Theme with a history: Büssing D2U at WIKING

It was important to WIKING head Fritz Peltzer to include the Berlin double-decker bus in the selection from the onset of the glazed era. The resources for the necessary design and tool making were scarce as a great many other prototypes at the time were waiting to be added to the product range as well. But, the D2U double-decker bus from Berlin was given priority. Delivering his best work, master model maker Alfred Kedzierski used his skilful hands to mould the archetypal model, creating a genuine classic of a model in the process. Here comes the Bluna bus, imprinted with an attractive and eye-catching design. Boasting the same silver Büssing Spider as the original, the model of the D2U is sure to excite a craving for sodas! Unlike today, full-surface designs stretching across buses were not the rule, but the exception - even at the BVG. The towering Bluna letters with their luminous Flower Power orange were embedded in a stylised palm tree landscape, testifying to the exotic origin of the beverage.

Variety thanks to Leiser, Doornkaat or Schultheiss

In 1959, when WIKING first introduced their models, the designs were realised by applying decals. Today, the company turns to precision printing to transfigure the prototypes into 1:87 miniature models. Back then, WIKING resorted to such fantasy brands as Wimo-Sip. Today, the traditional model makers prefer BGV designs that are true to the original - and so do the collectors. In 1959, the first incarnation of the Büssing double-decker bus D2U was unveiled with an open entry at the rear before reality caught up with the miniature in 1972: For safety reasons, the municipal transport company of Berlin, the BVG, had begun years earlier to integrate folding doors on the rear as well, making the sealed version of the D2U a common sight on the roads of the divided city. Later, the original model was joined by models whose flank designs advertised for Leiser, Doornkaat or Schultheiss. Aside from affording its passengers in the seventies an exceptional way to experience West Berlin, the bus also made it possible for those taking their seat right above the driver to discover the divided city. By creating their own unique model theme, WIKING is bringing a piece of German history back to life.

ALL BUS-CLASSICS AT A GLANCE


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