Sommaire pour Issue 103 de VWt

Hello and welcome to issue 103 of VWt, one of the hardest issues I’ve had to put together yet. Why’s that? Well, issues early in the year are always tricky. It’s wet, cold and fairly miserable, so owners are less keen for photo shoots, as they’d rather wait for sunnier months, and who can blame them? Posing next to your pride and joy in your shorts with a Calippo in hand whilst catching some rays, or stood in the rain slowly losing the feeling from your fingers? I know what I’d choose, Solero please! Plus, lots of projects are in bits as people rebuild, upgrade parts and work on their vans in preparation for the upcoming show season (fingers crossed we have a one). Now throw a worldwide pandemic in…

TIME FOR CHANGE After a difficult 2020 which has left two-thirds of van drivers worried about their business over the next six months, unsurprisingly van drivers have decided 2021 is the year to make more time for their family. Figures previously revealed van drivers were more likely to work late or over weekends than in other professions, with millions often missing weddings, birthdays or parent’s evenings because of unsociable hours. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles research revealed nearly three quarters of van drivers said they regularly make New Year’s Resolutions with over half sticking with them past ‘Quitter’s Day’ - the second Friday in January, when people are most likely to ditch their goals. Yes, we’re looking at you, put down the chocolate fatty. HERITAGE OPEN EURO DISTRIBUTION CENTRE Heritage Parts Centre,…

It’s funny how steel wheels always used to be seen as poverty spec; back in the day you didn’t even get wheel trims to cover steel wheels. We mean, let’s face it, most plastic wheel trims look shite anyway and steel wheels were usually binned by anyone who was into cars at all, in favour of alloys. Once, VW got caned in the press for putting steel wheels on the Mk2 GTI basic models, but nowadays, steel wheels – especially in larger diameters – are considered the height of cool, or cool understatement anyway. The 19” Range Rover ones on Mark’s van could at first glance be mistaken for Amarok ones, but they’ve got an extra inch and, let’s face it, every inch counts.…

KENWOOD DMX9720XDS How’s this for a trick piece of kit? Kenwood has joined the floating screen headunit game and the pièce de résistance is its humongous 10.1-inch anti-reflection, HD touchscreen that has an intuitive and customisable interface. Naturally there’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, dual smartphone connection, and support for up to four dashcams, yes four, so you can have every angle covered. Add to that a DAB+ digital radio and FM/ AM receiver, Bluetooth hands free and audio streaming, 3x RCA high power (5v) pre-outs (for front/rear/sub), a digital sound processor, time alignment, a 13-band equalizer and a whole bloody lot more. No wonder it won an EISA Best Product Award, it should probably get an Oscar as well! Price £999 www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk ALPINE PDP-E802DSP 8-CHANNEL DIGITAL AMP…

Don’t get me wrong here; I love the so-called swamper look on pretty much anything. One of my bucket list vehicles is a vintage Unimog, coincidentally in the shade of orange you see here – search Unimog Niederflurhubwagen on Google if you want your mind blown and love the idea of a vintage car transporter. Anyway, I digress. I love the look so much that I fitted large chunky tyres to my Bay Window Pickup and there’s no denying that it looked pretty badass, especially when most air-cooled VW’s at shows are still lowered. But to find the main reason why the swamper look is taking off, you only have to have owned a lowered camper and witnessed the trauma of grounding out on an unmade road, a campsite, or…

The Øresund bridge that Jose and Laura would have crossed between Denmark and Sweden could almost be the eighth wonder of the world. The bridge directly connects Malmo and Copenhagen creating a region with a population of nearly four million people. The 16km construction consists of a bridge, an artificial island (which has since become a haven for wildlife) and a tunnel. First opened to the public in June 2000, it not only carries cars but also trains and is a triumph of construction and collaboration between the two Scandinavian nations.…

“It’s one of those projects that I kind of just made up as I went along” YouTube is full of them, ten-minute videos to show you how to change a belt on a dryer and four hours later you’re elbows deep in side panels and screws and no closer to getting your clothes dry. You refer back to the video time and again and the smiling chappy with his sleight of hand is still there just popping the belt on and off without a care in the world as your 25 views per hour add to his ever-expanding ad revenue. Well, Matt Brooks is the equivalent but for something far more interesting - cars! A quick scroll through his Instagram @ t444_srf will convince you of what I’m saying. You’ll…

Everyone wants to save money on their insurance. As we’re sure you’d rather be spending your money on mods, roadtrips and adventures, right? However, it’s just one of those motoring costs you simply can’t avoid, but you can’t help but wince a little when it comes to renewal time – especially if you’re a young driver or drive a heavily modified van. Now we’re not saying that you should hunt for the cheapest possible quote you can find, as doing so will more often than not result in a poor level of cover and you will regret it should the time ever come you need to make a claim. At the end of the day, if you’ve got to pay for it, you want to get your money’s worth! But…

You guessed it, I still have the T4 and the T5.1 has done its best to keep me working from home this month. So, a double whammy on project updates for you guys this month, first of all let’s start with the T4. It ‘sold’ several times on eBay, but unfortunately for one reason or another those sales fell through. On one of the auctions the ‘buyer’ was bidding on several vans and won something that he thought was better. I can see it from his point of view, but equally what are you doing?! That’s not how an auction works, am I right? I’ve won loads of things in the past which I probably shouldn’t have really been bidding on but that’s the deal, you bid, you win, you…

