Tesla powered VW Camper 

'67 the last year of the splitty. My father drove a 55 splitty and changed it for a 56 upgrade, After 2 more splitties he bought a '68 type 2 for his shop. That type 2 was a way better bus! I was 22 then, and I loved driving it!

Defo keep it as original as possible, I actually thought you'd done nothing to it until you pointed out the battery pack under the bench, smashing job guys👍

Patina is the right choice. What a stunner :)

You and the owners did the conversion perfectly! Even the colour was right to start with. I am extremely envious!!! 😍

I am really torn with both options. I love a really nice original patina, yet I also really like an update to the original colors and interior. That said, I think this bus looks beautiful none the less. This was a great job gentlemen.

Resto-custom for me. My Super Beetle has 1776 dual carb and disc brakes and Subaru paint, but still has the heart and soul (and anemic heat) of a Beetle.

Definitely keep patina only do the necessary rust repairs. Another classic E converted to lust after, great job!

OMG that side door cook top is the best. 😊 Great conversion as usual.

I love the patina and original look on the '67. Happy the owner went with that. Also, love the sweet, modern look of the bay window - both very well done indeed...

To answer your question Richard, I would definitely go for original patina. That's not because I think it's necessarily aesthetically superior. I just love the idea that this old hippy banger is going down the motorway and people might think 'I hope it doesn't fall apart at 50mph' only for it to whip down the road at 80mph with ease. You retain all the practicality and charm of the hard earned wear and tear with a sleeper car performance - well compared to it's original spec anyway. Of course it has to be tuned down or the Tesla motor would rip it to pieces. Great stuff.

Absolutely beautiful work! I'd always hankered after an old splitty until I drove one -- totally impractical (verging on dangerous!) on modern roads. You've done a great service allowing this vehicle to be properly used & driven now -- rather than just looked at. Very well done indeed...

Top job! I've seen over in America the splitscreen vw electric conversions done. But not many in the UK. So much better and at 200HP 🫨😲 so much more power!!!! Really happy to see you guys converting one of these. To me this Vw is the perfect electric car because it can be used as a van for moving large items, as a camper or as a family vehicle to run the kids to school haha. Brilliant 👏👌🌟

I graduated high school in 1967 and I remember seeing many of those VWs on the road here in America. Most of them were covered with crazy colors, pictures, and peace signs. I worked at a Toyota garage around that time and one of my co-workers had a 1960s VW bus colored blue and white, which was pretty traditional.

I fell in love with is conversion as soon as I started watching Richard. The shots of it gliding away effortlessly were amazing. I think for this particular vehicle the original patina hits the spot perfectly. So nice to have reliability and a working heater. I have very fond memories of my 1966 Beetle when I was at Uni in the early 70’s, but having ice on the inside as well as the outside of the windscreen was not one of them🥶

If it was mine I would keep the original style/look/vibe and the patina (you can’t buy and bolt on patina) and upgraded/modernised everything else = old looks and modern underpinnings. You done a super job guys!

Lovely! I think it looks amazing as a surviving relic

I'm getting a little on in years, so I would have kept the original look. At least for a while. Maybe I would have restored it after a few years, to pass it on. That original door mounted stove just made me grin from ear to ear. Yes, they did better, more practical versions laster, but this was so cute. It set the mood and the popularity forever. No other make ever quite made it like a VW Camper.

No question in my mind Richard, " patina " for sure with a pretty old splitty VW!!!

I would go with the original patina on the split screen for sure. I learnt to drive in the 70's in my Dad's sealing wax red '63 split screen Dormobile camper. I didn't appreciate what a classic it was at the time. It would be worth a lot today if it had survived.

Definitely keep that patina when you’ve got it! Well done.

As long as it’s rust free, the old patina

Patina for shure! Great job, so heartfelt.

