The Westy

1991 Westfalia Camper

Here’s a little bit of technical info about the Westy.

The Volkswagen Vanagon for 1991 was virtually unchanged from the previous year’s model. Several different trim packages were available for 1991, including the standard Vanagon, the Vanagon GL, the GL Camper, the Carat, the Multivan, and the limited-edition Wolfsburg Edition. All versions of the Vanagon were powered by a 2.1-liter water-cooled four-cylinder engine that generated 90 horsepower and included the Digifant fuel-injection system.

A four-speed manual transmission was standard, which is what we have on ours. The rear-wheel-drive vehicle was also equipped with rack and pinion steering, power-assisted brakes, and front and rear independent suspension.

The Vanagon GL added deluxe front seats, power heated mirrors, a rear window wiper, carpeting, and air conditioning, while the GL Camper (this is what we have) added a stove, sink, refrigerator, storage cabinets, and folding stow-away tables. Our Westy also has such features as power door locks, privacy curtains, and power front windows, Our Westy had the refrigerator removed and the GoWesty fridge storage kit added for more room to store things.

After Market Equipment

The first owner (from Portland) was a photographer, so he modified the cabinets in the rear to be “lockable” storage cabinets, enabling him to store camera or computer equipment in the van while he was away from it. Also installed was a new Fiamma F45S Awning, which makes a huge difference in expanding your “livable area” to your campsite. The Westy also has two GoWesty designed hand-built plate steel bumpers, the rear with 2 swing arms so we can access the rear door. The rear bumper has a 2″ insert for our bike rack, which holds 4-5 bikes. One rear swing arm has a full size spare tire on it, and the other “Vano-Swing-Tray” holds things like water and gas tanks, barbeques, or whatever you can strap on there, coolers, storage boxes, BBQs, kitchen sinks… whatever! There is also a Yakima rack installed on top to hold our Yakima storage box and our sea kayak or surfboards. Larger tires and rims were also added, they are GoWesty 16 x 7.5″, ET 38, 8-hole style alloy wheels with BFG T/A KO2 tires.