (4WD) to the Volkswagen van, badged (in Australia at least) the Syncro.
I recently caught up with Sam Ervin and Krista Sutton and their three-year-old daughter Matilda to discover a bit more about their Volkswagen Syncro.
"It's a 1988 Volkswagen T3 Transporter Syncro," Sam said.
"We've owned it since 2011.
"It's a 2.1 litre fuel injected boxer engine with constant 4WD."
The Wassenboxer as it's known is a water cooled horizontally opposed 4 cylinder engine and the T3 was the last model to feature the rear engine design.
Sam grew up further west in Lake Cargelligo and met Krista in Canada.
Their first venture into the van scene was a T3 Transporter in Canada to service their mutual passion for mountain biking.
"It was a Westfalia camper so we'd cart the bikes to races and sleep in the pop up roof.
"It was great," they said.
"We moved back to Australia and yearned for another one so decided on a Syncro."
It was 4WD and had the Trakka camper conversion so once again it was perfect for their needs and Sam's brother sourced this one in Wollongong.
The only hurdle was that Sam and Krista were living on the other side of the country in Perth, so Sam's folks took a week or so off the farm and drove the Syncro all the way across to the west.
"They liked it enough to buy one too and they now have a later generation 1996 Syncro of their own," Sam laughed.
"We're still into camping and biking and we have Matilda now so it's still a great vehicle to get away in," Sam said.
"...and Tilly has her own separate bed in the pop-top so she loves it too."
Sam and Krista are members of the Central West Car Club which meets regularly on the first Wednesday of each month at the Parkes Leagues Club.
If anybody is interested in following the club and any upcoming events please visit the club's Facebook page or you can visit the website: www.centralwestcarclub.com
MORE CAR CLUB ARTICLES: