Table of contents for Issue 73 in VWt

Last month I introduced myself to you guys, but this month I’m asking you to get involved and introduce yourself to the new editorial crew at VWt HQ. This is your opportunity to let us know what you’d like to see more (or less) of, to suggest new ideas or just share your opinion regarding the content and features within your magazine. And hey, don’t worry, we’re not about to make sweeping changes, or turn things upside down – we’re just curious about your views regarding not only the content of the magazine, but also the VW Transporter scene as a whole (that’s events, clubs, conversions, kit, camping and pretty much anything else VW-related!). We’d love to see your Vans, projects and potential feature vehicles too, whether it’s a Readers’…

I decided I wanted to own a Van following a trip to the Stanford Hall VW show with my old mate, Chicken Joe. In fact, it was Joe that hooked me up with this T4 in 2016 when a family friend approached him asking if he knew anyone that might be interested in a beat-up old Van. The previous owner told me he hadn’t washed it for eight years and the interior was full of sawdust from the DIY interior he’d fitted a few years back. Basically, it was cheap and needed some attention, which was right up my street! The first thing I did was gut the interior, and then I cut out the bulkhead and cleaned the whole thing inside and out. Next, I added sound deadening and…

OCTOBER 5-6 Brighton Breeze London (Epsom) to Brighton www.brightonbreeze.co.uk 5-7 Oktoberfest The River Dart Country Park Devon TQ13 7NP www.oktoberfestuk.com NOVEMBER 5 Slough Swapmeet (NEW VENUE) Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot Rd, Bracknell RG12 9SE www.sloughswapmeet.co.uk 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 RUN A SHOW? Why not tell us about it? EMAIL: paul.knight @ kelseymedia.co.uk…

If you know anything about the London Cartel, you’ll know they don’t do things by halves. The Cartel’s Ace Cafe and London Cruises are well known for bringing out some of the finest modified cars across the scene, and the turn out for these meets puts some of the more established shows to shame. But even with all those bragging rights, ‘The Big LC Show’ was a major departure for the team, not least because of its location. We had a feeling it was going to be a big one, but were taken aback by the mile-long stretch of cars of all makes we encountered outside the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex on arrival. “4,000 visitors and close to 2,000 cars” A claimed attendance of over 4,000…

I followed Lowdown Transporters up to VW Festival as they had been given a dedicated area of the show for their trade and club stand. With a huge turnout of over 40 Vans, it made one hell of a spectacle and drew in quite the crowd. With some of the lowest Vans on the planet in attendance, many people were overheard wondering, “How do they get over speed humps when they’re that low?” They got their answer soon enough when the guys with hydraulics started a bounce-off! It’s not just about super low, amongst the Lowdown Vans are some of the highest quality builds out there at the moment, including last month’s cover Van belonging to Phil Birk. However, it was Andy Kelly who took the Lowdown Choice award this…

I bought this Van in 2013 with the intention of using it as a work Van through the week and as a Camper at the weekend, hence I built a removable interior unit that included the basics (cooker, fridge etc). However, after the first year of ownership I realised the units spent more time inside the Van than out, so decided to build a more comprehensive interior, which included 12 / 240V electrics, a split charging system, leisure battery, lighting etc. That lasted around a year, or until I bought a Cadac and couldn’t fit it anywhere! That’s when I decided on a full, new camping set up, which now features a large drawer at the rear of the bed to house the Cadac, sun awning and other large items,…

“the lowest 4mo Van out there” In January 2015 I decided to swap my pick-up for a more ‘tax-efficient’ car, so purchased a 2.0 bi-TDi (180bhp) 4motion Highline Kombi with DSG. Yep, the tax man insisted I buy top of the range! It’s a twin sliding door model with a full Caravelle conversion and removable camping interior. Being able to pull out the fridge, sink and cooker comes in very handy when camping with my kids. I have a night heater, which is a godsend, plus I’ve fitted rear quarter windows (with curtains) and have insulated and lined the interior for a bit more comfort. Other interior goodies include additional speakers, a Golf R steering wheel and a pair of Toyota GT86 front seats. For extra room when camping, I’ve…

I always admire people who keep a vehicle long enough to go through a few sets of wheels, or different suspension set ups. There are people like me, who own a car for a short period of time and then sell it soon after to buy another, and then there are guys like Si Winship. For Si, there’s always another modification to carry out, or another direction he wants to go in with his T5.1, and it never stops improving. It wasn’t always this way, though, it was a late drive that started the ball rolling: “My thing for T5s began one night when I was driving my RS2000 from Hereford to Coventry. A pair of headlights came into my mirror, so I floored it. This thing stayed behind me…

