Volkswagen Restores 'Miracle Bulik': It Survived the Palisades Hell and Became a Legend

Twelve thousand homes burned down, a dozen people died, and smoke from the Palisades Fire in January 2025 covered 37 square miles of Los Angeles. In the epicenter of the apocalypse, a symbol of impossible survival appeared – a blue 1977 Volkswagen Microbus, named “Azul.” It’s no wonder that this charred hero on wheels interested the German manufacturer.

It's January 2025. The Palisades Fire is ravaging California day after day. The result? 12 victims and thousands of destroyed homes. After containing the fire, residents try to reclaim what's left. From the ashes emerges an unlikely hero - Megan Krystle Weinraub's blue Microbus. The vehicle, christened "Azul", survives, although everything around it has turned to ash.

This AP photo by Mark J. Terrill shows a charred but proud Microbus standing amid the rubble.

- It was like seeing the last of the Mohicans - witnesses recalled.

Let us recall that the Volkswagen T2 is an icon of the hippie lifestyle, which to this day brings tears to the eyes of many a "hippie veteran". The specific "Azul" model in white and blue was the home and "companion" of Preston Martin, an engineering student at UCSB, who spent a year in it on the beaches of California.

In 2024, Preston Martin sold it to his business partner, Megan Weinraub, who designs and sells boards under the Vibrant Boards brand. She unwittingly parked it on Paloisades Hill just before the fire.

When the woman fled the fire hell earlier this year, she took the most necessary things, leaving "Azula" on the hill. Two days later, the media saw terrifying images of California in flames. Among the reporters' clichés, it appeared - an untouched Volkswagen T2.

- It was a miracle. I have no idea how it happened - the owner of "Azula" commented later.

The photo quickly spread across the media, becoming an internet meme.

- Magic bus, beacon of hope - wrote Internet users, spreading the story of the four-wheeled hero around the world.

On June 2, 2025, on the occasion of International Volkswagen Bus Day , Volkswagen of America announced the restoration of the "Azula" at its repair campus. Expert examination showed that although the bodywork at first glance survived, many defects appeared inside - corrosion, soot deposits, etc. Mechanical elements were also weakened.

Despite this, mechanics are planning a complete renovation, because what wouldn't you do for the hero of such a story!?

The restoration is planned for the end of 2025, and VW experts want to preserve the car's original paintwork and leave all the retro details so that "Azu" does not lose its soul. Volkswagen announced that in addition to the restoration, it will make a donation to the California Fire Foundation supporting firefighters and their families. Megan Weinraub - right after the restoration is complete, plans to take the "Azul" for the first time,

Volkswagen will renew