Volkswagen T4

The change was not a detail but affected everything: body, chassis, engines and above all interior space. Where the T3's boxer engine had claimed volume, there was now load area. That is exactly what made the T4 the basis for a whole generation of camper conversions — and explains why well-kept examples remain sought after.

The engine range was unusually broad for a van. Petrol units came as four-, five- and six-cylinders, the latter as VR6 and V6; diesels as four- and five-cylinders. The old air-cooled boxers gave way to modern inline engines with regulated catalytic converters.

The T4 was offered not only as a Transporter but also as Multivan, Caravelle and California. Anyone assessing a vehicle should therefore read the trim line too: a bare panel van and a California are worlds apart, though both go by T4.

One note for searching: many entries for this range come from official registration data. Dimensions and weights are reliable; the specific equipment of an individual vehicle is not recorded there.