Enjoyed watching this conversion on the tv show. It must surprise loads of drivers on the road.👍👍

I just saw one in Pleasanton, California, Hot August Nights It was a CHOPPED and SLAMMED! It was a Van, Mini-Bug! Oh How adorable.. look him up in Sacramento.. Professional Chop ,Channel, dump and slam!

Original patina for sure, it allows for a more worry free drive in my opinion. A scratch here and there are nothing to quibble about from a daily driver unless your daily driver has that brand new look to it.

So glad that you kept it as original as possible, too. There's no need to make changes unless it's becoming unsafe. Thanks for this one. You made my day. 🙂👍

Patina, it looks great and if there's no rusted out metal needing replaced, leave it be.

Patina all day! Only restore cars that really need it.

You've done a remarkable job with this camper conversion! Keep up the good work! 😃

Looks nice inside

I always thought that between the frame rails of my splitty would be a good candidate for the battery packs, whilst being the lowest part but nestled at the same time. Great job!

She is a real beauty, would love to take her across the Continent

ECC makes the most exciting EV conversion, thanks for sharing with us.

bedford made a factory electric version of their CF2 vans from about '82 to '87 when they went bust, be good to see one of those Cf's with a modern electric drive train.

I think Patina is preferable - to a point! If the body & paint are in good shape, then leave it, but if it's in a real bad state you should restore it - to original color if you can find the original under all the subsequent layers. Otherwise make it "rock". You are so lucky that it's not riddled with rust holes. My youth, in the 60s & 70s, in England was plagued by rust - floor, sills, spring hangers... everywhere. And that was 40 years ago. Thank goodness I live in Southern California now. We don't got no rust here. My '75 Bay Bus was a total mess though - several layers of various colors, dents, but NO RUST. so I stripped it down & did a nice British racing green & silver paint job. It was going to be an electric conversion, but Covid hit & I couldn't get the Netgain motor (from Italy) but the dream continues... kept alive by a 1981 Vanagon Westy - soon to be Tesla-fied! Thank you ECC Richard for all the great inspiration check out my "Existential Dream Bus" at this link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GpdzmrRSAtM.html

If I was able (could afford) 😊to convert my 67 Kombi Split, I’d probably have a full makeover 😂😂

Talk about original, wow. 👍

That's got good times written all over it. ❤

I love this. As a Model 3 owner, I would love a Tesla powered Westfalia. Best of both worlds.

I grew up riding in a Microbus with that exact same color combo, so I would have kept the patina for nostalgia, as long as there wasn't major rust issues.

Good thing you put new brakes on at least. So no problems with steering or suspension? 100kw is a big battery although the bus isn't super aerodynamic I guess. The owner will really appreciate the range.

Just need a VW engine noise maker for the pull away sound LOL

Patina is nice, as long as it isn't actual rust or threatens safety. In that spirit, the disk-break conversion and the new shocks were a very good addition.

Definitely keep it “as is”. Keep up the good work 👍

Beautiful bus. I'd split the difference when it comes to keeping the patina. I'd upgrade the seats for better comfort (but cover them in a period looking vinyl or similar) and address any paint/corrosion issues to the bodywork, but without making it look new/fully resprayed. I'd refinish the wheels - just a repaint in body matching colours - too.

if I hit the lottery you can make me one of that 😂

this is the best thing I've seen all month!!!

My parents had one of these and I used to sleep in the back, as a baby, over the engine. Not sure this would put me to sleep like the ICE. LOL Much prefer this, esp. now.

Both look great imo. 👍

Love your work 👍

Both look good and have advantantges and disadvantages. Great video, short and punchy.

Great video mate

That split window looks like it’s in really good shape so I’d say keep it as is as much as possible. At some point though with normal use it’ll be due for a refurbishment

A lot of headroom, for sure, but there’s no way you could dance on the table.

