I find myself saddened by the vituperous denigradation of the performance of
the Vanagon Westfalia Diesel that has recently graced the pages of this list.
As I have noted previously, I have owned one of these engineering
masterpieces since taking delivery at the Westfalia factory in Weidenbruck in
July of 1982. Recently, as I have been researching some engineering issues
regarding the turbocharging of my Digifant 8V 1.8L gasoline powered
transplant, I have had occasion to obtain some of the original German
language technical articles that described the work entailed in the
adaptation of the VW 1.6L diesel to the vanagon. These articles show that the
engineering target at the time was the performance benchmark of the 1.6L air
cooled gasoline engine version of the transporter which was the highest
volume production vanagon of the period. As the article clearly documents
(measurements, not anecdotal evidence) the diesel vanagon outperformed its
benzin-powered stablemate. I have recently completed a translation of this
article. I must yet incorporate the figures in a more modest size at which
point I can offer it to one of the lists web sites or pass on the translated
paper by email to those desirous.

Diesel performance - blows the doors off all Air Cooled campers that have
come before. We here in the US simply don't know how to drive and appreciate
the thing. Not forgetting superb reliability and minimal cost of ownership.
Inability to readily ignite  with leaking fuel lines or upon the unhappy
occasion of a vigorous rear ending by a soccer mom. I could go on, but
discretion...

Frank Grunthaner