In 1974, when Dan Kjellgren was 11 years old, his father bought a yellow 1971 Volkswagen bus. From new, it had served as a school bus outside Karlstad.
Over the following 52 years, it has remained a cherished member of the family, carefully looked after and covering just 87,000 kilometres.
After ten years of careful improvements, carried out alongside regular summer use, it is now being offered for sale.
The Kjellgren family, from the village of Östmark in northern Värmland, found the VW bus at Lecab in Karlstad only a few days after it had been traded in. It was registered in the name of Dan’s father, Gustav Kjellgren, and in 1981 Dan took over ownership, which he has retained ever since.
The vehicle was frequently used for summer holidays in Norway, but accumulated relatively little mileage. In 1992, it was taken off the road and stored in the garage at the family property. In 2015, Dan decided to bring his beloved VW bus back to life, and over the following ten years or so, wear items were replaced, rust repairs were carried out, sections were repainted and the vehicle was treated with rust protection.
A significant part of the work was carried out by Fahlke Classic Cars in Åmål, one of Sweden’s leading specialists in classic Volkswagens. All work performed has been carefully documented.
Today, the bus is in very fine usable condition and remains in the same original specification it had in 1971.
Several details from its history have also been preserved, including the school bus sign, original tools, the large step dating from its school bus days, and period tourist stickers from Norway.
The Volkswagen bus is one of the 20th century’s most enduring symbols of freedom and, for many, represents the spirit of independence and adventure associated with the 1960s and 1970s.
The auction vehicle is a T2, the generation introduced in 1967 and nicknamed the “Bay Window” due to its large, curved windscreen. As a 1971 model, it is also known as an “Early Bay”, featuring low-mounted front indicators and small oval rear lights.
The estimated value is SEK 230,000–260,000. The auction closes on 30 September.
Read more about the vehicle here: https://bilwebauctions.se/en/septemberauktion-5-2026/volkswagen-t2-kleinbus-221-16-55332
