Innehållsförteckning för March 2017 från VWt

“sit back, think for a minute, offer a positive comment and walk away with a smile” I know I’m a bit of a hippy at heart, I just don’t get how people online can be so destructive and critical all of the time. Having checked in on Instagram, FB and Twitter with surprising regularity over the festive period, it’s clear you get all kinds of people telling you what to do all of the time – no matter what sphere of life you’re dealing with. Many of them are quick to respond, even quicker to judge and seem to delight in kicking your own personal choices into the gutter. Few seem capable of offering a constructive and positive spin on things, preferring instead to be rude and / or arrogant.…

Buzzing Last month Volkswagen announced the ID, this month the ID Buzz surfaced at the Detroit Motor Show. This all-new concept vehicle bears a striking similarity to the Concept Microbus promised over a decade ago, but now seems closer to reality than ever before. Sporting styling cues from the original Split Screen, but the very latest MEB electric vehicle platform, this future VW Van sits over a chassis and electric drivetrain that’s set to roll out across the entire VW range within the next five to 10 years. How does a distinct lack of steering wheel grab you? That’s right, at least until it emerges from the dash in the form of the instrument cluster. Mind you, it doesn’t need one as it is to be VW’s first autonomous vehicle,…

I bought this Van as a bit of a project in June 2015, two months before my wedding, convincing myself it was a good idea at the time! I wanted to build a Van that was perfect for me, so it needed to have plenty of useable space in the back for my mountain biking, surfing or drift triking toys, with spare room for a few mates. A full-width bed was also an essential item – I’d learnt the hard way that me, the missus and our dog in a ¾-width bed is not good for any relationship! I went for the full plastic lining kit in the back because I wanted to keep a factory look and it’s much easier to look after. I also carried out a mechanical…

It seems the T5 chassis cab is being adapted all of the time to suit any kind of purpose. For Will Roberts, that purpose was straightforward: “I built it for absolutely no reason other than it had the potential to look as cool as it does!” he says with a grin. What began life as a Belfast-based steel fabrication firm’s run around eventually found its way across the Irish Sea to blighty. “It was absolutely battered when I got it, but I knew it could be rescued,” says Will, who regularly makes the trip across the water to source Vans for decent money. “I knew all along what I wanted to do – build a proper pointless vehicle – but I think that’s the point of it,” he quips. To…

“Oh my good god, what have they done to it?” “maximum impact with minimum outlay, if you will” There’s something quite odd that I like to do when I know we’re about to feature a certain Van. I like to stand, or sit, by it at a show and listen to how people react as they wander past, thinking nobody’s listening. “This one’s weird, check it out dad.” “Now that I like. Proper inventive.” “Oh my good god, what have they done to it?” “Why? Just why?” “Look at what this idiot’s done.” Those are just some of the comments from onlookers I jotted down in the 20 minutes at Busfest last year I stood soaking up the shock, awe and admiration that comes from building something that…

“A home from home was the aim, so tranquillity and warmth were a must” Bigger is better is what they always say, right? Well, we certainly think so here at VWt. Our feature Van owners take what is already a big Van and then go and make ’em ‘bigger’ – not in a literal sense, of course, but in a feature sense. And our next offering from husband and wife duo, Mark and Deb, is no different. The couple’s long wheelbase (LWB) T5.1 T30 diesel has been completely overhauled by the wonderful blokes at T4 Transformations in Wakefield. Nope, that’s not a typo, we know it says T4, but the company work with T5 and T6s too – let’s not get confused here. Mark, 49, from Doncaster, and his wife…

“if you’re a car guy at heart, you always are” VWt: Wotcha Jim, we remember buying our first issues of both Max Power and Revs, but how was it working for those titles? JB: Hey Jimbo. It was crazier than the magazines gave credit for. It was an amazing time to be in publishing as we had pretty much a free hand to come up with feature ideas – the madder the better. For a good couple of years, we all spent every weekend either at a race meeting, at a cruise or a car show. It was heaven for a car freak like me. VWt: So how did the Max and Revs gigs come about? JB: I went to college and got an engineering degree, because that’s what I…

Cool Water display Ex-VWtcover Vans and some really cool rides take up residency on the The Surrey Lawn in a display of some of the very best examples of T4, T5 and T6 Vans from Europe. If you have a Transporter that you are looking to convert, it is a great place to pick up ideas and get the inside story of the builds. If you are looking to buy, remember the cars for sale area in the front car park. Entertainment There will be a great mix of music to suit all tastes, including the Del Sharronsand The Breakfast Club. Top Bananas, the world’s tallest band, will also be on hand to welcome you to the show and play throughout the day for your entertainment. Jim from The Engine…

As the side of my Van suggests, I run a paint shop called Hybrid Paintworks in Harlow, Essex. As the lucky owner of a tuned Audi B5 RS4 Avant, when I needed a rolling demo ’Wagen I knew I had to keep things German, and a T5 was always the front runner. It’s a works Van, so I need plenty of space in the back for paint, panels and also my KTM RC8 bike that I’ve been building for a little while, but at the same time it also needed to look cool. It arrived as a 2004 Panel Van with a tailgate, but it’s evolved rather a lot over the last couple of years. First I sorted out some tinted red rear lights, then a custom facelift front end…

