Of the 99 vans which arrived in Southampton, all but 20 of the iconic £35,000 vehicles already have buyers.They are due to be fitted out by Bristol-based company Danbury Motorcaravans before they are sold. End of production, due to new health and safety laws in Brazil, now pushing price of second-hand campers up

The last ever delivery of brand new Volkswagen campervans has arrived in Britain, heralding the end of an era for the iconic ‘hippy bus’. Ninety-nine of the final batch of vans rolled off the production line and onto a container ship bound for Britain after manufacture ceased for good in Brazil in December. The consignment has just arrived at the only British importer, but already most of them have been snapped up by enthusiasts more than happy to pay the £35,000 starting price. They are the last brand new campers in all of Europe.

End of an era: The last new consignment ever of VW campervans arrives at Southampton docks

A little known fact is that Volkswagen have never themselves made a camper. “They have only ever sold the ‘Type 2′ as vans which are then outfitted by coachbuilders around the world.’ Unloading at the Danbury plant: The Bristol-based company has been turning the VW Type 2 Komb vans into beloved campers since the model was first launched in 1950. Mr Jones went on: ‘At Danbury we have been fitting out VW campervans since they were launched in the Fifties and everyone here is very sad that this batch of new vans is the last we will ever have.

‘It will be a very emotional day when the last one rolls out of the factory – that will be one very lucky owner who picks that up. We will be sad to see them all go but the smiles on the faces of the customers who pick them up makes up for it. It’s impossible to collect one of these vans without grinning from ear to ear. You’re not just buying a car – you’re buying a travelling companion with which you will enjoy many memories. Of course there are other makes of camper van but none will ever compare to the classic VW. We’ve even seen the second hand market rise because of demand. We have sold all but about 20 of the final batch and already we are seeing the market go up simply because these vans are unique . There will never be another one.’

On the production line: VW campervans became an instant hit with travellers worldwide on their launch by the German car company in 1950

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