Table of contents for Issue 75 in VWt

I bought this plain, Northern Ireland-registered Van nearly three years ago with the intention of using it to transport my mountain bikes around and possibly undertaking a couple of mods here and there. Over time I wasn’t happy with the Sportline 18s it already had so went down the usual Range Rover wheels route and wound the V-Maxx coilovers down a bit more. However, I soon got very bored and facelifted the Van after sourcing genuine VW parts. I then decided I wasn’t happy with the ride height so looked at what options were out there on a sensible budget. “I then decided the standard air set up wasn’t low enough so set about machining the rear air bags and carrying out the hub mod up front” After buying a…

This is a story of a young man, Mark Anthony Fincham, taken before his time, and a wrapped Transporter Sportline to keep his memory alive. Right from an early age Mark was adventurous. When he left school he didn’t quite settle in any job. He eventually chose a career in the Royal Marines and, from there, was training to be in the SBS. “[Mark] lost his life doing what he loved” During his eight years in the Marines he had a serious motorbike accident and lost his left leg below the knee. It took three amputations to get the leg at the right length for a prosthetic limb so he could continue within the Marines. Eventually, after working hard to regain his fitness, Mark decided it wasn’t fair to be…

There really is no stopping Stu Radford. Since the pics were taken for this feature, he’s gone and changed a few more details on his already awesome T6. The banded, candy red, 19in Range Rover space savers were only meant to be a winter stop gap, but Stu loves the way they look so much that he’s already thinking of keeping them. Or at least keeping with the steel wheel theme… The rear lights have now been changed to Transporter HQ ones with sequential indicators and, as for the tailgate air install, it might just be fake air tanks and pipework, but it’s something different that hasn’t been done before and certainly sets Stu’s T6 apart from all the others on the show scene. Next time you see this Van,…

It’s hard to believe this event has been around for more than 40 years now (arguably making it older than a large number of its attendees!) but one thing we can say for sure is VW Action really does have it all. We’re talking drag racing, stunt shows, a huge array of trade stands, kids’ entertainment, inter-club Olympics and one of the biggest and best show ’n’ shine fields of the year. “one of the biggest and best show ’n’ shine fields of the year” Plus there’s the annual theme, which sets the tone for the evening entertainment in the main marquee. This year the theme was ‘Life on Mars’ and the fancy dress possibilities are as multi-faceted as the late, great David Bowie himself. In fact, the Saturday night…

As some parts of the world descend further into a capitalist, social media-fuelled world of acquisition, in others the urge to travel with less has grown, focussing on the experiences to be had on the way, rather than the physical objects associated with a life on the road. Though design, intricate detail and a mantra of less is more the fortunate few find the answer. Thinking and planning less, but experiencing more is something that resonated with the guys at Inglorious Motorcycles. And finding a shared mindset with Stitches + Steel, our collaborative effort was born. The concept was hauling smaller bikes in a capable Van. Allowing us to arrive at the destination quickly, together, shooting the shit on route. Unloading bikes, a rucksack, board, a bivvy and some beers,…

Hi VWt, here’s my 2005 T5, which I thought you might like to include in your Readers’ rides section. I bought this Van around two years ago and it had already been modified and fitted with an interior. However, since then, I’ve changed the wheels and parts of the interior. At present, I’m swapping the orange banded steel wheels for a set of black alloys and painting the calipers blue to match the interior trim. “perhaps I’ll change the wheels again. Who knows?” This one is very much a work in progress and I’m making changes all the time. In the near future I’ll be adding a 240V hook up and some additional electrics, and perhaps I’ll change the wheels again. Who knows? We have met some great people through…

Last month we were out and about in our trusty red, ex-Coca-Cola T4. With that now in the ownership of our younger daughter, replaced with a somewhat newer, but similarly red, T5, our adventures continue… You might recall last month, I was writing whilst parked on the bank of the river Tana in Norway, within 100 miles of the Russian border. With the help of our second trusty red VW, this misty corner of the Barents Sea had become the most distant of many far-flung stretches of water onto which we’ve launched. Set way up on the rugged coast of Varangerhalvøya, the most north-easterly corner of Norway, it had been a surreal experience to paddle along this moody continental edge, sea eagles overhead, pods of dolphins breaking the surface alongside.…

DECEMBER 2 Heritage Santa Cruise Christmas Charity Convoy Leaving VW Heritage HQ at 1pm sharp, arriving at Tadworth shortly after 2pm Tadworth Court, Tadworth KT20 5RU www.facebook.com/events/272591206888819 2019 JANUARY 27 VolksWorld Spares Day South of England Event Centre Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TH www.volksworldshows.com MARCH 23-24 The VolksWorld Show Sandown Park Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ www.volksworldshows.com RUN A SHOW? Why not tell us about it? EMAIL: paul .knight @ kelseymedia.co.uk Sponsored by www.meguiars.co.uk Save the date!…

