Recognized among the highest-rated Realtors in Wichita, Kansas, Dan Madrigal leads the Madrigal Team Gold at Berkshire Hathaway. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Dan Madrigal owns four restored Volkswagen (VW) buses, which he takes to car shows.
German automaker Volkswagen entered the US markets in the 1950s with its iconic VW Beetle. Although initially accepted by American consumers with tepidity because of its Nazi connections, the VW Beetle eventually became a top seller among imported autos in America. In March 1950, Volkswagen expanded its product line by producing a microbus, which was officially known as VW Type 2.
The concept of the VW bus was invented by Ben Pon, a Dutch importer of Beetles to the Netherlands, who produced the earliest sketches of a small bus. In 1947, Volkswagen engineers developed the idea into a “boxy, utilitarian, rear-engine” vehicle.
The VW bus became known for many nicknames, such as Transporter, Combi (short for the combined-use vehicle), and Splittie (referring to its split windshield). For Americans, the VW bus became known as hippie van since it was used by youth groups in transporting their camping gears and supplies to anti-war rallies and concerts. Throughout the 1960’ the VW bus became an icon for the counterculture movement in America.
