The DHARMA vans were several Volkswagen Type 2 vans from the Motor Pool that the DHARMA Initiative used to transport people and supplies around the Island. Roger Linus used one of the vans to take himself and his son Ben out to the Mesa so that they could celebrate Ben's birthday together, drinking beers. Once there, Ben initiated the Purge by killing his father in the van, leaving his body inside. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
The same van was later encountered by the survivors after Vincent appeared to Hurley and Charlie with Roger's now severely decomposed arm, which held the van's key. Hurley followed the dog into the jungle to find the broken van, which was now lying on its side and covered with leaves and other jungle debris. Inside it was Roger's corpse, DHARMA beer, a road map, an 8 track player, and many other documents.
Once Hurley, Sawyer, and Jin got the van upright, Hurley's unsuccessful attempt to start the engine convinced Jin and Sawyer that it was beyond repair. Hurley, however, remained determined to get it started, as a symbol of hope.
With the added help of Charlie, they decided to try to start the van by pushing it down a large hill, and Hurley was miraculously able to pop the clutch and start the engine. The 8-track player had in it the song "Shambala" by Three Dog Night (Click Here to listen), and the music came on as the engine started. The van was then taken for a ride in the large field at the bottom of the Mesa by Hurley, Charlie, Jin, Sawyer, and Vincent. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
Later, when the survivors were carrying out their missions to call Naomi's freighter for rescue and combat the Others at the beach, Hurley attempted twice to help out but was turned away both times. At a moment when Sawyer and Juliet were on the beach alone and unarmed, facing three of the Others (who were holding Bernard, Jin, and Sayid hostage), Hurley "saved the day" by rushing onto the beach with the DHARMA van, hitting and killing Pryce, and allowing Sayid, Juliet, and Sawyer to quickly arm themselves and kill the remaining two Others (including Tom). ("Greatest Hits") ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
A van was seen again driven by Dr. Chang to the Orchid Station under construction. ("Because You Left") When Jack, Kate and Hurley returned to the Island, Jin, who was now working for the DHARMA Initiative, pulled up in a DHARMA van near the waterfall ("316"). Later, Jin called Sawyer, who was also working for the DHARMA Initiative, and told him what was going on. Then they decided to meet at the North Valley. When Sawyer arrived, the DHARMA van came about ten seconds later and Sawyer saw Jack, Kate, and Hurley for the first time in three years. ("LaFleur")
During the survivors' stay with DHARMA, a burning DHARMA van rolled down a hill and crashed into a house at the Barracks, setting the house on fire. Young Ben lit the van on fire to create a diversion so he could rescue Sayid. ("He's Our You")
A DHARMA van flashed with several survivors to 2007 immediately following the Incident. The van contained equipment including chains and shovels. The chains were used to get Juliet out of the Swan rubble and the shovel was used by Sawyer and Miles to bury Juliet. Following her death, everyone except Sawyer and Miles left to take Sayid to the temple. After they went into the temple, the whereabouts of the van is unknown. ("LA X, Part 1")
A conspicuously well-maintained DHARMA van was used by Hurley and Ben to travel to and from Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute near Los Angeles, where they picked up Walt before departing back to the Island. ("The New Man in Charge")
The DHARMA van was blue in color, and the interior was layed out with five seats and a spacious storage area. The seating was covered in a beige, tweed-like material.
Trivia[]
- The Volkswagen Type 2 was the second automotive line introduced by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen (Volkswagen translated: People's Car). It was a van introduced in 1950, initially based on Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 (the "Beetle").
- The Type 2 seen in the show is a "T2a" or 1968-1972 version with a single front window, wrap-around front bumper and old bulbous wheel covers. The Volkswagen emblem is replaced with a similar emblem of the DHARMA "main logo" of the same size.
- A T2b (1972-1979) DHARMA van is featured only once, as the burning van in ("He's Our You"). It was likely chosen for production reasons as T2a buses are comparatively rare.
- The early versions produced before 1967 used a split front windshield (giving rise to the nickname "Splitty"), and their rarity has led to their becoming sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.
- The Type 2 seen in the show is a "T2a" or 1968-1972 version with a single front window, wrap-around front bumper and old bulbous wheel covers. The Volkswagen emblem is replaced with a similar emblem of the DHARMA "main logo" of the same size.
- This is an earlier model of Drive Shaft's van, a T3.
- The official German-language model names Transporter and Kombi (Kombinationskraftwagen, "combined-use vehicle") have been incorporated into English and refer to delivery van. In the US the people-carrying variety was marketed as either Microbus or Station wagon.
- From the beginning, the VW bus has earned many nicknames. Among the most popular are Kombi and Bulli (in Germany). American monikers include "vee-dub", campmobile and hippie- mobile/bus/van/car. (the latter is used by Sawyer in ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead"))
- One of the documents was visible and had the heading "Ho`oulu Lāhui" but was later confirmed to be a non-canon prop oversight.
- Ben made the choice to kill his father, including leaving the body in the van in the jungle, even though he was specifically asked if he wanted to have the body retrieved. The direct result of his decision, though many years later, likely doomed his plan of preventing the survivors from contacting potential rescuers.
- Back to the Future features a light blue VW Type 2 in the opening scenes moments before Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) uses the time machine for the first time.
- The VW Type 2 was still in production in Brazil during the production of the show, where it was marketed as VW Kombi and was expected to finally cease production there by December 2014.
- In "Some Like It Hoth", there is a key rack in the Motor Pool with 16 key hooks, implying 16 vans, although this number may include DHARMA jeeps and pickup trucks.
Unanswered questions[]
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: DHARMA vans/Theories
- What happened to the other DHARMA vans?
See also[]
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