In the late 1950s, the German post service, the Deutsche Bundespost, was using many different types of vans to deliver post. However, they were soon looking to unify their post service with a ‘flagship’ vehicle. As such, the post service commissioned the largest automobile manufacturer in Germany- Volkswagen- to build the said van.
In 1962, Volkswagen began designing the van that would suit the Bundespost’s need. Originally a lot more detailed, the van was found to be too expensive to build. As such, the van was redesigned to fit features from other Volkswagens. To save costs, VW started off with the Karmann produced Beetle cabriolet. This was due to the strength in its build, however they later switched to the Karmann Ghia as the base as it was wider, hence able to support more weight.
For the other parts of the van, VW turned to some of its other great cars. The engine used was the venerable boxer engine from the Type 1 Beetle. VW also used the transmission and axles from the Beetle while also using the headlights from the VW 1500 compact car, and the tailgate from the Transporter van.
The production of the vans was outsourced to Westfalia Werke, who would build the vehicles at the behest of VW. Production began in 1964, with around 6000 examples produced. While most of the cars were sold to the Deutsche Bundespost, an upgraded version was also sold to the Swiss Post. Lufthansa Airline also purchased a few examples for use at airports.
While there is no direct successor to the 147, the Volkswagen Caddy from the 1980s was heavily influenced by it. The new caddy has a much larger influence from the Type 147, with its high roof and larger rear tailgate. These design cues have helped the Caddy become one of the bestselling commercial vehicles. The 147 also influence the Ford Transit van, also one of the bestselling commercial vehicles.
While the Type 147 was not a major success, the concept of it heavily influenced the American Grumman LLV, used heavily as a post truck for the USPS and the Canada Post.
While the Type 147 was not the best van out there, it defined the shape of vans that carries on to this day, with the Volkswagen Transporter and the Volkswagen Caddy.
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