Type-2 ‘Silverfish’

It turns out that the Last Edition Beetle had a big brother! At around the same time as German Beetle production ceased, manufacture of the bay window Type-2 vans was also coming to an end. Volkswagen decided to mark the demise of the T2 with a commemorative model, and a batch of 1600 was built with a distinctive specification. Just like the LEBs, the vans were painted metallic silver, and the edition was known in Germany as the ‘Silberfisch’ (hence the anglicised name of ‘Silverfish’).

Despite the size of the edition very few of these buses have survived - possibly as few as six. We had never encountered a Silverfish till we came across the excellent example shown in the photos at Stanford Hall in 2005. Note the upholstery in blue velour and vinyl, exactly the same as used in the LEBs. The Silverfish has a decidedly above-average equipment specification, featuring a padded dash, extra headlights, fog lights, air horns, stereo speakers and a sliding sunroof. Chrome is much in evidence.