Since the first Volkswagen Bus series for passenger transport, the rear and side windows have been fitted with protective bars or rods.
Volkswagen had already discovered during development that the luggage space would be very limited for the number of seats, there was only one solution, and that was to stack it high. This high stacking also had a disadvantage, as the luggage could slide in all directions and thus damage the windows, which is why they were protected by rods.
From 1955 onwards, this was further extended with a luggage rail against the rear seat. In America, window protection was quickly nicknamed "jailbars", this term is also often used in Europe and most people now know what it means.
From the Split Bus to the Vanagon, "jailbars" have been applied and are always available, from the smallest screw to complete sets.
All parts, except for the screws, are made of aluminium as originally, the brackets are additionally chrome-plated. You could polish the tubes even more to make them shine, although Volkswagen has never applied this process in series.
Useful information from Paruzzi magazine and from our YouTube channel :
Look for more technical articles on the page Paruzzi Magazine