Table of contents for Issue 77 in VWt

I am still annoyed with myself. The T5 was just a bit longer than I thought while reversing the other day and I slammed the rear bumper into another car’s tow bar. I have to admit, it made an awful crunch as the otherwise unmarked plastic covering fractured. I jumped straight out, of course, and was relieved there was no damage to the other car, but shocked at the injuries to mine. Self-loathing It was all just horribly embarrassing really, and I was cross that I’d been so careless. The fact I’ve got rear parking sensors, which I’d heard and ignored, only added to my sense of self-loathing. With the whole affair playing on my mind, I knew I’d need to tackle it sooner rather than later to raise my…

Well well well… Here we are in the opening throws of the New Year and we’ve lost track of our resident party boy, Aaron ‘the Goo’ Good already. Those of you who have met young Goo will probably have already worked out what’s happened. Yep, he’s partied hard over the Christmas and New Year period and was last heard whimpering “I’m too broken to write…” while lying face down in moist carpet somewhere west of London. I’m sure he’ll be back just as soon as his liver has recovered but, in the meantime, you have the pleasure of my company for a change. You might recognise my face from p90 as I’m Jolly Jim, Editor Knighty’s resident photographic assistant, and team VWt’s barman / campsite entertainer. “if it wasn’t for…

“imagine your left mirror is above the double yellow lines on the inside edge of the road. Well, your right one will be over the central white line” If the name Martin Adams isn’t immediately familiar to you, my guess is at least one of the vehicles he has owned over the last 10 years will be. Whichever side of the VW track you come from, there’s something to suit. From a stunning black Karmann Cabriolet to a super-clean, equally black T5 California, it appeared that Martin had done it all. In VW terms at least. But that quickly became fallacy when he bagged himself this beautiful 2009, right-hand drive, Karmann Colorado 600 so, as he puts it, “He didn’t ever need to pack a bag again.” Basically, what you’re…

Howards’way Ruth and Ady Howard, mid-Wales Hi VWt, here are some pictures of our 2007 T5. 2.5TDi, which is now running at close to 200bhp thanks to a custom map, an upgraded intercooler and a full stainless steel Cobra exhaust system. We’ve owned it for about a year now, over which time we’ve made a few upgrades and alterations to make it more of a Day Van. We’ve retained three seats in the rear but have added a table and a small stove, while the interior panels have all been insulated. We’ve also fitted a leisure battery with a split charger system, along with some additional 12V sockets and LED interior lighting. On the exterior, we’ve added roof and side bars, a rear spoiler and a set of 20in Range…

2019 JANUARY 27 VolksWorld Spares Day South of England Event Centre Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TH www.volksworldshows.com FEBRUARY 03 Camper Mart The International Centre, Telford www.campermart.co.uk 16 / 17 DubFreeze Bingley Hall, Staffs Staffordshire County Showground www.dubfreeze.co.uk MARCH 10 Ultimate Dubs The International Centre, Telford www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk 23-24 The VolksWorld Show Sandown Park Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ www.volksworldshows.com APRIL 14 Elsecar at the Races Doncaster Racecourse & Exhibition Centre, Ledger Way, Doncaster, DN2 6BB www.elsecarattheraces.com 18-21 CamperFest Churchill House, Queen’s Park Campus, Queen’s Park Road, Chester, CH4 7AD www.camperfest.co.uk 19-22 Dubs in Wonderland Himley Hall, Dudley, DY3 4DF www.dubscollective.com MAY 5 Stanford Hall Stanford Hall, Stanford-on-Avon, LE17 6DH www.stanfordhallvw.com 10-12 Vanwest Warren Farm Holiday Centre, Brean,…

On 21 October last year, the Motorhome & Caravan Show (MCS) closed its doors after six days of new product launches, Live Theatre entertainment and other attractions for all the family, making the show a must-visit destination for those looking for new leisure vehicles and Campervan holiday inspiration. The annual show at the NEC, held by NCC Events, covered a whopping 11 halls of the exhibition centre, and almost 100,000 visitors checked out the 400+ exhibitors and 1,000+ display vehicles and ’vans, which were said to have a combined value of more than £36.5 million! That gives you some idea of the scale of the Campervan and caravan market in the UK. This year, the event was taken in as part of a VWteam road trip, as we’d spent the…

