THE BUS IS AN EASY FIX
By 1961, the VW Bus featured a 40 hp engine (not a typo) that helped the vehicle reach a top speed of about 50 mph. It did so by consuming gas at a rate of 20 mpg. Of course, back then gasoline cost about as much as tap water.
One side benefit to the modest performance numbers? Most mechanical issues could be fixed by average Joes, since the Bus had a straightforward engine and drive train. Books like How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot, which was first published in 1969, explained how to fix most problems. Unfortunately, the book’s editor wasn’t able to fix the misspelling of “complete.”
