My First VW Microbus  

1959 Deluxe.  Purchased in 1969.  The bus had been rolled over, so the top and one side were kind of krinkly and it leaked.  It had a 1200 engine and was super slow.  Interior included a bed and a cast-iron pot-belly stove (note smokestack).  Exterior had been hand-painted orange (lifeguard orange), hence the name "orange crate".  It lived in Culver City and traveled to the local mountains (second gear all the way up the grade), and to the Sierras. 

My Current VW Bus - 1971 Westfalia:

See description and more images in link below.