I'm not a big fan of patina when something looks knackered, although my 62 Chevy step side looked knackered and I left it lol. But when you have a classic that has faired so well, then its great to keep some of the history. It looks perfect. Having spent all my motorised camping in a small van, my choice, should I ever be able to afford it would be the entire running gear of a Model S dual motor into a 25 year old lwb, high top Renault Master. And keep it looking right for stealth camping. Often necessary particularly in the UK.

Lovely conversion however I would opt to repair the rust blisters at the rear door and freshen up the varnish work. but thats all i would do to it.

now it wont overheat or be dangerously slow

Nice Work!!!

I’d love an electric type 2. It’s only second on my electrified wish list to a hopped up electric 356. I’d keep the patina on this example.

OMG, this perfection, well done!!

Great video chaps 👍⚡😉

Patina for Life 🤓

I was waiting for this since you teased me at the crewcab type2 video .. thx , luv it! But: my uncles westfalia type 2 was a lil more modern and maybe much cheaper... a boy can also hope ;-)

That is one sweet ride! I quite like the fact that it has been kept authentic. That said, I also quite like what you did to yours.

The Hyper 9 would have been sufficient and cheaper. Quite streamlined as well, should have a good range. I would restore it, especially where rust is coming through, and refitted the camper part. Mmmmm, a kitchenette above battery box and 2x2 side seating with table at the rear.

More ecologically than ECC a car 'manufacturer' cannot be. Instead of pushing old cars through a shredder to melt them with a lot of energy to 'new' raw materials they are recycling the best of both worlds and blend them to something even better than the sum of both. There will come a time in the future that we will have more than enough green energy to power every EV or hydrogen driven car. Then we will certainly be very thankfull to ECC that they were pioneers in preserving so many jewels of car history to keep colouring our streets on a daily base, without any feeling of guilt. I still own a Suzuki RG 250 Walter Wolf 2-stroke motorbike in that very nice gold-bronzy colour. And I really love to ride it, also because it is such an agile, lightweight racing machine. It was a young mans dream that I own now already for 27 years. But the more I want to ride it, the guiltier I start to feel. These times the exhaust fumes it produces are no longer justifiable and I almost don't dare to ride it to cities... Hydrogen or EV-conversion would be the solution to preserve such a beauty of the 80's motoring history that has no equal in modern bike design... The times that I ride it it coulours the streets and gets so much attention and admiring looks. Many modern bikes don't even get noticed...

Very nice indeed.

You know splitties get all the fuss don’t they!! I genuinely prefer early bays. Still really nice conversion and presumably a pretty good range with a 100kwh battery? Also my wife and my best mate and me were nearly gassed in my old 69 bay on deep frozen New Year’s Eve trek to party in Bristol from north wales back in the late 90’s and it was a genuine decision between getting gassed and freezing our nuts off!! We chose to freeze ultimately!

I would have done a complete refinish outside and would have upgraded the interior cushions and panels with leather. Since the table had to be custom-made, I would have renewed the paneling inside, keeping the original design and closures wherever practical. Well...I would have done a restomod throughout, including suspension, tires, and replica wheels to make use of the extra horsepower from the drive train.

Thank you

IMHO it would have been a sin to remove this perfect patina! Often it’s gone too far, past the point of warm patina into irretrievable dilapidation, but this was caught at an excellent, lovely condition you just can’t buy. I just sold, unfortunately, an old Datsun wagon that’s in similar shape and I’m trying to convince the new owner to save it. Man, that Datsun would have been SO cool electrified. Maybe in my next life…..

Brilliant and owner is right to keep it original and unrestored!

They look good but the later bay windows are better to use for camping. Lovely looking camper, only downside is the modern gear selector, not a fan of the turn knob to start with but in this case it ruins the classic look.

With a genuine E registration number, it's worth a bit more, because those plates were only issued for 6 months, before switching to F..

tough choice on the Patina vs Restoration with new paint. I sort of like the full, left out in the weather for so long the paint has faded, changed colour and almost worn completely off in some places.

She is fantastic just how she is, and even better with the new powerplant!!