February Dubfreeze 19 February Bingley Hall www.dubfreeze.co.uk March Ultimate Dubs * 12 March Telford International Centre www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk The VolksWorld Show* 25-26 March Sandown Park, Surrey www.volksworldshows.com Dubs at the Mill 31 March – 2 April Haselbury Mill www.scrumpydubbers.co.uk April Vee Dub Family Weekender 7-8 April Oak Tree Arena, Somerset Elemental VW Show 8 April Rayleigh, Essex www.elementalvw.org.uk Dubshed 8-9 April Eikon Exhibition Centre, Northern Ireland www.dubshed.com Elsecar at the Races 9 April Doncaster Racecourse www.elsecarattheraces.com GTi Spring Festival 9 April Santa Pod Raceway www.vwaction.com/gtispring Clubs Unite at the Beach* 9 April Warren Farm, Brean, Somerset Bus Types VW Show 14-16 April Oswestry Showground www.bus-types.co.uk Big Bang* 21-23 April Santa Pod Raceway www.big-bang.co.uk Stanford Hall* 30 April Stanford Hall, Leicestershire www.stanfordhallvw.com May Van West 5-7 May Warren…

“a moose and its child crossing the road… with no respect for the Highway Code” After a long journey to Stockholm, and following a brief stop for replenishment in Råttvick, we embarked upon another 48-hour jolly, this time thankful it was through a forest rather than on a dull and boring motorway. Here on in, I pledged to Sam that, under no circumstances were we to leave the Nordic countries without at least one wild moose encounter. And, would you believe it, 40 minutes later my wish was granted, though not in ideal circumstances. We’d interrupted a great big moose and its child crossing the road on a bend, with no respect for the Highway Code. There was no time to fumble for cameras or ’phones, leaving us with only…

“the top-of-the-line, 204bhp, BiTDi Panel Van with six-speed manual gearbox is capable of 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds and will go onto 126mph” Pop into your local Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) dealer and you’ll be able to pick up a carrier bag full of sales literature on Volkswagen’s latest T. The T6 is still seen by many as merely a facelift, but the range now extends to no fewer than 600 possible model configurations, with six distinctly different engines choices. Famed for its sturdy build quality, the VW Transporter offers a refined Van-driving experience, with a range of options, specifications and add-ons to suit every kind of business or leisure use.You can choose from a quality set of Panel Van, Kombi (offering up to six seats) and Sportline variants. Go for…

“There’s a definite in-house spirit to JC” Working as a fire fighter at a gold mine in the Sahara Desert, Lee Porter worked shifts – six weeks on, three weeks off. In one of those spells at home, he decided to convert his VW Van into a Camper. When he sold it and built another one, word started to spread amongst friends what a noteworthy job he was doing in the garage on the side of his house. That’s when people started calling him to have basic jobs like windows and carpet lining done. Not long after that, fire fighting was but a distant memory and JC Vans was born, in an 800sq.ft workshop that could squeeze two Vans in. Having learnt CAD in a previous job as a signwriter,…

It took some balls for Brighton-based Dash Arthur to part with his beloved Early Bay, having owned it for 10 years, and having piloted four similar versions of VW’s second generation Transporter prior to that, but the T4 bug got him eventually, and now there’s not an old Bus in sight. “I went everywhere in those old air-cooled Vans. I dragged them through their MoTs for years and years until I finally bit the bullet and shelled out for restoration work,” Dash explains. However, by the time it came back, something had changed within. At the same time as the work was being completed, Dash was becoming influenced, perhaps even brainwashed, by his boss, Mark Rickard at VW Heritage. Mark owned a long-nose Caravelle at the time and, although also…

This is my 20v turbo transplant T4. I carried the conversion out in 2013 and, by my reckoning, I’m the first VWt reader from the other side of the planet to have their Bus pictured. Cool. I’ve taken lots of inspiration from the Vans you guys feature and, being a keen VAG and German car specialist in NZ, meant I needed a Van with a bit of extra grunt. The 20v turbo was an obvious choice for me. I liberated the AGU-code 1.8T engine from a Mk4 Golf and sourced a more spritely K03s turbocharger. I also rebuilt the engine with some H-beam rods, new pistons and bearings and spruced up the cylinder head to ensure future reliability, then fitted it with a custom driver’s side engine mount that tilts…

“Sheila is a show Van, in that Sheila is a Van that goes to shows” Personally, I love ratty Vans, but your opening gambit when engaging the owner of one is always a risk. Do you go deep with the rat love, or feel your way in to see if it is intentional, or a work in progress, or merely the result of circumstance? In Craig Osmond’s case, it’s hold your nose and jump in, both feet first. He is the first to admit his T4 is in a state. Words like “horrible”, “nasty” and “disgusting” punctuate the conversation like lead shot on the floor of a clay pigeon shoot, yet you can actually hear the grin on the other end of the ’phone and the genuine love in his…

If there’s one thing standard Vans suffer from, it’s an all-at-sea wallow in cornering. Yes, we know they’re not sports cars, but the marshmallow-like factory suspension is designed for just one thing – comfort. And don’t get us wrong, it’s just fine for serious mileage munching. However, the trait is amplified by aged dampers and bushes, as we found out when we took back ownership of our old project T5. So we decided to see what we could do about it, and are pleased to report there’s a sure fire way to overcome it, using H&R uprated anti-roll bars (ARBs). It might seem strange to suggest any Van needs its handling enhanced to be more like a GTi than a comfy cruiser but trust us, if you combine these with…

The ultimate Campervan? • T5 Caravelle that’s used every day, come rain, shine or snow. We bring you the lowdown on this air ride-toting, Vossen wheel-rolling, pop-top work of art T5.1 rear light upgrade • How to switch your T5 tailgate rear lights to the later Sportline units that VW says won’t fit Off-road T4 • Rough, tough Syncro built to tackle anything Mother Nature can throw at it Road trip • 4,000 miles through Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic in a T5 Don’t miss it! April issue on sale Friday 17 March To subscribe visit here: http://shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/VWT *Contents subject to change due to the awfully cold weekends spent in a field recently in Project T5. A new cylinder head is due, it’s MoT time…