The Volkswagen Bus That Survived LA’s Wildfires Is Getting a Full Restoration

From the working class in Germany to the Hippies in the United States, the Volkswagen Bus has been the symbol of a great many things since it entered production 75 years ago. Earlier in 2025, it unexpectedly became a symbol of Los Angeles’ resilience when a picture showing a blue and white Bay Window parked among the charred remains of a Malibu neighborhood destroyed by wildfires ended up on front pages across the nation. After evaluating the van’s condition, Volkswagen has agreed to fully restore it.

Shown above, the picture that made the Bus (whose nickname is Azul) famous was poignant for at least two reasons. One is that the van is seemingly the only part of the picture that hasn’t been destroyed by the blaze. Everything else around it is burned, including the houses, the trees, and other cars. It looks like there’s a Ram truck that survived the blaze, too, though it’s far less visible than the Bus. That brings us to point number two: Because it didn’t burn, it’s pretty much the only thing that adds color to the picture.

The owner, Megan Krystle Weinraub, did nothing to prepare or protect the Bus from the flames, a Volkswagen spokesperson told Hagerty. She simply left it where she last parked it after receiving an order to evacuate the neighborhood. “It really was luck, a miracle — maybe both,” the spokesperson added.

We’re not here to decide what is and isn’t a miracle, but the van’s four-speed manual transmission might have helped save it. Weinraub, a 29-year-old surfboard designer, bought the 1977 Bay Window from a friend in the summer of 2024, and she normally parked it on a flat spot up the hill from her apartment because she was still learning how to drive a stick, according to AP News. Had the 2.0-liter flat-four been bolted to the three-speed automatic that Volkswagen offered in 1977, the van might literally be toast.

The rumors claiming that the picture was staged aren’t true, but the rumors claiming that the van escaped unscathed aren’t true, either. Volkswagen’s photos show the extent of the damage. While the driver’s side looks surprisingly clean, the passenger’s side needs a substantial amount of work. The paint is flaking off, and the melted light lenses hint at the heat-related damage you can’t see without sliding underneath or peeking in the engine bay. As is often the case with projects, the to-do list is much longer than it looks.

“You’ll see from the photos that the passenger’s side of the Bus was subject to higher levels of heat and closer proximity to flames. Obviously, there’s a lot of bodywork to be addressed, but our engineering team is also focusing heavily on the engine, braking, suspension, and electrical components that have sustained damage (or melted away) from the high heat,” a Volkswagen spokesperson told Hagerty.

Clearly, this isn’t a matter of popping in a battery, spraying starting fluid in the carburetor, and turning the key. But, the fact that it can be saved in the first place is utterly stunning. “The Bus is structurally sound,” the spokesperson clarified. “Our goal is to return to the owner a vehicle that is roadworthy and reliable.”

Volkswagen has started restoring the van at its Oxnard Campus, which is where it stores and maintains its American division’s collection of historic vehicles, and Azul is expected to be back on the road before the end of 2025. Whether it will remain blue and white will depend on what Weinraub has in mind. “The final finish will be determined with the input of Azul’s owner,” the spokesperson said. “She hasn’t yet decided if she’d like to keep some of the patina or go for a more fresh finish. We’re leaving that totally up to her.”