Inhoudsopgave van Issue 87 - VWt

My morning routine typically begins with a cup of tea, which is consumed while I browse my emails and messages. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago (September 30, to be precise) I received a message saying renowned Porsche racer, Ben Pon, had passed away at the age of 82, which left me remembering the Pon family legacy. Although he is known in motorsport circles as ‘Mr. Porsche’, Dutchman Pon also played a pivotal role in the VW Transporter story. He took over the vehicle dealership his father started in 1947, which was the first car dealership outside Germany to sell the then new VW Beetle. It’s still open today, incidentally, based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. “without Pon snr’s sketch… the Transporter scene may never have happened at all” To cut…

Draper Tools might just have come up with the most useful advent calendar yet. Come the start of October 2019, you can benefit from this festive, Santa-approved calendar that includes 52 pieces of ¼-inch drive, chrome vanadium steel bits and 3mm drive precision bits. It even includes a Draper-branded bottle opener to help keep you lubricated while you fix your way through Christmas. Price: £35 From: www.drapertools.com T6.1 – award-winning design A readers’ poll run by German motoring magazine, Auto Motor und Sport, concluded the new Multivan 6.1 should pick up the ‘autonis – Best Design Innovation 2019’ award in the Vans category. This is the 14th year the prestigious competition has been run, with a total of 100 new models competing across 10 vehicle categories. A great result for…

“The 275/45-20s are a bit chunky compared to the rubber bands I usually fit” With dozens of successful builds under his belt, as well as more than one Van featured in this ’ere mag, safe and simple really wasn’t an option for Dan when it came to a new hire venture. Nor was a quick tart up of an existing conversion, as you’ll discover as you read on. Although Dan has enjoyed great success with DUB Buses of late (search Facebook if you want to find out more), due in no small part to his hard work ethic and out-of-the-box thinking, he isn’t one of those people who modify one Van and then immediately think they’re a business. He managed the bodyshop at Wheel Magic for a few years prior…

If you’ve yet to visit ‘the big one’, as it’s known, you should really consider adding it to your 2020 calendar as there isn’t another Van-only show that comes even close to matching the scale of this immense weekend Camper festival. Busfest covers everything from live music through to cookery competitions and a packed show ’n’ shine. But for many visitors, this event is all about the trade stands, and it’s probably the biggest collection of Van specialists you’re likely to find in one place. Of course, as it’s an all-encompassing VW Camper event, there are swapmeet stalls and a large number of spares and accessory suppliers covering earlier models, but it was the vast array of conversion companies and T5 / T6 aftermarket tuning, styling and interior goody vendors…

• See ya next year! VWt’s T5 heads off on long-term loan • Layin’ frame Slammed by Rayvern Hydraulics, Phil Birks’ T5 looking rad’ with fresh paint • Taste the rainbow 930 Turbo stripes are retro-tastic. Who’s up for a Transporter makeover? • Hot box Spotted these horseboxes converted into saunas in Brighton • Logo a go-go Loving VW’s revised logo – simple and reminiscent of the early days • Caught by the fuzz A run in with the fashion police… • VW Pub A big shout out to Kev Goldsmith at the Wolfsburg Inn…

The VolksWorld Show is Europe’s largest indoor air-cooled VW show, with hundreds of top quality cars displayed inside and outside the hallowed halls of Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey. There are also club stands, traders, a whole floor of swapmeet tables, live music and other VW-related entertainment throughout the duration of the show. If you want to make a weekend of it, why not come for the weekend and camp (pre-booking via the website is essential, you cannot turn up on the day and camp)? It’s the best way to enjoy the show at leisure and soak up the atmosphere. Make sure you bring the family too, because kids go free and there’s loads for them to do. By the way, early-bird ticket deals are running until the end of…

This is my second Transporter project, the first appearing in Issue 72 of VWt. I picked this one up as a bare Panel Van in February 2019, and immediately saw its potential. I couldn’t wait to give it the facelift it deserved, so work started pretty much as soon as I got it home. “It’s practically an obsession” I’m constantly looking for ideas for my Van projects and am always on the ’phone chasing up parts and picking up accessories. It’s practically an obsession. The first job was to remove the wood lining and have middle windows fitted to the body. Next came the soundproofing and insulation, which I fitted with the help of my partner, Julie, who really likes to get involved with my projects – a big bonus!…

