Forget all the usual dual-cab ute options on the market. If you’re in Canberra, this is the one you want.

A rare 1975 Volkswagen Type 2 (Kombi) ute has come up for auction at the CarBids showroom in Fyshwick, and it’s more than just another classic VW.

For anyone who remembers Canberra 50 years ago, it will be a nostalgic sliver of local history.

The signwriting alone is a time capsule.

Hand-painted original branding for Dopac’s Motor Engineering, a Mitchell-based workshop that specialised in German marques including VW, Audi, BMW and Porsche through the 1970s, sits alongside a six-digit phone number, which was phased out nationally between 1994 and 1998.

The small depiction of the new Parliament House flagpole on the rear pillar suggests the Kombi was still on the road after that building opened in 1988, too.

Not its first time under the hammer

This isn’t the first time Dopac’s old workhorse has popped up in recent years. Less than two years ago, it was auctioned through CarBids alongside several other Kombis after spending decades in a shed in Mitchell, doing very little.

Back then, it fetched about $21,500 – despite not starting or driving.

The buyer, a Kombi collector from Bungendore, has since spent months overhauling almost everything mechanical under the hood: brakes, wheel bearings, carburettors, air cleaners, distributor, spark plugs, engine seals, and various electrical components.

It now runs and drives well, even if the odometer reading of 10,316 km is optimistic at best.

Clearly a working ute – with added tacos. Photo: James Coleman.

Patina intact, tacos included

Cosmetically, there’s a new VW badge on the nose, fresh door handles, and – either in the spirit of making things fun or because the owner couldn’t find anything else at Spotlight – taco-patterned fabric on the door cards. A spare set of VW Fuchs wheels is also included in the sale.

But crucially, the exterior has been left largely untouched.

“Scrapes, scratches and dents, surface rust, some rust bubbling on lower edges,” the auction report reads.

As a Canberra car for its entire life, it’s described as remarkably rust-free – something rarely said about Kombis, which normally live out retirement on the coast with a surfboard strapped to the top.

A rare version of a cult classic

The Volkswagen Type 2 dual-cab ute was introduced in 1958, a few years after the original Kombi and single-cab utility, making it among the first. But it wasn’t actually VW that built it.

That honour went to aftermarket coachbuilder Binz, and VW management only saw the appeal – and the profit – and began producing factory dual-cabs later that year.

The design was clever, if compromised. The drop-side gates were brilliant, but the upright rear-mounted engine forced an awkwardly high tray floor. The upside was a flat cargo area with no wheel-arch intrusion.

The rest of the driving experience was typical old-school Kombi: slow, noisy and most likely fatal if you hit anything larger than a locust head on.

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How much is Canberra history worth?

With everything now sorted mechanically, CarBids and Allbids CEO Ben Hastings expects the Kombi to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000 when the online auction closes on 18 February.

While Kombi values surged during COVID and have since plateaued, prices continue to edge upward – especially for rarities like a dual-cab ute with original, hand-painted business signage.

“I’d be very sad to see it go to someone who will remove it,” Mr Hastings says.

“But I think it’s a strong part of its value – the Canberra patina.”

The auction is open until 7:55 pm on 18 February, 2026.