Porsche B32: The Porsche Camper Van That Almost Was

"hoonthatsc" (ThePistonRing) 10/28/2013 at 13:43 • Filed to: Porsche

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Ah, the Volkswagen Vanagon.

For me, the name ‘Vanagon’ conjures up images of a strung-out family camper, struggling to reach the crest of the hill on some Colorado backroad. I wouldn’t be far off, considering the most powerful engine ever available in a factory euro-spec model was a wheezy 112 horsepower Flat-4. Couple this with the nearly 2-ton curb weight, and the Vanagon is no drag-strip rocket.

The T3 (Vanagon) redeemed itself in other ways, however. You could get it in nearly every variation imaginable. Its massively roomy interior design allowed the T3 to serve as a Camper, Multivan (passenger), pickup, and even spawned an all-wheel drive version called the Syncro. Sure, it was not hill climber, but it was a fun runabout for a family vehicle. You could get all the kids, cargo, luggage, and the dog in the back, and still have room to spare. Spec it out right, and you could have a seriously fun van. Think how much fun it would be to take a T3 Westfalia Syncro Camper down some trails with the family. It offered something for everyone! Why, you could even buy one with a Porsche engine.

Wait, what?

Believe it or not, 11 T3s left the Zuffenhausen factory floor with Porsche badges. Called the Porsche B32, the very existence of this astounding van is shrouded in rumor and legend.

As the legend goes, Porsche was running their epic Group-B 959 in the Paris-to-Dakkar rally, and found themselves needing a support vehicle. Relations were strong between VW and Porsche at the time, so they took two Syncro T3s, and made some performance modifications.

First and foremost, they swapped out the motor. They could have played it safe, and provided a modest power bump with the powerplant from a 944. Instead, in typical Porsche fashion, they went all-out and slipped a 3.2 Flat-6 from a Carrera into the engine bay. Power went up to 230 horsepower, and top speed raised to a terrifying 130 mph. Power was transferred through a 915 gearbox out of a 911 SC/914-6, wheels and brakes were off a 944 S, and some photos show a steering wheel off of a 964 C4.

Not content with keeping the B32 to themselves, they made roughly 9 production models as an exercise in engineering. Prices were rumored to have been far above that of a normal 911, and only a select few European dealers got their hands on them. Rumors circulate that they were prepping a cleaned-up production model for a Geneva Auto Show debut, but plans fell through.

What a shame. Imagine how much fun it would have been when the aftermarket community got their hands on the B32. Someone would swap in a 3.3 from a 930, RUF would have made a ‘YellowBrick’, and the rest would be history. Instead, the general public had to satiate their Porsche-Van fantasies with their own unofficial Vanagon engine swaps.

Who knows, had the B32 been a success, perhaps the world would have had the Cayenne much earlier.

All photo credit goes to autobild.de

Reposted from my blog The Piston Ring

McMike > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 13:46

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You had me at "vanagon"

Let's not forget the Oettinger

505Turbeaux > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 13:47

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I think there is still 8-9 of that run still in existence. Would much prefer one of these to a V6 Porsche Cayenne!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 13:49

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I once saw a vanagon for sale on ebay with a porsche 928 V8 dangling out the rear. Looked like a ton of fun until you inevitably flip it over. This model with the flat 6 and synchro is probably a much better decision.

hoonthatsc > McMike 10/28/2013 at 13:51

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I have been lusting for a Syncro Camper. Those things are seriously cool.

hoonthatsc > 505Turbeaux 10/28/2013 at 13:51

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Yeah! One sold about a year ago for around $70k.

hoonthatsc > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/28/2013 at 13:51

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Oh, man. That thing sounds scary!

McMike > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 14:03

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Too expensive for me.

I bought my first one in '93. I looked at a lot of campers, and they were asking 50% more for them back then, so I passed. Besides, I was looking for a daily driver, and the campers only sat four, and were just not what I was looking for.

However, I friend and I went on a few of the test drives together, and made the remark once seeing a full camper, "Dude, this is the perfect date car. You can keep beer and wine cold in the fridge to get her drunk, take her up stairs and **** her, then make her breakfast in the morning!"

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 14:06

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Especially with the timing belt, water pump, and accessories side being the unprotected one hanging out with little more than a bar of square steel for protection.

getchapopcorn > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 14:07

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I certainly like this take much better than the 'porsche' with a van engine in it.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 14:08

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FOUND IT!

How sketchy is this thing?!?!?!

hoonthatsc > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/28/2013 at 14:13

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Its an unwanted, terribly made Baja Vanagon. Good lord.

Manuél Ferrari > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 15:01

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Thank you. This was AWESOME!

I'm glad I now know this existed.

Stef Schrader > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 15:42

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This would be the greatest 944 towbeast/sleeperbeast ever.

hoonthatsc > Manuél Ferrari 10/28/2013 at 15:51

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Thank you!

hoonthatsc > Stef Schrader 10/28/2013 at 15:52

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Absolutely. I want to see one of these with some performance modifications.

NoahthePorscheGuy > hoonthatsc 10/28/2013 at 19:41

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A guy who used to run a (THE) 356 parts business in cleveland has a type 2 T1 flatbed with a 912 engine in the back. Sounds sweet.

paulc > hoonthatsc 06/25/2014 at 21:58

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If you're going to write about the B32 you should at least include a picture of one.
Okay it does look very much like a Vanagon except of course for the manufacturer's symbol on the front.

