Volkswagen Bulli: On the road in Captain Future's retro concept car - and in the original Microbus that inspired it

摘要

THE VOLKSWAGEN BUS is back-for good this time, we hope. Four months after its debut at the Geneva show, the one-off Bulli concept car was shipped to Southern California where it met its forebear, a 1963 Type 2 Deluxe fifteen-window bus. Bridging a formidable forty-eight-year age gap, the two time-travelers drew a crowd wherever they went. The iconic, air-cooled oldie took the hearts of bystanders by storm with its throaty Dylan/Springsteen rasp, while its supergreen, modern electric counterpart was as hush-quiet as most other battery-powered vehicles. More quiet, actually, since the Bulli's battery packs had to stay in Germany. Normally, the Bulli would be powered by two 20-kWh lithium-ion energy cells feeding a 114-hp electric motor that propels the front wheels. Provisional technical data include 199 lb-ft of torque, 0 to 62 mph in 11.5 seconds, an 87-mph top speed, and 186 miles of range.