We all dream of engine swaps, don’t we? There are plenty of cars out there that would benefit enormously from a more inspiring powerplant, and almost as many engines that deserve a better home. But the reality of such work is of course much trickier than the Forza dream factory. There’s the challenge of finding suitable donor vehicles, getting the right person to do the work and ensuring everything works as it should… and paying for it, of course. Then you wouldn’t want to get rid of a great engine swap, with all that invested.
So it’s not often that these sorts of projects come up for sale. When they do, there’s maybe still work to do, or it’s perhaps not a swap that appeals, or the price is too optimistic. All of which makes this VW Transporter look like an even more enticing opportunity. On the outside, this looks like a lot of other late T3 Transporters, albeit on a smart set of gold wheels - but there’s far more to it than that.
Understandably, the Transporter was never an especially powerful van, with early air-cooled cars rated at 50 or 70hp; water cooling and capacity increases over time broke the 100hp threshold, though the VW was never bought for performance. Interestingly, some flat sixes did find their way into the back of T3s, with some Oettinger WBX6s making their way to South Africa and Porsche made something called a B32 with the 3.2 Carrera engine in it.
Seemingly inspired by those swaps, this VW also now has a flat-six providing the power - the Subaru EG33 3.3. There’s a manual gearbox, too, which is unexpected. The ‘33 shared its bore and stroke with the flat-four EJ22, and it was the 3.3 used exclusively in the weird and wonderful SVX of the early 1990s - Subaru didn’t do another boxer six until the 21st century. It was potent, too, even more than that old 911 exchange programme: 243hp and 228lb ft are the official outputs.
So this is going to be a fast old bus. It’s been upgraded to handle the power, too, with some big brakes and what must be uprated suspension given the ride height. The interior has had a refresh and retrim as well; it’s hardly a flawless overhaul, but there are new seats, a better sound system and four (!) sunroofs. Go spend a fortune on a California for the ultimate outdoorsy experience - this VW is all about fun. And sounding awesome.
With a pretty serious engine swap in a classic VW, the expectation would usually be in the vicinity of an OTT asking price. Not the case here though, with £14,995 being asked. There’s a six-figure mileage on the Transporter, and it would be good to know exactly the age of the engine (presumably buried in all the paperwork), but that’s really not very many for a van now almost 35 years old and designed for adventure. With a summer of motorsport on the horizon, what a way to travel with mates around the country (and perhaps further afield) the 3.3-litre VW Transporter could be.
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