If you've been to the sunny beaches of California, you know what a thrill it is to spend nights camping out as the waves crash into the nearby shore. Volkswagen has an offering that may appeal to you surfers, but for now you can only get it at United Kingdom dealers.

The Volkswagen California Beach is a throwback to classic VW vans from decades past. VW's camper van includes an extendable roof and kitchenette (with electric stove and sink). A similar variant, the Caravelle, is the same size, but excludes the kitchen, while being able to seat 6 to 7 people comfortably.

California Beach and Caravelle comes with two available powertrain options. Both are 2.0-liter turbodiesels: one is a base five-speed manual offering 114 horsepower and a combined 33.6 mpg. The six-speed manual transmission upgraded produces 140 hp and returns 30.6 mpg.

The Caravelle is sold in the United States as Volkswagen's van (previously under the "Eurovan" name in America). Oddly enough, California Beach is not coming to the land of California Girls anytime soon. Starting price for both versions is $53,980 USD.

Motor Trend asked "Is there a market for driving California Beach vans to California beaches?" We think so.¹

If you are in the market for some roomy VW vehicles, check out what we have at Heritage Volkswagen and Subaru - 9808 Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Source: ¹http://wot.motortrend.com/california-dreaming-get-ready-for-the-volkswagen-california-beach-van-england-124069.html