“it was quite an emotional moment. I felt proud of my local heritage” There was a time when Southend was considered something of a VW Mecca, and you could regularly find cool VWs cruising the so-called ‘Golden Mile’ (Southend seafront) at the weekend. But, as the boy racer movement took over, the vibe changed and ‘cruises’ became ‘gatherings, and that sadly led to unruly behaviour by a small group of idiots, which led to bad press, public outrage and the local council banning any such meets entirely. Yes, that’s right, if you turned up with a couple of friends, you could technically be moved along by the police! So how did Paul Bridger and his crew get around this? And how come 120 VWs were happily cruising the Golden Mile…

IT’S THE UK’S biggest showcase of motorhomes, Campervans and outdoor living, and it’s a great family day out too, with lots of free activities and attractions to enjoy. “see all the new season models and products” Not only will you be able to see all the new season models and products, you can stock up on holiday accessories, as well as gather ideas, inspiration and advice on where to go and what to do when you get there. Don’t miss the Holiday Park Experience, bringing a park holiday to life for you, including a climbing wall, play area and bushcraft classes. Then there’s the top dog arena, a Discovery Theatre offering a full programme of informative speakers, live cookery demonstrations and towing and motorhome manoeuvring tuition. And new feature for…

Current trends amongst T5 and T6 owners seem to favour air ride in quite a big way. You only have to look back through the last year or so of feature Vans to see how its use has shaped and influenced VWt’s coverage of late. And where once you had to be a bit inventive, these days knowledge and quality has improved, leading to off-the-shelf technology that has given the modern Transporter owner a variety of bolt-on solutions. So, if you hanker after a mega suspension drop but don’t wish to compromise your Van’s road manners, or equally don’t want to rip your Sportline front end off each time you pull into your driveway, air could be the answer. That still leaves the question of handling though? Can an aftermarket…

“66 days and nights spent cooking, sleeping and living in our trusty T4” ‘Oliver’ the T4 has graced our lives for the last three years. He has taken us all over the UK, to Ireland and to the Isle of Wight where we have enjoyed loads of epic adventures. It was only a matter of time, though, before we sought adventure further afield, across the water into Europe. We had been dreaming of this particular trip for a very long time and, in September last year, our dream became a fun-filled reality. Our two-month road trip took us through the Alsace region of France, quickly through Germany and into Switzerland, popping into Lichtenstein and Italy along the way. We then drove through the Swiss Alps into the French Alps, over…

“some truly different tricks to set it apart from the crowd” You know how sometimes it takes a while when you’re looking at something to work out what’s different about it? Well, I have to admit I was looking at Dan Parker’s 2006 T5 for a good while before I noticed it didn’t have a sliding door, such is the quality and slickness of this smoother-than-silk build. If Hot VWs magazine in the States were referring to it, they’d call it sano (meaning ultra clean, sanitary), but in VWt speak it’s simply an awesome build, with some truly different tricks to set it apart from the crowd. In last month’s feature on Paul Legg’s super-slammed T4, we mentioned how some people can envision a finished project before they’ve even bought…

Being one of the nicest chaps in the VWt scene, its only right Rick Guy should have one of the nicest Vans, too. Go on, stop and stare, if you dare. If you are a regular visitor to the larger shows on the VW calendar I think I’m pretty safe in assuming you’ve probably stopped and stared, maybe even dribbled a little bit at this stunning machine at some point. The Salsa Red paint doesn’t exactly make it difficult to spot, but then again neither do the wheels. But did you realise this thing is a 4motion?! Yes, that’s right ladies, Rick has balls the size of watermelons. As if a bi-turbo 4motion isn’t cool enough in its own right, Rick decided it could be a lot cooler if it…