Hidden Treasure - 1963 Split


 


This long forgotten Moortown conversion proves that with a little curiosity and a bit of good luck, they’re still out there, waiting to be discovered...


 


Moortown Motors were a Leeds-based company that began converting the ever-versatile VW Bus into Campers in the late 1950s. Their first demonstrator Bus was ready to exhibit at the 1958 Motor Show. Bamforth of East Heslerton were the cabinet makers that Moortown worked with to create a high-quality interior using Japanese oak throughout. The list of options available were impressive, if not amusing, by today’s standards, with the sales brochure listing the following: “spacious dinette for four; foam rubber cushions; water storage containers; fold-away wash basin; roof interior covered in washable plastic and an interior electric light”. The Moortown adverts highlighted the ease and simplicity of the conversion, as well as showing how it really is a home from home, with creature comforts such as a full-length wardrobe and a two-burner Calor Gas cooker, to name but two. Sleeping arrangements were extremely functional, with each of your two children having either end of the Bus with the seating area, which folded into a double bed, in the middle. The front driver and passenger bench seat converted into one single bed, while the area above the engine was single bed number two, though I’m sure more than one child was squashed in there on family holidays over the years. Incidentally, the dining table was stowed just above the rear single bed and beneath the rear locker, which was shaped into the curve of the roof. 


We have three people to thank for preserving this Bus in recent years and not modifying it beyond recognition, and they are Terry Smith, Steve Nolan and Michael Johnstone. All three are aware of the rarity of this Bus and all three felt it deserved to be preserved in its original state because of that. 


If we go back to late summer 2007, the first of our trio enters the Moortown’s life. Signwriter and classic commercial vehicle enthusiast, Terry Smith, had recently moved to Devon, where he rented a small lock-up garage, which was owned by an 80-year old Polish gentleman. Terry’s lock up was one of many on the site, but most were just dilapidated old sheds. Being a classic vehicle enthusiast though, the first thing he did was to have a snoop around in the hope that he might find something of interest lurking in one of the sheds. And guess what he spotted through a gap in the door of one of the lock ups?  Curious to speak to the owner, Terry asked the his landlord who rented that lock up, but was told nobody rented it as it was his own – as was the Bus inside. After much gentle pestering, the landlord agreed to show him the Bus. The story goes that the landlord bought the van new in 1963, had Moortown carry out the conversion in readiness for his annual holiday back to Poland, and then, after covering some 50,000 miles in it, he parked it up. That was 15 years previously. Luckily, the Bus had remained in excellent condition, with no rust setting in and the oak interior retaining its shape. Even the fabrics were undamaged. Mechanically though, time had not been so kind. Both the brakes and the clutch were seized solid and refused to budge. Being a sensible chap, to prevent any damage while removing the Bus from the shed, Terry dropped the engine, which solved the clutch problem and allowed easy access to the rear brakes. Once out of the lock up, Terry focussed his energies on getting the original engine back in order, by stripping it down and fitting new piston rings, big end bearings, an oil pump and cam followers, as well as a host of new seals and gaskets. Prior to the install of the newly freshened motor Terry thoroughly cleaned the engine bay and carefully repainted any areas that were looking anything less than concours. The exterior he left in its original, factory paint.


Roll on to the start of 2009 and the Bus is now under the care of Steve Nolan of Wolfsburg VWs. Steve has a love for all things original, so when he bought the Bus he set about polishing the aged paint. Unfortunately,  although it held some shine, it was not up to his exacting standards so he very carefully removed the glass, being careful not to damage the original rubbers, before laying on a new coat of its original L345 Light Grey.


The rear seats had covers over them from new, which were looking a bit tired, so Steve decided to remove them. What greeted him was the most original upholstery he says he has ever seen.


As Steve says, “It’s such a unique Bus in its own right, but for it to be a Moortown is even cooler.” Much as he would like to have kept it, you can’t keep them all, so Steve started looking for a new owner – someone who would appreciate that what they have is a seriously rare piece of kit. 


Enter the third and final member of our trio – Michael Johnstone – a man who had been looking for a Split Bus for a long time. “I spent my childhood with my grandparents in Berlin watching the VWs at work in the city as ambulances, police and fire vehicles," explained Michael, "and always thought it would be nice to have one. I never actually imagined I would be a driving a Split Screen Bus though, and certainly not 50 years later.” Though he had never owned a Split, Michael is no stranger to the world of VWs, having owned a 1973 Karmann Beetle Cabriolet for over 15 years and being an active member of the UK Cabriolet Club. So, with these credentials behind him, Steve knew he had found the new owners for the Bus, but that didn’t stop Steve giving Michael, his wife Ann, and even young Holly, one single piece of advice – “Do not change anything”.

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