KenAch > hoonthatsc 09/25/2014 at 00:25

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I had the first VW synchro in North America. It was an 86 and it was the one used to do all the magazine rounds to blow people away. Oh my god what a rig. It had a down tuned Porsche engine in it that was unreal. Not realizing that I had anything special I thought that was how they all were. After 10,000 more kms onto the 28,000 or so that were on it when I bought it, I took it in for a tune up while I was away in Europe competing in snowboard contests. I came back a month later to find out from the dealer that "the motor was blown, so we replaced it". Oh the sadness when I drove off. So slow and lame compared to it's old self. I found out later from a mechanic at the dealershit that word came down from above that the van wasn't supposed to have been sold with the engine in it so they made the dealer take it out. That how I found out that I had a Porsche engine in it. Only after it was gone. Oh the good old days of cruising at 160/180 kmh. I think I'm probably the only person to lose their license twice for speeding in a VW van. Blowing past people going up hill was all time. The van died at 600,000 k when it was murdered by the mechanics at Kamloops autohaus when they did a repair and forgot to ground the engine when they put the engine back in, so that one day when it was at the Vancouver in long term parking when I was Europe again, it caught fire. To finish off a great story it was stolen from the tow yard by someone who knew what it was. It could still be out there... Roaming the streets telling other vans... "I coulda been a contender but the dealer sold me out for the warranty money". It's neutered self could still be rolling. It made me so happy to read this story because it was hard to make people believe that I had once owned a Porsche powered synchro.

JDIGGS > hoonthatsc 09/25/2014 at 15:52

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Took my buddies vw van recently with 5 dudes, 1 full size 90lb dog, 4 full size coolers, 1 full size heavy duty dolly, and 5 full size multi day bay packing packs, tents etc... on a high elevation up to almost 9,000 and most of the time 90+ degrees.

Before we left I was afraid we wouldn't make it. The van was awesome in every way, especially not feeling like you are riding in a 1989 montereo, the body roll was not felt by me in the back. The huge windows make the trip much more scenic. I really respect the vehicle now and as long as I'm not up front with no engine in front of me I feel pretty safe.

philipilihp > hoonthatsc 09/16/2015 at 10:54

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Porsche Vantasies... Missed opportunity! lol.

I’m glad they made this.

AuthiCooper1300 > hoonthatsc 03/06/2016 at 08:09

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No, no, no.

Let’s put to rest once and for all that myth about the 911-engined VW van being used as a service barge for the Paris-Dakar.

A long time ago Porsche AG used to do hot-weather testing in Algeria. That involved, say, chasing 911 or 944 variants and whatnot in the searing heat. A VW van used to follow them carrying testing equipment. I think there was even some sort of crude telemetry involved.

Naturally the vans could not cope during the sustained high-speed runs, particularly with all the extra weight they were carrying. So the engineering and testing department shoehorned a 911 engine to one van and the VW-Porsche van was born.

Legend has it that the van or vans so fitted proved extremely popular among the Porsche top brass, borrowing it/them on weekends (and sometimes during the week).

Someone then had the idea of building the B32 and market it. It would be interesting to know what really stopped the model properly taking off. Maybe VW was not amused.

Paris-Dakar and Rally Pharaons assistance was carried out by MAN trucks (themselves also competing as entrants, at least in the Paris-Dakar) and, at least once in the Pharaons, with a Mercedes G-Wagen (itself an entrant). That G-Wagen was fitted with a prototype four-valve V8... which ended up in the 928. That G-Wagen was being driven by no other but Roland Kussmaul.

(Incidentally, some German “tuners” such as Claer and others knew about the first 911-engined VW Van and used to offer similar conversion packages, which may or not have been a reason for the factory to offer a complete vehicle).

AuthiCooper1300 > KenAch 03/06/2016 at 08:20

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That story sounds seriously crazy (particularly the dealership not informing you about the Porsche engine before replacing it with a VW stock unit). As the Italians say, se non è vero e ben trovato (it may not be true, but it is a nice tale).

Putting a 911 engine in a T3 –preferably a syncro version – was not terribly unusual, at least according to VW & Porsche magazine. I understand a popular swap in the early 70s was the Corvair engine, although it did turn the other way round and involved fixing the FD so as not to end up with less forward gears than reverse ones.

HiSport > hoonthatsc 08/14/2018 at 08:34

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Nice article!

I have an ‘85 Westfalia with a 230HP f lat six (3.3L H6 Subaru SVX), which makes a great freeway cruiser (though I would NEVER attempt 130 mph). Also, gas mileage is lousy (17 mpg av), as Vanagon aerodynamics are lousy. Weak spot is transaxle, which is regeared for much lower RPM, but still not strong enough for towing

Believe Porsche also di d at least one air cooled vanagon to 930 conversion, purportedly as a support vehicle. I’ve owned numerous Porsches, and can share that the Vanagon mechanicals are very similar

I have also seen pics of south african vanagons built with VAG audi 5 cyl motors, ala early Eurovans. These had maybe 14 0 HP, plus much better brakes, etc

drjoe356 > hoonthatsc 06/18/2019 at 10:45

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A few years ago, RUF had two of these in the shop being refreshed, apparently Porsche had forgotten how.