Organised by the Split Screen Van Club, Brighton Breeze is officially a one-day event although, for those that are keen to set off on the cruise bright and early, there is overnight camping available on the Friday night, as well as optional camping at Brighton on the Saturday night for the really keen revellers! The early birds gathered at the Hook Road Arena in Epsom, with the ‘Fun-Run’ setting off at 8.30am on Saturday with Madeira Drive, Brighton, in their sights. Pre-registration is essential for cruise participants, and also guarantees a parking space at the seafront as, once people start arriving, it gets very busy, very quickly. “Madeira Drive, Brighton, in their sights” Registered entries also receive a regalia pack containing a t-shirt, magnetic plaque, windscreen sticker, pin badge, programme…

“I [normally] can’t bring myself to pay main dealer prices” I’ve had my 2006 T5 Multivan (Caravelle) for almost a year now, which meant it was due its first oil service. I tend to choose a good independent specialist for this kind of work because I haven’t the facilities at home to do it myself, I like the reassurance of another set of eyes looking over for anything untoward and I can’t bring myself to pay main dealer prices. However, this time I bit the bullet and booked my Van into The Southern Motor Group at Cowfold, West Sussex – an authorised VW Van sales and service centre. Why? Well, VWt has worked with them before, but also because they actually quoted less for an oil and filter change than…

At some point in time, an event will occur that has never happened before. Then it happens again. And again, until eventually it becomes ‘the norm. We all (or at least most of us, I suspect) love a classic VW Transporter with a Split or a Bay front window, most of which by now are either fully restored or have had some restorative work. But at one point, they were all new Buses that weren’t rusty and didn’t need restoring. Then one did, and somebody did. It would be almost impossible to discover who, but god bless whoever it was that decided these old things were worth saving! That same sequence of events then happened again with the later T4 models. We may never find who was the first to…

Sunny side up Hey VWt, I took this sunset photo at the Vee Dub at the Pub event in Wimborne, Dorset and thought I’d share it as I was quite proud of this one! The weather was great and we had the perfect location by the river so it was a great day. I love my Van – it has a Pendle re-map so pulls well and I’m a big fan of the Suncamp canopy, which cost me just £85 but has proved its worth by providing shade in the summer and keeping the rain off while I cook outside when the weather isn’t so great. Inside the Van I’ve fitted a full-width rock ’n’ roll bed and a unit I made from a VW enamel sign, but I’ve kept…

Dear VWt, I wanted to share some photos of my recently completed Campervan conversion. The Van is a 2000 1.9TD T4, which was imported from County Cork, Southern Ireland. When found, it was looking a little sorry for itself, but that was exactly the kind of project I was after for my 21st birthday. The Van has had a lot of work done to it since then, starting with a new cam belt, starter motor and push-button start just to get it going. Following that was a huge amount of bodywork to get most of the bigger dents out, though a few were left in for character! The interior was next and has been fitted out with a fridge, plinth heater, storage cupboards and u-shaped bench seating that converts into…

It’s funny how VW Vans get under your skin. Stu Radford isn’t new to the VW fold, having owned several Vans in the past. He ran around in a 58-plate for four years, then his last T5 was a 2012 Sportline, which cost a further £13k to convert into a Camper. Stu: “No way was I gonna buy another Van after that. The missus wanted a Range Rover, so I picked up one with a 4.2 V8, which lasted five months as I needed a second mortgage to run it!” With that sold on to someone else, sharpish, Stu found himself on the lookout for another Van. That was when he headed down to Imperial in Scunthorpe to view this 17-plate T6. The interior was somewhat different from the usual…

Westfalia is probably the best known VW Camper conversion company in the world, and has always been at the forefront of design and developments, from the earliest days of the Split Screen Type 2 right up to the very latest electric concept Vans. In this article we’ll be looking at the background behind the popular California conversion, which is sold via VW dealers across the globe – the ‘official VW’ camping conversion, if you like. And, just to clear up any confusion, though it is true VW itself (or at least VWCV Special Business Unit, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles) builds the California, Westfalia was responsible for the design and early development of the model, which was launched in 1988. But when Westfalia was bought by DaimlerChrysler in 2001,…

You see the thing is with Volkswagens they get you. Somehow, they just get you. It would take a person with a deeper understanding of the human psyche than I to try and explain it. Perhaps it’s just the perfect vehicle to express our personalities, or maybe we just like boxes with wheels? Whatever the reason you find yourself as an owner of a VW, the one thing that’s guaranteed is it will get you. In the heart, in the soul and, quite likely, in the wallet, too! You rarely (never?) hear about a guy or girl who bought, let’s say, a Renault Espace to transport their family and dogs around and then ends up having it painted, slammed on air ride and fitting multiple sets of rims. But throw…

It’s official. I have become a true T5 owner. Not by buying one, but by joining the infamous T5 breakdown club.Yes, that’s right folks, I have been let down by my T5 for the first time and, as anyone that knows me will agree, I’m pretty certain it won’t be my last time. Allow me to set the scene. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and I was cruising along the M25 minding my own business and enjoying the drive. Around a mile before Clacket Lane services (east bound) it happened… “it was as if the Van had gone into the dreaded ‘limp’ mode” Having already travelled from Reading to Lutterworth, I was actually about six hours into the day at this point and all had been going just fine.…