DHARMA van
From Lostpedia
The DHARMA van was one of a fleet of Volkswagen Type 2 vans that the DHARMA Initiative used to transport people and supplies around the Island. Roger Linus used this particular van 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 the body inside. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
It 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 retriever into the jungle to find the broken van, which was now lying on it's 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 hill 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 are 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 three Others (including Tom). ("Greatest Hits") ("Through the Looking Glass")
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 and old bulbous wheel covers. The Volkswagen emblem is replaced with a similar emblem of the DHARMA "main logo" of the same size.
- From the beginning, the Type 2 has earned many nicknames. Among the most popular, at least in Germany, are VW-Bus and Bulli (or Bully).
- The official German-language model names Transporter and Kombi (Kombinationskraftwagen, "combined-use vehicle") have been incorporated into English and refer to delivery van.
- In America, however, it is a VW bus, a "vee-dub," a hippie mobile, hippie bus, hippie van, hippie car (as Sawyer called it), "combie", minibus, microbus or a 'transporter' to aficionados. The early versions produced before 1967 used a split front windshield (giving rise to the nickname "Splitty"), and their comparative rarity has led to their becoming sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.
- One of the documents was visible and had the heading "Ho`oulu Lāhui" but was later confirmed to be a non-canon prop oversight.
- The VW Type 2 is still in production in Brazil, where it's called the VW Kombi.
- This is a much earlier model of Drive Shaft's van.
- 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 retreived. The direct result of his decision, though many years later, was to doom his plan of preventing the survivors from contacting potential rescuers.
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: DHARMA van/Theories
- Where is the refuel station for the DHARMA van?
- Why is there a large amount of crumpled paper spread over the van floor?
- How did DHARMA bring the vans to the Island?
- Where are the other DHARMA vans?
- What was in the barrels and crates near the vans and the Pala ferry?
- Why did the Dharma Van with Roger's body move much further from the Mesa from what was show in the flashback of Ben to when Hurley found it?
- Why did Roger not exit the Van when being gassed when Ben seems to do nothing?
- Where is it now, after Hurley moved to the Barracks?
See also
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survivors | Boeing 777 • Elizabeth • Flight 815 • Rafts | |||
| The Others | Boats • Galaga • Outrigger | |||
| Found on the Island | Henry Gale's balloon • Black Rock • Drug smugglers' plane • DHARMA van | |||
| Freighter Group | Helicopters • Kahana • Ship's tender | |||
| Miscellaneous | Automobiles • Christiane I • Golden Pontiac • Car accidents • Hurley's Camaro • Coast Guard transport plane | |||
