I think Joel's taxonomy is for the later years, or else I have the wrong badge
on the back.  My 1981 thinks it's a Vanagon L, but it has chrome bumpers, 
cloth seats, carpeting, and originally a black pinstripe at the beltline
between elfenbein and orange.  Now it's elfenbein (or as close as Maaco could
get on a bad day) all over.
If I remember right, L was as good as it got in the first two years of Vanagon.
Anybody else's 80 or 81 L as "loaded" as mine?  L also means squeezable brown
shift knob, instead of black plastic, right
B.