Sommaire pour Issue 107 de VWt

Hello and welcome to issue 107 of VWt. As I write this it’s Monday morning, it’s pissing down outside and it’s also deadline week, which as you can imagine is pretty stressful. I mean, it’s not being a paramedic or doing something where the world depends on you stressful. However, I couldn’t be happier. Why’s that? Is it a Bank Holiday or have I got new van parts arriving? Nope, it’s because it’s the morning after going to a show. I was actually fortunate enough to go to Early Edition, see vans, take photos, talk to people and have a laugh - until the heavens opened that is, well it is the UK! I knew I had missed having events in my life, but I didn’t realise quite how much.…

VWT AT TRAX SILVERSTONE TRAX, the largest performance car show in the UK is back at Silverstone Circuit on Sunday 3rd October. But this year is set to be even better for us van fans... why? Because VWt magazine will be there! Yep, you will find us at the home of British motorsport showing those car folks how it’s done with a collection of the UK’s coolest vans. From previous cover stars and feature vans to future feature vans and a few special surprises that we guarantee will have your jaw on the floor. You’ll be able to get up close and personal with the vans, speak to the owners and if you’re unlucky you may even bump into our editor Glenn. But be warned, he does like a chat,…

Before I go any further, I’d like to say that I’m not bashing on those who choose to have someone else carry out the work on their van. We all have to play to our strengths and, if your strength is earning decent money doing something else and you’d rather pay someone to build you a cool van, then it’s all cool. For most people who like to build stuff themselves, it’s usually the body and paint side of things that they decide to farm out. Truth is, there’s a lot to learn when it comes to doing decent bodywork and most people don’t have the time to learn, especially if you’re not building vans for a living. Personally, though, I’ve always strived to build cars off the sweat of…

I still have to pinch myself to believe that I have actually attended some sort of events this year, I really thought it was going to be a complete write off again. But things are looking up, so hopefully we get the chance to hit some shows and even squeeze in some camping trips this summer. This month has put some serious miles on the van. I recently headed to Tamworth to attend the ‘Brew at HQ’ Sunday morning meet which was a brilliant success. The guys at Tamworth Transporters are a great bunch and have a cool spot on an industrial estate meaning Sunday mornings are normally really quiet, that is until the 50+ Transporters and a few other cool vehicles rolled in. There were a great mix of…

Send us yours: Ever dreamed about seeing your van appear in the pages of VWt? Make that dream a reality! Simply e-mail a selection of good quality high-res images of your van to glenn.rowswell@kelsey.co.uk along with a full spec list and add the subject title ‘Your Vans’. But please remember, if you didn’t take the photos, you MUST have permission from the photographer to use the images in the magazine, and all images should be free from watermarks (by submitting an image you assume responsibility for any copyright infringement). So, what are you waiting for? Let’s see those project builds! t BRIAN LARKIN’S 2013 T5.1, Burnham on Crouch, Essex Hey VWt, I’ve been reading your mag for years now and love it when the latest copy lands through my letterbox.…

Here’s a question for you: Do car guys become van guys, or is it a separate breed altogether? If you can switch, or at least become both, what would it take? I remember a lad who used to run around in a Ford Escort van back in my boy racer days (late ‘90s if you’re wondering!). It was peppermint green, had black windows and an RS body kit with matching wheels. At the time, I couldn’t understand why you’d choose a van. I mean, that was for work men and women. One night sleeping in a Bay Window after my tent blew away and I was hooked. For Luke Massy, owner and founder of Plush Automotive and ABP (Air By Plush) there was a little more peer pressure involved. However,…

BONJOUR MES AMIS Hey VWt, I am on the other side of the pond near Paris and for more than 10 years I have been cultivating the art of riding in a T5. My first was a T5.1 Bitdi 180hp, when I sold it, it was 230hp and very well equipped. Then in July 2018 I switched to a T6, which I’ve spent lots on. It’s a 204 TSI 4motion DSG with lots of mods. If one day you want to come and do a report from our side, you would have the exclusivity of my bus because every month I literally devour VWt. Pascal Lecuyer via email VWt: Bonjour Pascal, it’s great to know that we have readers on the other side of the Channel. We’d love a trip…