When Alex Greig broke his back in his early 20s, little did he know the trauma he suffered then would prove vital later in life. Fast forward 20-something years to a routine back scan, something that had become a necessary part of his life ever since. During this particular scan, the doctors noticed a lump on Alex’s kidney that, after further investigation, turned out to be cancerous and had to be removed immediately. Alex: “I never felt ill, or had any idea what was going on. In fact, the worst part of it all was the recovery after the operation.” Thankfully, the surgery was a success and Alex was free to get back to life as normal. “Having gone through that kind of experience, it really does make you stop…

I am always reprimanding my kids for the way they treat the T5. It’s neglect, there’s no other word for it, yet as soon as I’ve given it a weekend clear out, there’s a fresh selection of sweetie wrappers, empty crisp packets, books and toys in the back come Monday morning. On the upside, they love travelling in it, and I know I should be grateful for that, but the fact it always ends up resembling the automotive equivalent of a wheelie bin is a bit soul destroying. What doesn’t help is the light grey seat fabric shows every sticky sweet trail and water stain. “the automotive equivalent of a wheelie bin” I can’t blame the kids entirely. As a family we’re heavily into competitive cycling, and there’s no doubt…

Morning all, clear away those empty cider flagons and pork scratchings packets, it’s tea ’n’ biscuits time again. To kick off, I’d like to thank VWt’s very own Cali’ boy, Jolly Jim, for keeping my seat warm last month. As the Ed explained, I was in the middle of moving house, and got halfway through the process (ie managed the ‘moving out’ bit) but, due to some unfortunate circumstances, the ‘moving in’ to somewhere new bit still hasn’t quite happened. So, for the last few weeks, I’ve been residing in the back of my VW LT Van. It’s actually not as bad as that sounds, but it remains to be seen if I’m still saying that a few more weeks / months from now… Anyway, without further ado, on with…

Picture the scene: you buy a nice T5 Panel Van to help with your mountain bike hobby, then life gets in the way. You can either roll with the punches and make the vehicle you bought evolve to keep up with your life, or sell it and move on. For Dan, it was the latter course of action and his Van evolved not once, but twice, ending up with the tricked-out Camper you see here. The first change to this 2014 Startline Panel Van happened when nature took its course and Dan’s wife, Becky, gave birth to their daughter, Luana. The arrival of child number one in their lives spelt the end of comfortable indoor transport for his mountain bikes, replaced by suddenly necessary things such as seats, seat belts…

My name is Scott Smith, and I wanted to share some pictures of my Van with you. I work offshore on the oil rigs as a rope access technician but, when I’m back on land, I love nothing more than hitting the road and heading off on an adventure in my pride and joy. “the Van fits my life perfectly” I bought my Van last year for my wife and I to enjoy, and we have clocked up plenty of miles since. It’s a 2017, 102bhp (with Revo remap to 170bhp) Highline with a bespoke conversion, which includes a pop-top, full interior including hob, sink, oven and fridge, leisure battery, 12 / 240V electrics and all the usual Camper goodies. The interior has been trimmed in black with orange highlights…

“smashes the standard 88bhp to a punchy 160bhp” Anyone remember the days when chucking some lowered springs on the back of a T4 and winding the front end down got you noticed? Back then you could throw on a set of Audi rims and you were T4 royalty. Not any more, that was then and this is now. And things have moved on. These days, if your teeth aren’t self-extracting on cat’s eyes and you can last more than five miles without the need of a sports bra (applicable to both girls and some boys…), then you’re just not low enough. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t need to be that way any more, even if you’re rolling static. How do we know? Because Matt Brooks told us so, and…

Although this is my first trip abroad in a Campervan, it certainly isn’t my first rodeo driving over the water. I’m a long distance HGV driver and my day job involves moving classic cars all over the world for races, rallies and tours, so really this is a bit of a busman’s holiday for me, but with a twist. Where normally I am on a tight schedule, this time we had little or no agenda, and planned to do lots of exploring and spend some quality r and r time in the Van. The rough plan was to spend 10 days taking in France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and The Netherlands. Yeah, this is me not on a schedule! Since our last road trip to the peaks, which was covered in…

Over the course of 2019’s summer we’ve lived in our Campers literally every weekend as we toured around Europe, partied all night (!) and checked out some serious show ’n’ shine action. Hence, by the time September rolled around, we were looking forward to a weekend off – or at the very least, a stress-free weekend around a campfire with the gang. And this is exactly what Grill-n-Chill is all about. Held over the weekend of 13-15 September at the Hop Farm, near Paddock Wood in Kent, G-n-C has grown from a small gathering in a farmer’s field into a fully fledged family VW festival, and one of our favourite events of the year. Some unforeseen issues in 2018 forced organisers, Anton, Darren and the G-n-C crew, to make the…