Extremely rare and unique 1988 VW T25 / T3 2.1 Dehler Profi 2.1 petrol automatic WBX 4 berth campervan
Advertising on behalf of a customer of ours.
Some of you may know what these are, but for the many that won’t: Dehler are a German luxury yacht brand who in the 1980’s turned their expertise with designing luxurious small spaces to produce high end luxury campervans based on the VW T3 (and later the T4).
Marketed to travelling sales reps as an alternative to hotels, their redesign of the base T3 was very comprehensive and ambitious: it had a shower, toilet, sleeping space for 4 adults (in case the sales meeting went really well!), seating for 6 passengers, and a U-shaped seating format which allows 6 people to sit around a table. They were also sold with many luxury extras which were rare at the time, such as air conditioning, central locking and electric windows, as well as distinct exterior styling panels, washer jet headlights and a lower front grille with fog lights.
Sadly so ambitious was the redesign that only 5000 were sold before the project was canned in 1992. Clearly some 35 years later, very few examples of this iconic piece of design are left on the road – and very few of them in the UK – so this really is a rare opportunity to own a unique and appreciating bit of automotive history.
Among the many refinements and enhancements you’ll find in a Dehler Profi:
– cold *and hot* running water
– fold out shower and toilet cubicle!
– air conditioning
– ISRI rotating front captains seats with armrests (these alone now sell for well over £1000 a set!)
– luxury and Dehler-specific blue upholstery, with rear armrests and padded colour-matched headrests (extremely rare in a T3!)
– solar panel on roof with interior voltage and charge monitors
– electric windows and mirrors (these being big mirrors) – a given on a modern car, but not on a T3!
– front washer jets
– wood panel dashboard with fold-out passenger table
– fold out sink and double hob cooker
– 2 double beds – one folds away in high top (mattress included), the other is made from the rear seats folding flat (very comfy!)
– seating for 6 adults across three rows, with the middle row movable and able to be placed in several different orientations.
– webasto petrol auxiliary heater
– 2.1 waterboxer engine (112hp DJ code – and in this van just fully rebuilt)
– automatic gearbox
– front headlight washer jets
– rear wiper
– 12v integrated coolbox (needs attention)
– full exterior big bumper style bodykit and upper half grp panels which are unique to Dehler. I *believe* I read somewhere these were created by project zwo for Dehler (though can’t find article now).
– two-tone metallic paint job – on this particular model, metallic blue and grey, which I think really suits the van.
In addition, this particular vehicle benefits from:
– 15 Mercedes Penta alloy wheels on load-rated commercial tyres
– lots of additional storage cubby holes
– electric temperature gauge on dashboard
The van has just undergone a lengthy schedule of mechanical work to put it back on the road after a period of being laid up. This includes:
– fully rebuilt brand new 2.1DJ engine with new bearings, piston rings, new gaskets and seals throughout and new cylinder heads
– fuel injectors professionally cleaned and tested
– go westy fuel rail
– rebuilt distributor
– new starter and leisure battery
– many new coolant hoses, new coolant reservoir
– new spark plugs, HT leads, distributor cap, fuel filter and air filter
– new brake discs and pads upfront, while they were off we reconditioned the callipers
– brand new gearbox oil cooler radiator, which deletes the flawed design VW used which can often cause premature gearbox failure
– rebuilt brake drums with new pads and bearings on the back axle
– 12 months MOT
The vehicle had an LPG system installed with a gas tank under the front in the spare wheel cavity (spare located in boot now), but the LPG cooler was blocked, so the system has been disabled. It will need to be replaced and the system reinstated by an LPG specialist should you wish to use this again. The front-mounted tank has been removed but comes with the van.
Bodywork-wise, the van is presentable and has never been welded or failed an MOT on corrosion (indeed the tester remarked upon how solid it is underneath). The seams are very good for a T25, the paint is generally bright. These are the positives.
The imperfections:
the driver side gutter has erupted (presumably from water ingress in the bonding sealant) and is starting to look ugly. Also, there are numerous scratches around the van and some mismatch of paint colour if you look close. It is usable and presentable as is, but to bring it back to full show spec, it would need a respray.
There is some lacquer peel in a few places, most notably on the roof.
Several bodykit panels were repainted as part of a general cosmetic tidying exercise, tins of paint matched paint in both blue and grey are included in the sale for next owner to use in future.
Internally a few of the camping bits need some attention to get them all working again… we haven’t really investigated these at any length. The bits that need looking at are: 12v coolbox, the shower, water pump (it’s pulsing but nothing coming through, maybe it needs filing, maybe it needs a new diaphragm or pump), webasto heater, some of the interior plastics have gone brittle and cracked (the sliding door inner trim panel is in a bit of a mess). Someone with a bit of knowledge could easily tackle these jobs over time, whilst having an enjoyable and mostly functional camper right away.
Given the rarity and very high specification, this is definitely an appreciating vehicle and a great investment proposition for a collector or someone looking to restore to A1 standard (see for example this one, which sold for £30k!: Ref 108 1988 Dehler Profi VW T25 Campervan MRP (historics.co.uk)).
However, it’s also just a unique, head-turning and very capable camper just as it is, for someone who wants to own and enjoy it roughly as it is!
Price is negotiable, it owes the owner a lot of money and with so few of these around they are hard to value accurately, but he does want to sell, so will listen to sensible offers.
The vehicle is in Norbury, South London, for viewing. Thanks for reading.
Please note:
This is a private sale and we are not the seller. Whilst the description is accurate to the best of our knowledge, it is provided for informational purposes only; we are an unrelated third party and not the owner of the vehicle, hence you should not rely on or take any warranties from this description. We will manage negotiations with the owner, who has title. You must carry out your own inspections (or ask someone competent to do so on your behalf) because caveat emptor (buyer beware) provisions of private sales will apply.