It’s funny, but having been into VWs since the mid-1980s – yes I am that old – there was never a time when it was OK to put gold, bronze or copper wheels on a car, until now. I think that the fashions – automotive or otherwise – were so excessive in the 70s that we needed a few decades in between to allow a lot of the bad taste crimes to be assigned to memory before we could do a reset and filter out a few of the cool aspects of the 70s – like earthy metallic tones on wheels – to come back into fashion. I know I’m a big lover of this treatment on wheels – I just can’t get enough of it.…

FLO BILLET AIR TANKS You may already know this, you may not, but earlier this year air suspension gurus Air Lift Performance snapped up air tank manufacturer FLO Airride. Why is this important? Well, because it now means the stunningly crafted FLO Airride billet air tanks - that adorn many a cool-as-fuck truck build Stateside - are now finally available in Europe... and in most cases straight off the shelf. FLO Airride, founded in 2016 by Mike Alexander and Tim Dunaway, has a reputation for excellence within the lowered truck market, specialising in quality air tanks specifically for users of air suspension. Under the move, former FLO Airride-owner Mike Alexander has also moved over to Air Lift Performance as the Group Brand Manager. He shared with us: “I’m very excited…

JKF50 COMPRESSOR FRIDGE FREEZER This affordable, yet top notch 12v/24v compressor refrigerator› is packed full of high-end features normally reserved for the more expensive units. It packs a 34-litre refrigerator compartment and an 8-litre freezer compartment. However, the freezer compartment is removable so if needed you can have a 42-litre fridge. There’s an internal adjustable shelf and a ‘crisper’ tray to keep salad etc fresher for longer. The door can be set to open from either side whilst the front panel is removable and customisable to suit your campervans interior. The door also features a door lock mechanism, two detachable inner shelves and an LED interior light with sensor. The JKF50 features a simple to use control panel with an LED display which allows you to set the temperature for…

I love people who dance to the beat of their own drum; I like to think that I do, so when I spot a kindred spirit, I figuratively nod my head in abject approval of their efforts. The thing about dancing to your own beat, though, is that things are rarely done for approval’s sake – the opposite, in fact. Obviously, it’s always nice if your efforts are well received, but it’s a fine line. It’s true that no good idea stays a secret for long, so it’s always a bit of a knife-edge when you create something that turns out to be popular. For some, being part of the current trend – be it clothes, vans or anything else – is what makes them tick. I don’t blame people…

1. SORT OUT YOUR ALTITUDE PROBLEM Springs and dampers/coilovers You may think that we – as thoroughly seasoned wheel whores – would put a new set of hoops right at the top of a list, but no. You see, a suspension upgrade will always be our numero uno of chassis mods, because even a van on standard wheels can look pretty damn cool when it’s slammed on its derrière. The general rule of course, is that a drop in altitude is ALWAYS directly proportional to a hike in attitude. And besides all that, vans running larger diameter aftermarket rims tend to look a bit like roller skates without lowering anyway, don’t you think? So, it makes sense to sort your ride height before anything else. Still, lowering your van is…

JUNE 19th SIMPLY VW Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire, SO42 7ZN www.beaulieu.co.uk 19th- 20th PLAYERS CLASSIC Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester, PO18 0PX www.players-show.com JULY 2-4th JULY CAMPER JAM 21 Weston Park, Shropshire, TF11 8LE. www.camperjam.com 8th – 11th GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester, PO18 0PX www.goodwood.com/motorsport/ festival-of-speed/ 10th – 11th CUMBRIA VAG Westmorland County Showground, Cumbria, LA7 7NH www.cumbriavag.co.uk 23rd-25th BUG JAM 34 Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, Northants, NN29 7XA www.bugjam.co.uk 30th-1st (August) MIGHT DUB FEST Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, NE66 1NB www.mightydubfest.com AUGUST 1st TATTON PARK VW SHOW Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN www.vwnw.co.uk 5th – 8th BRISTOL VOLKFEST Birches Farm, Bristol, BS48 3RN www.bristolvolksfest.co.uk 6th – 8th VW FESTIVAL Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG www.vwfestival.co.uk 13 - 15th VWT CHILL Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire, SO42…

