Dan Madrigal is a Wichita, Kansas real estate agent who emphasizes a proactive, client-first approach to serve customers at Berkshire Hathaway. Passionate about vintage VW busses, Dan Madrigal is working to restore four models from the late 1950s to the late 1970s.
The classic 1950-1959 VW bus invented an automotive category later known as the minivan. The initial model, the Transporter, took its floorplan from the Beetle that includes a 94.5-inch wheelbase, with the track extended by seven inches to 53.5 inches. With the entire box-shaped vehicle having a body 8.5 inches longer than the Beetle, the engine retained the Beetle’s rear-mounted, 25 horsepower boxer model.
A benefit of the low, rear-mounted engine was that it maximized interior space and provided significantly more passenger room than station wagons of the era. While never a fast ride, the VW Bus was reliable, inexpensive, and maneuverable. Carrying as many as nine passengers, the vehicle proved popular enough to be widely introduced in the United States starting in 1954.
