Volkswagen Westfalia Campers: SO-23 Deluxe Camper (1958–1965)

This blog post is all about the split screen Volkswagen transporter with a Westfalia Camper conversion.

SO is short for sonderausfuhrungen, meaning Special Model.
23 is the VW camper model from November 1958 to August 1961 – the VW 1959 to 1961 year model.
Westfalia was the coachbuilder used by Volkswagen to build it’s official Camper conversions throughout the 1950-1967 split screen bus production.

On this page you will find information specific to the SO-23 model.  However, if you have another Westfalia model don’t close that window just yet, because some of the information and parts on these pages apply to other models too!

Westfalia-werke Wiedenbruck started making Volkswagen Transporters into Camper conversions in 1951.  Known as Camper box conversions 1000 were built upto August 1958.  Introduced in September 1958 – the 1959 VW year model – was the SO-23.  It was to be the official VW camper upto 1961.  Westfalia continued to make camping conversions on VW split screen buses with 6 more models after the SO-23; the SO-34, SO-35, SO-33, SO-42, SO-44 and SO-45.

The SO-23 camper conversion was based upon a kombi.  It was available from Volkswagen dealers or a van owner could take their van direct to Westfalia for conversion.  Many were delivered via the Tourist Delivery Programme where a new owner would pick up their new van in Germany and transport it back home, typically to the USA.  The UK never had the early Westfalia offerings, instead being offered inferior, IMHO, Devon and Dormobile conversions from VWUK.  Countries known to have dealer delivered factory SO-23 campers are Germany, USA, South Africa, Austria, Japan, Gibralter, France, Denmark and Canada.  Although many of these found their way to the USA, probably being bought by US servicemen serving overseas.

Available in LHD and RHD, the SO-23 could be ordered in Standard and Deluxe variations.  The RHD interior being a mirror image of the LHD.

Standard SO-23 Equipment

• Plywood Lining.  Made from imported Limba Ply included a 3/4 length headliner.
• Window curtains matching the seat covers and paint.  See below for the available colours.
• A formica topped table on the cargo door for the optional petrol cooker.
• A formica topped “washing” cupboard with a plastic wash basin and water tap.
• Anodized tumblers held in a plastic cover (bar), located on the top of the washer box.
• Spring seats covered in plaid material according to the exterior finish.  See below for options.
• A folding centre table with formica top.  This could be folded down to convert to a bed sleeping 2 adults.
• A clothes closet with a mirror on the door.
• A cot which converted the cab bench seat into a childs bunk beds.
• A glassfibre water tank holding 90 litres of water delivered by a pump.
• A hinged roof flap known as a submarine hatch (sub hatch).
• A 3 bow sloping roof rack.
• A side awning which attached to the roof and bumpers.  A toilet compartment could be attached to the side.
• Sisal material cargo floor covering.
• 2 Clam shell wall lights.
• A luggage net attached to the cupboards above the engine compartment.
• A vinyl floor covering above the engine compartment.

Optional Deluxe Equipment

• A Portable Chemical Toilet.  Stored in the same compartment as the water tank.
• A petrol cooker.
• A cupboard on the left hand side (LHD) with a Cold Box.

Colour Options

SO-23’s could be ordered in all standard VW bus colours and Westfalia special paint options (known as SK codes).

SK654c Sealing Wax Red lower, Beige Grey upper.
SK654e Sealing Wax Red lower and upper.
SK691d Dove Blue lower and upper.
SK693 Mango Green lower, Seagull Grey upper.
SK1033 Light Grey lower and upper.

The Light Grey and Red paint options were delivered with red / black checkerboard plaid seats and red curtains.  The Dove Blue and Mango Green / Seagull Grey paint options came with yellow / black checkerboard plaid seats and yellow curtains.
All models were delivered with the 1959 on kombi grey cab bench seat, which has no vertical stitching unlike the deluxe model cover. The kick panels, cab headliner panels, and door panels were all the grey board kombi type when delivered.

The most common paint scheme appears to be the SK654c Sealing Wax Red / Beige Grey combination.

Apart form the bus year changes, the most noticeable of these being semaphore to bullet indicators on Euro spec buses, chrome spoon handles for cargo doors and ribbed cab door handles changing to grey handles in 60 and hinge covers on the front cargo door hinges also in 60.

 
SO-23 Westfalia interior changes

The list below is Westfalia parts I have noticed which are different between the 3 years of SO-23 production.

Luggage Space Floor covering above the engine compartment.

1959 Grey fake hide effect. Very early examples only.  Soon changed to Brown vinyl
1960 Brown vinyl “Marble Mat”.
1961 Green vinyl “Marble Mat”.

Washer Box Half Oval Door.

1959 1 hinge.
1960 2 hinges.
1961 2 hinges.

Bulkhead Metal Bezel.

1959 Gold Colour.
1960 Gold Colour.
1961 Silver Colour.

Curtain Leather Straps.

1959 Side windows and cab divider curtains.
1960 Cab divider curtains only.
1961 Cab divider curtains only.

Cot Brackets in cab.