Anyone who’s been into VW Vans for a while will know that Westfalia (Westy to its friends) was, until the arrival of the T5, the Volkswagen-approved converter for its Camper models. The relationship started with the Camping Box as early as 1951, and carried on through the Split Screen, Bay Window, Type 25 and T4 model ranges. Westfalia Campers were sold through the worldwide VW dealer network and were extremely popular. Even today, there’s just something about Westfalia-converted Vans and Buses that reeks of high quality and space-saving design. With that additional benefit of factory backing, they tend to command higher sums on the second hand market too than the multitude of rival converters, which helps keep their following strong. It came as quite a shock then for many when…

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, the grounds of the Strumpshaw Steam Museum in Norfolk were once again filled with VWs as the Fab Fest family gathered for their annual weekender. The unusual part about this event is that it isn’t a huge, sprawling festival, and that’s the intention! Only 200 camping plots are allocated each year and they typically sell out in the spring, so if you like what you see be sure to hit them up and book your plot early. In other words, don’t think you can just turn up and pay for camping on the gate, as by then it’s day tickets only. As you’d expect, there’s a good selection of trade stands, plus eateries and a bar inside the marquee, which is home to the…

Salvador Dali reportedly said, “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.” It’s also well reported – in certain circles at least – that the supreme artist didn’t meet John Chambers from Kent, and never once made contact with Dan at Three Bridge Campers in Twyford either. Had he done so, he almost certainly would have to change his stance on the subject of perfection. If you’re looking for a masterpiece my friends, then look no further. Oh yeah, like Dali, you’ve probably never met John Chambers either, have you? Well, he’s the geezer who gets to park this ABT-fest of a T6 up in his garage every night. A builder by trade – but the kind that can build you a luxury home, not just a wall around…

Over the past couple months I’ve been conducting an experiment. At most shows I attend, I usually end up as DJ Goo for a while. I always enjoy it, but it’s hard for a DJ to know what to play to keep the dance floor alive, especially at a VW show where there are all types of people from all walks of life, the only common factor being VWs. Good news though folks, I’ve figured out the ultimate VW party playlist. What might that be? Well, you’ll have to trust me on this, but it’s cheese [Do you mean R & Brie? – Ed]. No matter who you are, or where you come from, there are certain songs that everybody seems to know the words to, perhaps even without realising…

“I’m not particularly a fan of speed… I was just looking for something to get us to the beach in style” If you’ve been paying attention over the last couple of issues, you will have seen a rather striking Michelin-themed T4 built by the talented hands of Gary Stevens at Surfstyle Vans. In that feature we made reference to a Shell Oil-inspired conversion he’d completed previously. Well, ta-dah! Here it is. We don’t just throw this magazine together y’know. It’s not Gary’s now though, not since Zak Jusic shelled out some of his hard earned in search of the perfect Camper for his family. The Shell Van, as it has become universally known, is built around a base model 1.9-litre T4, but 4 wasn’t quite the magic number for Zak,…

Here’s my 2006 T28, which I have owned and modified over the past nine years. As you can probably imagine, it started out as a basic Panel Van that I initially bought as a works Van. In fact, it’s still a work Van now… it’s just a little lower than it used to be. Having some ‘previous’ with hot hatches etc. it was inevitable I’d be modifying the Van sooner or later, though I have to admit I hadn’t intended to go quite as far as this! I’ve included pics in various guises / stages of the project as I like to keep things fresh, hence it gets a new look pretty much every year. As it stands now, the Van has a Skoda Fabia VRS engine, which has been…

“Coming out from a surf and then cooking dinner with a beer / wine in hand is our idea of perfection!” Over the last two months we have spent time in Portugal, the French Pyrenees, Andorra, Italy, Austria, Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium. Our experiences in all of them have been incredible, but space dictates I will have to skip over some of the details, focussing instead on highlights of our trip that will hopefully give you a feel for the #vanlife in Western Europe. To start, I’ll pick up where I left off last month, in Ericeira, Portugal. Ericeira is renowned for its surf and the sheer concentration of surfable breaks within a relatively short distance of the coastline. This area is Europe’s first designated Surf Reserve, with…

Seasoned campers will know exactly what’s required to ensure a comfortable and relaxing break away from home and will be able to pack a Van for a weekend away in no time at all. But for the uninitiated, the whole process can be a bit of a minefield, which all too easily ends in taking way more than you need, but forgetting an essential piece of camping kit. Here at VWt HQ we not only spend a lot of time away camping at shows and with our families, we spend an equal amount of time answering emails and calls regarding ‘the right awning for my Van’ or ‘where can I get a 24V cool box?’ etc. And you’d be surprised how often we hear ‘We’ve just bought our first Camper…

“I nearly forgot I was at a car show!” This was my first visit to VW Festival, and it certainly made an impact. I arrived at 11pm on Friday night, so had to make an uncharacteristically quiet entrance so as not to wake the happy / sleeping campers. I found a pitch with the Lowdown lads, and cracked a beer with those still awake, mainly to celebrate Project Goo making the 220-mile trip on its maiden voyage! After a good night’s sleep, I rolled out of the Van to be greeted by one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen and I couldn’t wait to have a good look around this incredible venue – to the point I nearly forgot I was at a car show! Harewood House is…