95 VW Euro Camper - Can't engage Starter due to clutch override problem

As far as i know, there is no connection between the starter pinion and the clutch. You should be able to engage starter with transmission in neutral, without dpressing clutch. When activating the starter the pinion advances by centrifugal force to engage with the flywheel. Once the flywheel turns faster, the starter pinion retracts. It is all very mechanical, unless vw produced something different for vehicles other than canadian imports (mine is in canada). Yor problem probably is an electrical one with the starter or only dirty contacts somewhere in the starter circuit which ould start right with your ignition key contact. I once had a faulty switch, but most often the problem lies with dirty contacts on the thick cables supplying starter current.