1959 Polished Alluminium
1960 Black cast metal. Same as Porsche 356 luggage brackets.  -Not the same as the bracket on the cargo door-
1961 Black cast metal. Same as Porsche 356 luggage brackets.  -Not the same as the bracket on the cargo door-

Cot poles.

1959 Early type
1960 Early type
1961 Later type, same style as flipseat and later models.

Side Limba Ply Metal Edging.

1959 Long Side bottom edge only.
1960 Long Side bottom edge and vertical edge near bulkhead.
1961 Long Side bottom edge and vertical edge near bulkhead.

Large Coat Hooks on van sides above bulkhead.

1959 Early Camper Box type (vertical screw holes).
1960 Early Camper Box type (vertical screw holes) and Later type (diagonal screw holes).
1961 Later type (diagonal screw holes).

Tent Poles.

1959 Galvanized Metal, not painted. Same as earlier camper box.
1960 Painted Black. Extra Poles for changing room.
1961 Painted Black. Extra Poles for changing room.

Cargo Door Extendable Table Leg.

1959 All chrome.
1960 Lower half painted in metallic hammered effect paint.
1961 Lower half painted in metallic hammered effect paint.

Perspex Tumbler Cover.

1959 Mounts to bulkhead with 4 screws.
1960 Mounts to bulkhead with 4 screws.
1961 Mounts to bulkhead with 2 screws.

Submarine Hatch Hinge Bolts.

1959 Box Shape.
1960 Box Shape.
1961 Cylinder Shape.

Undoubtedly there is other changes.  These are the differences I have noticed on my 1959 and 1961 SO-23’s.  These have been confirmed on a 1960 model.

 
SO-23 identification

Apart from the obvious recognisable features of the SO-23 interior like the mirror on the closet door, the clamshell wall lights, the checkboard seat material and the cups and plastic bar, there should be details of the interior on the van M plate (located on the bulkhead behind the cab seat).

Codes known to be the SO-23 interior are 023, A23, B23, D23, E23, G23, H23, J23, K23.

It is not really known what the differences are between each SO-23 code on the M plate.  It could be the combination of the 3 optional extras?

Not all SO-23’s have the interior identified on the M plate.  Any original van which fits this category was converted by the Westfalia factory in Germany and is not a VW factory conversion.  It was possible in the early sixties to take your van to Westfalia to be converted – this explains the lack of SO-23 M code.

A good way to check for a Westfalia factory conversion is to look for the beige paint used in the rear of the van.  Westfalia applied this paint before fitting the camper interior, you can find it behind the wood panels on the cargo doors and throughout the rear.  It was applied by brush and often strayed onto the original window rubbers.

 
SO-23 Perculiarities

Some SO-23 campers don’t stick to the rules.

There is known original 1959 and 1961 examples which have no evidence of the tumblers ever being fitted.
Some examples do not have plaid checkerboard seat covers.  Instead they are fitted with tweed material – the same as what was used in Westfalia caravans.  Red and Blue examples are known fitted in Sealing Wax Red / Beige Grey and Dove Blue vans respectively.
There is a 1961 Grey example with a factory yellow interior.  I parted out a factory 1961 deluxe model which had no sub hatch.  My 1959 SO-23 has a factory Golde Sunroof.  There is a walkthrough kombi with factory SO-23 interior.

 
SO-23 Options

The combinations in the table above gives 8 possible option M code variations based on optional accessories available from the factory.  Other variations could possibly be Euro or US Spec awning colours?

Over the 40+ years these vans have been on the road some parts inevitably go missing.  The optional extras are no exception and the Enders Stove and Chemical Toilet are rarely found in an original van.  While this may have given the previous owners extra storage space under the rear seat it does not help to identify the true original items shipped with the van.  The cold box is nearly always intact however, and from the vans I have seen and know to be original I make the following observations:

M plate option code 023 – Factory cold box.
M plate option code A23 – Standard interior, no cold box.
M plate option code B23 – Standard interior, no cold box,  chemical toilet.
M plate option code D23 – Factory cold box, toilet, enders stove.
M plate option code J23 – Standard interior, no cold box.

These 3 options could well have originally been delivered with the stove or toilet, but on the examples I have seen they were missing.

It may be possible to see if there originally was a Toilet or Stove delivered with the van if you look under the forward rear seat.  2 rubber mounts similar to those on the subhatch is a sure sign a toilet once was there.  On my van there is a circular mark on the wood, so you can see it had been fitted.  The Stove fits in a wood “sled” behind the small door.  This sled being missing could be an indication there was never a stove when factory shipped.

 
SO-23 Safaris and Popouts

I’ve noticed a lot of SO-23 Westfalias have US equipment export codes.

There’s a lot of mystery behind exactly what was in each export code package.

My observations are the factory fitted side window popouts and safari windows have nothing at all to do with the Westfalia camper code, instead they appear to be dependant on the export accessory code.

M372 2 popout side windows
M374 6 popout side windows
M375 Safari windscreens and 6 popout side windows

If you have an original SO-23 please mail me details of your m code and accessories that came with it so I can add to the m code list.

That’s all for now.  I’ll update this page as and when I get new info.