√Stephen Hawking’s 1988 Volkswagen Caravelle heads to auction

The Volkswagen van belonging to one of the most important and influential minds of the scientific community is coming up for sale.

A 1988 Volkswagen T25 Caravelle GL 112 Minibus owned by Stephen Hawking will soon be heading across the auction block.

Considered one of the most brilliant minds of his time, the late Hawking – who was wheelchair-bound for decades as a result of living with motor neuron disease – used the Volkswagen as his personal vehicle for a decade.

The theoretical physicist and cosmologist purchased the Caravelle new in 1988 – the same year his best-selling book A Brief History of Time was first published – with the spacious van modified to accommodate his high-tech wheelchair.

The Caravelle was fitted with the most powerful engine available – a 2.1-litre petrol four-cylinder producing 84kW – with an automatic transmission optioned for convenience. The vehicle shows 90,000 miles (145,000km) on the odometer.

Professor Hawking also used the Volkswagen as a wedding vehicle on his 1995 marriage to Elaine Mason – but by 1999, Hawking’s physical condition had meant a new wheelchair was called for, and with it, a new van.

The vehicle’s history is well known, with the professor’s nephew now in possession of the Caravelle after he inherited it in 2003 from his late father – Hawking’s brother, Edward.

“It has been a real dilemma as to what to do with my uncle’s VW, as it’s not being used and is taking up room in a much-needed garage,” his nephew said.

“The family would like a science or Prof Hawking enthusiast to be the next custodian of it, rightly appreciating it for its special connection to such an enigmatic and important British figure.”

Along with an aftermarket Pioneer head unit installed for the famous owner, the van also comes with a Hawking’s disabled parking permit.

The UK’s Silverstone Auctions is offering the Volkswagen Caravelle without reserve as part of The Classic Sale event, beginning on Friday 26 August 2022, with the lot available to view by clicking here.

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