A daily driver that can sleep a family of four The camper and RV industry has experienced non-stop growth in the United States recently, with eight consecutive years of increasing sales. The fastest-growing sector of the market" Camper vans.
But despite new, trendy vans?also known as Class Bs?from big-time producers like Winnebago and Airstream, many of the most innovative and interesting vans aren?t sold in the U.S. Much to the frustration of camper enthusiasts stateside, you?ll have to go to Europe to find campers like the Volkswagen California van.

The auspicious history of the VW camper van begin in the late 1940s, although the first ?Splitty? bus wasn?t introduced to the U.S. market until the mid-1950s. Over the next few decades, the VW bus became an icon of American culture, with millions of Transporters, Bays, and Syncros hauling everyone from hippies and musicians to hardcore camping families. Many of us grew up camping in a VW bus, sparking both a love of the outdoors and a latent affinity toward life on the road. But due to changing markets, the growing popularity of SUVs, and new safety regulations, the last VW van sold in the U.S. was in 2003. Since then, we?ve had to covet Eurovans from afar or track down pricey vintage Vanagons that can be hard to maintain.

When not in camping mode, the California?s low profile makes it a stealth daily driver.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the first Westfalia-built California camper...