Your world, your life, your vans… Send us yours: Ever dreamed about seeing your van appear in the pages of VWt? Make that dream a reality! Simply e-mail a selection of good quality high-res images of your van to glenn.rowswell@kelsey.co.uk along with a full spec list and add the subject title ‘Your Vans’. But please remember, if you didn’t take the photos, you MUST have permission from the photographer to use the images in the magazine, and all images should be free from watermarks (by submitting an image you assume responsibility for any copyright infringement). So, what are you waiting for? Let’s see those project builds! TOBY CARPENTER & AMBER-LEE MUSSELL’S 2000 T4, ESSEX Hey VWt, we’re from Great Dunmow in Essex. We have always wanted to own a camper…

f you’ve been under a rock, you may not I realise that lightning flashes equate to the legendary rock band AC/DC. Some may think of their music as hard rock, blues rock, or heavy metal, but according to the band themselves, they are simply just a rock and roll band. Upon casting my eye over the pictures for this feature and then getting owner Mark Smith on the phone, I posed the question: “I guess you’ve got to be pretty obsessed with AC/DC to come up with an interior like this?!” Mark’s response, ever nonchalant, was simply this: “Not really, but I’ve liked them since I was a kid, so I thought it’d be cool to do it”. I guess the first thing that grabs your attention inside is the…

PLAYMOBIL VW BULLI & BEETLE VW has teamed up with one of the largest toy producers in Germany, that’s right, PLAYMOBIL! And, they’ve kicked things off with the release of two legendary Volkswagen vehicles for the first time as PLAYMOBIL miniatures. First up is the Bulli, that comes fully equipped with a seating area, luggage rack, travel kitchen, sleeping area and even a map and camera. Whilst the second addition to the fleet is of course the Beetle. In addition to its original design, it also boasts a roof rack, surfboard, suitcase, cool box and plenty of accessories for the next family outing. A must buy for any van fan, whether you have kids or not! Priced from £40 www.playmobil.co.uk THQ CREW SOCKS What’s black, white and keeps your feet…

Take a look at the cab area - we challenge you to find a cleaner looking T4 than this! Matt has re-painted the dash, but it’s the MK3 Scirocco seats fitted to modified bases that really transform this ride in more ways than one. The look is one thing, but the new lowdown driving position really does make the van feel like a car! They sit about half the height of standard T4 seats. Matt also switched out his deep, drifting steering wheel for a Nardi style flat face to really take full advantage of the new position. Love it!…

Maybe most people would never use the 4-Motion with optional rear diff lock, but that’s by the by; the bragging rights alone that these options make it worth the extra price tag (4-Motion options on the Expedition start at just over £53,500). There’s something about the extra surety of 4-wheel-drive that just makes you feel a bit more adequate for anything that driving can throw at you. It’s kind of like asking someone with a checked shirt and chunky boots to give you a lift with something – you know he won’t leave you carrying all the weight. Even if you only use it once in a blue moon, the added Yorkie bar factor is worth the added price tag.…

Jose Miguel Adanez (36) and Laura Hernández (38) from Toledo, Spain have been together for 15 years. They have also been travelling the world for the same amount of time and between them have created Descubre Sin Limites (or Discover Without Limits). It’s a brand, a travel blog, a website but more importantly - a lifestyle. It’s the kind of vicarious content we all need right now and you can easily lose a day just drifting through the incredible photographs and stories they share on their blog. You’ll spot a Nissan Navara pickup that gets used depending on the destination or type of trip, but in the interests of the next few pages at least you will also see an incredibly purposeful looking 2003 T5 Transporter. The camper has taken…

I have to admit, it’s not been the most exciting month on the Transporter fleet this last month. In fact, due to lockdown I’ve barely even done half a tank of petrol between the T6 and the T5.1, but the T6 Caravelle had to take its first trip to VW for some routine bits. It’s pretty crazy to think that in the near 3 years I’ve owned the T6 it’s not had to go near a garage, it’s been faultless. But then I guess that’s the benefit of buying a new van that doesn’t need an MoT for 3 years and has no nasty hidden surprises from previous ownership. Fingers crossed for its first MoT which is approaching soon. Anyway, I dropped the T6 off to Heritage Volkswagen Bristol for…

British Armed Forces & Emergency Services Volkswagen Owners Club Area: National www.facebook.com/ groups/330513957412420/ Bath Air-Cooled Area: Bath & Bristol www.bathaircooled.co.uk Cambs Transporters Area: Cambridgeshire www.facebook.com/ groups/1374742886168935/ Club 80 – 90 T25 Area: National www.club80-90.co.uk Chase Dubz Area: Cannock Chase & surrounding www.facebook.com/ groups/1535643423130892/ Club-Vdub Area: Kent & National www.club-vdub.co.uk Cornwall Volkswagen Owners Club Area: Cornwall www.cornwallvwoc.com Dirty Low Down Dubbers Area: West Sussex www.facebook.com/DLDDVWC/ Donny Dubz Area:›Doncaster www.facebook.com/ groups/562792360434388/ Dorset Dub Club Area: Dorset www.facebook.com/dorsetdubclub/ Dubbed Out VW Community Area: Nationwide www.facebook.com/ groups/2434740270141152/ Dubs in Law Area: Wigan & surrounding www.facebook.com/ groups/1415419492007924/ Dunstable Dubbers Area: Dunstable www.facebook.com/groups/ Dunstabledubbers/ Herts VW Owners Club Area: Hertfordshire www.facebook.com/groups/17758385004/ Highlandubbers VW Club Area: Highlands of Scotland www.facebook.com/ groups/1671739203039871/ Just T4s Area: National www.facebook.com/groups/JustT4s/ Kombi Club Area: National www.facebook.com/groups/kombiclub Leicestershire & Warwickshire VW Owners Club…