Volkswagen Restores "Magic Bus" That Survived California Wildfire
Summary
Volkswagenof America is honoring the third annual International Volkswagen Bus Day by restoring a remarkable survivor of California's 2025 Palisades Fire — a 1977 T2 Bus known as 'Azul.' The white-over-blue van captured national attention after an AP photo showed it seemingly untouched amid the charred remains of a Malibu neighborhood.
Now dubbed the 'magic bus,' Azul belongs to Megan Krystle Weinraub, who was relieved when Volkswagen offered to assess and restore the beloved vehicle. Following clearance to access the area, the bus was transported to VW's Oxnard Engineering Campus, home to the brand's historic fleet, where a thorough inspection revealed the need for extensive repairs despite its photogenic 'good side.'
Restoration efforts are underway, with work expected to be completed later this year. The project reflects Volkswagen's ongoing support for California communities impacted by wildfires. Earlier this year, the automaker donated to the California Fire Foundation to aid first responders and their families.
'Getting Azul back on the road will let its magic and message of hope continue,' said Rachael Zaluzec, SVP of Marketing for Volkswagen Group of America.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin to miss NASCAR's first international race after birth of son
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Denny Hamlin will miss NASCAR's first international race of the modern era to remain in North Carolina following the birth of his child. Ryan Truex will replace him Sunday in Mexico City. Advertisement 'See you guys in Pocono,' Hamlin posted on social media. 'We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.' Hamlin and fiancee Jordan Fish now have three children, two daughters and a son born Wednesday. Hamlin had been on baby watch the last 12 days as Fish went nearly two weeks past her predicted due date. He had planned to get out of the car at Michigan last Sunday if she went into labor early in the race, but when the first stage passed with no word, he went on to score his third win of the season. The victory was the 57th of his career and made him the all-time winningest driver at Joe Gibbs Racing. Through 15 races this season, Hamlin ranks third in the overall Cup Series standings. Advertisement Truex, younger brother of former JGR full-time driver Martin Truex Jr., is Gibbs' reserve driver. His last Cup Series start was in 2014 and he has 26 starts at NASCAR's top level. Hamlin will need NASCAR to grant him a waiver to be eligible to compete in the playoffs for the Cup Series championship. NASCAR during the offseason tightened the rules for granting waivers, but said it would permit a driver skipping an event for the birth of a child. The 44-year-old Hamlin will snap his streak of 406 consecutive starts. Hamlin last missed a race in 2014 at California Speedway because of an eye irritation. ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lewis Hamilton defends Fred Vasseur amid Ferrari exit rumors ahead of Canadian GP
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Lewis Hamilton defended Fred Vasseur on Friday amid reports the Ferrari team principal will be ousted before the end of the Formula 1 season. Reports have swirled for a bit as Hamilton, in his first season with Ferrari, and Charles Leclerc have yet to contend for victories. The speculation hit a new level ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix as multiple reports indicated Vasseur's time is close to coming to an end. Advertisement Ferrari is almost 200 points behind McLaren in the constructors' standings and hasn't won a race since Mexico last season. Leclerc has scored a podium only three times in nine races, while Hamilton's best finish this season is fourth. Leclerc and Hamilton head into Sunday's race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ranked fifth and sixth in the driver standings and Hamilton appeared near tears following his sixth-place finish at the Spanish GP in F1's last outing. The reports about Vasseur have hinted that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner could replace him at Ferrari. Hamilton was disappointed by the speculation. 'He has a my full support. It's definitely not nice to hear that there are stories out there,' Hamilton said Thursday in Montreal. "I love working with Fred. Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here and we're in this together. We're working hard in the background. Advertisement 'Things aren't perfect, but for me, as I said, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred. I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to be at the top. Ultimately, (the reports) are nonsense." Vasseur also received support from Carlos Sainz Jr., who spent two seasons driving for him at Ferrari before Vasseur replaced him ahead of this year with seven-time world champion Hamilton. Sainz, who now drives for Williams, took issues with 'finger-pointing' among the media covering F1. 