1985 Volkswagen T25 1.9 Petrol 5-Speed – 65,000 Miles
A genuinely special, low-mileage T25 panel van with an interesting history, great provenance and a fantastic period-inspired look.
This bus has always been registered in Devon, starting life with its first owner in South Devon, before eventually making its way to North Devon, where it was sympathetically restored by Resto Haus. It has remained in North Devon ever since.
It has had 3 previous owners and has covered just 65,000 miles. It is now registered as a historic vehicle, making it MOT and tax exempt. It had an MOT last year and has covered very little mileage since.
The history behind it is particularly nice. The first owner, a lady and gentleman from Torquay, owned it from new. We understand that the first owner was unable to drive for a number of years, but would regularly pop out to the van in the garage to make sure it was OK. Years later it found by a local VW enthusiast and sold to Resto Haus where is had the restoration work. It has subsequently been well cared for and maintained by South West VWs, and comes with a decent amount of paperwork documenting its life.
When Resto Haus purchased it, the van had suffered some minor parking damage after being backed into a garage. The panel damage was repaired and it was resprayed in its original Pastel White.
Rather than simply return it to standard, Resto Haus gave it a unique period race-support-van inspired theme. The roof was painted VW Tornado Red, with the lower section in British Racing Green, finished with red pinstriping and Castrol vinyls to give it a subtle GTI/race support look.
It was then dropped by a purposeful 70mm and fitted with 17-inch wheels (8s and 9s on the rear).
Inside, the cab retains its original seats and door cards in fantastic condition, while the rear has been converted with a full-width professionally upholstered rock 'n' roll bed in matching brown vinyl.
The interior continues the period race-van theme, with a white vinyl roof to keep the interior light and airy, bottle green lower walls, a bold red stripe running around the van and black-and-white chequered lino flooring.
Instead of a conventional camper kitchen unit, a period-style tool chest, painted in Red and finished with race stickers, provides the storage/worktop area.
There are six LED ceiling spots, mains hook-up and a rotating passenger cab seat, making the rear a surprisingly spacious and comfortable place to camp.
The van also has green-tinted Caravelle windows all round, adding to the finished look.
I've personally spent 30+ nights camping in it, and can honestly say the rock 'n' roll bed is extremely comfortable. It's been used for trips away, taken to shows and even made the journey abroad to the Isle of Wight.
It's certainly an eye-catcher and has started countless conversations in car parks and at shows.
Most recently, it won the T25 Award at Dubs at the Beach 2025, which was a great recognition of the van and its unique look.
Mechanically, it has been a fantastic, usable and reliable bus. It's a 1.9 petrol with a 5-speed manual gearbox, and despite its age and mileage, it has never let me down.
It has 5 seat belts and a brand-new battery fitted this week.
The bodywork is not perfect and there are areas that could be addressed if you wanted to take the van to the next level. I've never allowed this to bother me because, above all, this has been a genuinely enjoyable, reliable and usable bus. I'd rather be honest about its condition than pretend it's something it isn't.
Importantly, this is a low-mileage, uncut T25 panel van, which are becoming increasingly difficult to find. It retains a lot of its original character while having a really distinctive period-inspired camper/race van interior and exterior.
This is a reluctant sale, but I now have a more modern van which I use for camping, so this one isn't getting the use it deserves. I'd like to move on to a weekend/show car, hence the decision to sell.
It's a van that has given me some brilliant memories, from camping trips and the Isle of Wight to shows and the many conversations it starts wherever it goes.
If you're looking for a low-mileage T25 with genuine history, a sympathetic restoration, a unique period look and the ability to actually get out and use it, this is a very special bus.
On the market for £6,500
Viewing is welcome and encouraged. I am happy to do videos of the bus and condition of body work. Transport can be arranged at buyers cost.