Painting a whole van yourself is kind of a big deal. Most people find it too scary to contemplate, especially those people with zero experience or formal training in car bodywork. Most people are probably put off from painting a car with rattle cans too – blame old men doing shocking ‘touch ups’ on their metallic Austin Maestro’s for people’s lack of keenness in this area. It’s a huge myth that you can’t get a great finish with rattle cans and Jacob has proven this, painting his entire T4 on a driveway in a secondhand eBay gazebo. He’s even painted all the door shuts properly; if you’re going to take on a colour change, then you might as well do it properly……

T6.1 T-SPORT20 STYLING PACK Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles have now officially launched new styling packs for the T6.1 - the Sport20 styling packs, available in 12 different specifications on both SWB and LWB versions of the Transporter, include combinations of front and rear bodywork accessories, and a range of alloy wheel options. The entry-level T-Sport20 pack, priced at just over £1,400, includes an ABT front lower spoiler, rear spoiler, matt black side bars, and roof rails. The headline specification, priced at £2,188, includes an ABT front lower spoiler, rear spoiler, side bars, roof rails, 20” matt black alloy wheels and offers -30mm lowering. The accessory kits are available in 14 different colours to match the T6.1 options: from Ascot Grey to Starlight Blue, and Bay Leaf Green to Fortana Red. The…

Having embarked upon his first Porsche project using a student loan at the tender age of 19, it’s little wonder Adrian Booth rocks up to this former ordnance depot in the Midlands, just outside the home of Workshop Seventy 7, in this fresh and funky T5.1 with the kind of reassurance only a laid back, serial modifier can muster. Usually reserved for carting the kids around as they squash currants, mash Mini Cheddars and ooze yoghurt all over the place, this is the sort of van we can imagine many budding (or existing) parents very much aspiring to. “In some ways,” he says reassuringly, “when I look in my garage now what I see is the result of my student loan, I definitely didn’t use it all to go out…

The beginning of Spring didn’t just see some much-needed early sunny weather, but it was also the beginning of the end of Lockdown and the loosening of some of the somewhat draconian restrictions that have become almost normal of late. The perfect excuse to get out in the van again and of course finally meet up with some friends, all whilst respecting all the social distance guidelines of course. And, the guys at Ace Transporters didn’t need to be asked twice for a chance to meet up in Poole, the beautiful coastal town in Dorset. Not only was it their first meet of the year, but it was also their first meet down South – it seems as their membership base grows, so does their following around the UK. In…

I’m going to be honest, but I’ve really not done much work on either the T6 or T5.1 this month - I am not sure fitting some windscreen wipers or the 3rd brake light disintegrating into a thousand pieces when I removed it counts, does it? What with last month’s bumper issue, some big house adaptations taking place and now events happening again it’s been pretty hectic of late. So most of this month has been taken up with talking to builders, organising things and driving places. Which has been great, as I’ve actually got a chance to get out in the T5.1, in fact it’s the most I’ve ever driven it as the T6 is the one that usually does the miles. However, it’s definitely taken its toll on…

Own an awesome Transporter, Crafter or Caddy and want it featured in these very pages? We would love to see what you’re driving! Please e-mail a selection of good quality images that show the exterior and interior of your van to glenn.rowswell@kelsey.co.uk along with a full spec list and add the subject title ‘Feature me VWt’. If we like what we see, we’ll get back to you and talk about the possibility of a VWt magazine feature shoot. So, what are you waiting for? Get snapping and show us what you’ve got!…