Photo: Porsche Centrum Gelderland
Introduced in late 1949 as the Type 2, the Volkswagen Transporter quickly became the hauler of choice for many people in Europe and the United States. Also known as the Bus or Kombo, the light commercial vehicle is still around, now in its seventh-generation iteration.
A dependable and spacious yet still somewhat van, the Transporter isn't the type of vehicle we think of when talking about high-performance rigs. Yet there's one version of the van that goes against the tide. It's called the B32 and was developed in the 1980s by Porsche. Although it was built in very limited numbers, we could say it's the company's first and only van. And it's quite a screamer.
In the 1980s, Porsche was still improving on the original 911 while also offering front-engined cars like the 924, 944, and 928. At the same time, the brand was dominating endurance racing with the mighty 956 and 962. So, what prompted the Germans to develop a seemingly unrelated means of transportation?
Well, it's actually simpler than you'd think. Porsche was also working on the 953, an all-wheel-drive version of the 911 means for Group B racing. The final iteration went on to win the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally and spawned the iconic 959. The Zuffenhausen-based carmaker needed a roomy support vehicle fast enough to keep up with the 953 during testing. With no high-performance van available at the time, Porsche decided to build their own using a third-generation Transporter.
Already a few years old at the time, the Volkswagen T3 was pretty much a box on wheels with small displacement and not exactly potent engines. When Porsche began working on the project, the T3 had 55 to 95 horsepower on tap. Not surprisingly, Porsche decided to drop a flat-six unit from the 911 atop the rear axle. Porsche's choice for the mule was a 3.0-liter engine of the 911 SC, but it then switched to the 3.2-liter unit from the Carrera.
Rated at 231 horsepower, the flat-six turned the T3 into a hot rod. Porsche claimed a 0-to-62-mph (100 kph) sprint of around eight seconds and a top speed of 135 mph (217 kph). Moreover, a fully loaded van with the AC system running would be able to maintain a speed of 116 mph (187 kph). Impressive!
To handle all that extra oomph, the T3 also featured a five-speed transaxle with a limited-slip differential, reinforced driveshafts, stiffer springs, and a new electrical system. Styling changes were limited to a chin spoiler and a set of Fuchs wheels.
Porsche built a very small number of B32 vans. Most sources claim only seven were made, on top of a handful of prototypes. The hauler wasn't available in showrooms, with most units delivered to company officials. However, word has it that a few select customers were offered the chance to buy one for a massive amount of money.
How many of these vans are still around? Well, they're rare enough to cost more than a brand-new 911 GT3 RS. The white example you see here is one of those seven vans that soldiered on to 2024. It was first owned by Porsche CEO Peter W. Schutz, and it has been looking for a new home for quite a while.
We initially reported about this B32 in October 2022, and it seems the T3 is still in the Netherlands, wearing the same eye-watering sticker of €364,900 (that's nearly $400,000). Plenty of custom vans may cost more nowadays, but I'm pretty sure this T32 is the world's most expensive vintage hauler.
In the 1980s, Porsche was still improving on the original 911 while also offering front-engined cars like the 924, 944, and 928. At the same time, the brand was dominating endurance racing with the mighty 956 and 962. So, what prompted the Germans to develop a seemingly unrelated means of transportation?
Well, it's actually simpler than you'd think. Porsche was also working on the 953, an all-wheel-drive version of the 911 means for Group B racing. The final iteration went on to win the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally and spawned the iconic 959. The Zuffenhausen-based carmaker needed a roomy support vehicle fast enough to keep up with the 953 during testing. With no high-performance van available at the time, Porsche decided to build their own using a third-generation Transporter.
Already a few years old at the time, the Volkswagen T3 was pretty much a box on wheels with small displacement and not exactly potent engines. When Porsche began working on the project, the T3 had 55 to 95 horsepower on tap. Not surprisingly, Porsche decided to drop a flat-six unit from the 911 atop the rear axle. Porsche's choice for the mule was a 3.0-liter engine of the 911 SC, but it then switched to the 3.2-liter unit from the Carrera.
Rated at 231 horsepower, the flat-six turned the T3 into a hot rod. Porsche claimed a 0-to-62-mph (100 kph) sprint of around eight seconds and a top speed of 135 mph (217 kph). Moreover, a fully loaded van with the AC system running would be able to maintain a speed of 116 mph (187 kph). Impressive!
To handle all that extra oomph, the T3 also featured a five-speed transaxle with a limited-slip differential, reinforced driveshafts, stiffer springs, and a new electrical system. Styling changes were limited to a chin spoiler and a set of Fuchs wheels.
Porsche built a very small number of B32 vans. Most sources claim only seven were made, on top of a handful of prototypes. The hauler wasn't available in showrooms, with most units delivered to company officials. However, word has it that a few select customers were offered the chance to buy one for a massive amount of money.
How many of these vans are still around? Well, they're rare enough to cost more than a brand-new 911 GT3 RS. The white example you see here is one of those seven vans that soldiered on to 2024. It was first owned by Porsche CEO Peter W. Schutz, and it has been looking for a new home for quite a while.
We initially reported about this B32 in October 2022, and it seems the T3 is still in the Netherlands, wearing the same eye-watering sticker of €364,900 (that's nearly $400,000). Plenty of custom vans may cost more nowadays, but I'm pretty sure this T32 is the world's most expensive vintage hauler.
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