Added bonus - it'll now be able to tow, or even just get up hills TBH, without overheating to a standstill! Split-screen should be as classic-looking as possible (under the skin, mod-on!). So, patina whilst tidying to removing tin-worm. More modern ones gradually lost the initial charm of the design. I'd go full resto on those. By the time the square front ones arrive, I see no probs with adding EV AWD, tech makeover, inside full refresh, etc. Apart from cash, though - that's a limiter...😁

Very good job Richard!!! It would be very interesting to know the price of this conversion to give an idea to splitty owners like me who also wants to do conversion ;-) my model is 231, SO 33 VW Camper, 8 June 1964. All the best to ECC Team and keep up the good work 🤙

Unless I missed it, Richard, whilst you said that you'd "dialed down" the Tesla motor, I don't think you mentioned actually to what power now? What figure would the original ICE version have had and, now, what has she got? Lovely job though - I'm always rather jealous, watching your videos, thinking just what a privilege it must be to have the kind of 'disposable income' where one can resto-mod such amazing classic cars... One can only dream, eh...! 😉

Muy linda... pátina

I'd definitely keep the patina but I think I'd do a bit of as refresh of the interior with some extra electrical bits to give it some more modern functionality.

Restored. New look.

For a vehicle in reasonable unrestored condition like that, I would retain the original patina all day long. Just as Foxanne will always have that 'lived-in' rough and ready look.

Patina by far as keep it as original as possible, wish I had one.

Looks incredible. Good jobb keeping the spirit of the bus. I wish you'd shown the battery pack, how you fit 100 kWh under that bench. Is there a tech episode on that or could you please tell me what you did? Thanks.

Answer to your question: I would have restored it, yes. Not much fun to be had when the chassis rusts away from around you 😁

I would keep the patina, until it needs a bigger renovation, then i would give it a gentle overhaul, but i do prefer the early bay, as a model, splitty have never done it for me.

Yep, defo leave it as original. It's got loads of character just the way it is.

Having seen both versions of the Splitty at various shows from "rat rod" to "trailer queen" I prefer to see the pristine version but only if the owner who has been involved in the restoration and not some hedge fund manager who threw money at it because they thought it would be a good investment and yes I think electrification is the way to go!

Looks great the way it is. Awesome cook stove. How did you get the power to the wheels? I assume you removed the reduction gear boxes.

Nice. ...

I love it, my regular drive is an ev Nissan. I do wonder if I'd miss the smell and feel of driving either an engine. Hoe much did the conversion to electric cost?

Wow that is brilliant !! Personally I would keep every ounce of the original I could as long as it was performing its original function use it lol. And the other question is which is more friendly to the enviro ?? I think its a given on that one hehe. And as far as I am concerned it still has the orig soul just as it is mate !! good on ya !! cheers and beers

love it

Definitely love the new look! What the cost of one of these beauties?

Newer look. If he has the front clips there is a front hammock across the front seat. I have the hammock, but not sure if I have the four pieces needed for it.

It's a beauty! For me, the only thing missing IS the throb of the old engine. So, if I win the lottery or summat, can I have a "driving" sound system installed? Plus, do you think that an animal repellent noise generator on electric vehicles could become a thing, to benefit wildlife and domestic pets?

another great project! I appreciate you and the projects that come out of your shop. I have a ‘60 synca that I aspire to transition to electric once the cost comes down. As you look into your crystal ball, how soon might we execute a 100kw conversion for under $20,000 (US dollars)?

Original 👌

Patina only if the original is in reasonable condition otherwise a nice restore to nearly new but with the same color codes of the original year. If the vehicle has had some serious modification prior to acquiring the vehicle the the sky is the limit. My 62 Bug was highly modified before I acquired it. It was converted to electric with Series DC and is now awaiting a change to a dual HPEVS AC-35 Stacked Motor setup. It will be 144v and a total of 1000 amps available to the drive train which will handle that power and torque.