'Same story as always, the moment that the results don't click in Ferrari, there's always finger-pointing by the media, and all this chaos happening,' Sainz said. "Fred and I have a great relationship. In the past, obviously, we went through a tough month where he didn't want me and signed Lewis, but apart from that, we made peace about it, and I get on well, and I always rated him as a team principal and as a person.' Advertisement Ferrari a year ago finished second to McLaren in the constructors' championship, and based on the addition of Hamilton, many predicted Ferrari would challenge for that title this season. Instead, Ferrari is far off the pace of McLaren as driver championship leader Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have combined to win seven of nine races. Max Verstappen, Red Bull's reigning three-time world champion, has won twice. 'I thought, honestly, Ferrari could be in the fight for the championship this year. That's what I communicated to Charles, and to the team. For me, everything was coming into place," Sainz said. "I had zero involvement in the development of the '25 cars, so I don't know where they went with the balance, with the setup, and why they are struggling to get a result this year out of it. 'At the same time, probably, McLaren is just doing an excellent job. If McLaren is doing such a good job, then it doesn't matter how good you do, there's just someone performing at a very high level with two super strong drivers and doing very, very good in F1 right now, and that is McLaren.' Advertisement Hamilton also explained his tearful frustration in Spain, an emotion that replaced his initial angry outburst at the end of the race. He said both he and Leclerc had issues with their Ferrari's that made them incapable of competing from the midway point of the race. 'I said on the radio that was the worst feeling car that I'd ever had and it truly was,' Hamilton said. 'At the end of the race I was like, 'Geez, I've never experienced something this bad for such a prolonged time through a race.'' It wasn't until hours later when Hamilton met with engineers and learned there was an undisclosed issue hampering the Ferraris. 'There was a bit of a relief to hear that," Hamilton said, "because I definitely didn't feel so terrible afterward.' ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lance Stroll refuses to discuss wrist injury specifics ahead of home Canadian Grand Prix
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, and Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, of Canada, take part in a press conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, of Canada, takes part in a news conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, of Canada, takes part in a news conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, and Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, of Canada, take part in a press conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, of Canada, takes part in a news conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Lance Stroll cited 'medical privacy' Thursday in refusing to discuss the specifics of the wrist injury or medical procedure that kept the Formula 1 driver from participating in the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago. The Aston Martin driver has been cleared to compete this weekend at his home Canadian Grand Prix, but he was short on details about his injury. Aston Martin has said only that Stroll, the son of the team owner, underwent a 'successful medical procedure to resolve the symptoms' and that he completed test laps in France to earn clearance for Sunday's race in Canada. Advertisement The 26-year-old Stroll did not elaborate further. The team previously said Stroll had been experiencing pain for six weeks and doctors believed the problem was related to a medical procedure he underwent in 2023 following a cycling accident to treat fractures to both wrists and a broken toe. "Pretty confident. Should be good," Stroll initially offered Thursday in Montreal. He only revealed a bit more after persistent questioning. "It was bothering me for a few weeks over Imola, Monaco and then Barcelona was just really brutal throughout the weekend," Stroll said. 'I got a procedure done and drove this week and I was feeling pretty good, so I'm confident it's just the old injury that I had with it a couple of years ago. It just started to bug me again and yeah, just got it sorted.' Advertisement When asked which wrist was treated, Stroll said: "That's my right one,″ in reference to the hand he refused to remove from his pocket during Thursday's news conference in Montreal. Stroll has scored only 14 points this season while teammate Fernando Alonso has struggled to just two points as Aston Martin has endured a tremendous drop-off in performance. Stroll also downplayed reports he had a meltdown in the Aston Martin garage following a poor showing in qualifying at the Spanish GP. 'I was frustrated, for sure, frustrated about my wrists and last three races from Imola — it was inhibiting my driving,' Stroll said. 'I knew that Sunday was going to be tricky, probably impossible and at that point I was pretty frustrated about it.' Advertisement Prior to that, Stroll said he'd been trying to drive through the pain. 'As an athlete, in any sport, you're always trying to push through the pain, discomfort, as much as you can and try to get a good result,' Stroll said. "In that situation, I was struggling and I was trying to push through it and it just didn't feel sensible to push anymore. Felt like the damage was getting worse and I needed to do something more serious about it. 'I don't want to really get into detail about what I had to do and how I had to do it because it's just my medical privacy and I like to keep that confidential.' ___ AP auto racing:
