Índex per Issue 98 a VWt

Hello and welcome to issue 98 of VWt magazine. Is it just me, or does there seem to be more Transporters about than ever? It seems every time I hit the road, I see a constant flow of modified Transporters and campers going in the opposite direction. Everything from newly converted 6.1 campers to slammed T4s and splitties. I am sure it has a lot to do with living in the South West, as being Bristol based means we definitely get our fair share of Devon, Cornwall and holiday bound traffic. But it certainly feels even busier than normal, which is great news for us, the scene and of course everyone that works within the industry. Lockdown has certainly played its role also, as more and more holiday makers hit…

The build is all about subtle mods – the DRL headlights, the sequential side repeaters and the clear rear LED lights; things like that. The subtlest however, can be found in the tailgate. If you noticed it right off the bat, take ten house points. Having had a little history with Japanese cars, Mikey had an idea to replicate the ‘import look’ on the T6 tailgate. Steve at Paint-Worx Loughborough obliged and the result is a much smaller than standard number plate housing. The execution is sublime. Expect to see this one popping up in other places – just remember you saw it here first.…

70 years ago a first generation (T1) dove blue panel van with chassis number 20-1880 rolled off the production line in the famous Wolfsburg plant. It was delivered to Hildesheim to start a life of service, transporting goods from A to B. At the end of its working life, the VW Transporter sadly vanished from sight for nearly 20 years in private collections. It was not until the early 1990s that an ardent Bulli fan brought it back into circulation for all to enjoy. Following a complete restoration, the famous Bulli is now in VWCV’s Classic Vehicles collection, where she has been since 2014. So what did she do for her 70th birthday? Celebrate with a small group of her Bulli friends from the VWCV Oldtimer collection and have cake…

I’m not one of those people who moans about the VW scene and how it has changed immeasurably since those formative years when creativity was allowed to run riot; I love everything about this scene we’re all a part of; air-cooled, water-cooled, all of it. I know that the air-cooled scene has gone more towards restoration than modification, with things like original paint, original colours and original interiors being more prevalent than they ever were, but in modification terms at least, the water-cooled and VW van scenes more than make up for this. Whichever scene you favour, nothing is stopping you from building the motor you want to build, except maybe peer pressure for some. Another title for this feature could have been Refreshing Change; don’t get me wrong, I…

TRANSPORTER HQ T6.1 LOWER SPLITTER Own a brand spanking new T6.1? Well lucky you, driving around in your posh new Transporter. Are we jealous? Of course not, well maybe a little bit… and it seems you have the luck of the Irish this month, as van modifying dons Transporter HQ have just released their all-new lower splitter for the latest version of the Transporter. And, it’s a beauty! Where some cheaper splitters can look a bit out of place and a bit of a bolt-on afterthought, this new THQ unit fits so flush it looks almost OEM. We mean just look at it, looks the business eh? Also, unlike sometimes cheaper and less durable fibre glass versions, this one is made of super flexible ABS plastic. So it can take…

Doing a T4 interior out of pallet wood and scaffold board is nothing new; we’ve featured a few vans that use this kind of material for the interior before. The beauty of these materials though is that they can be picked up for virtually nothing (in some cases free) and they give a cool and edgy urban vibe paired with other materials, such as the coffee/ sand sacks here and things like copper piping for taps and fittings, etc, they give the feeling of being in the kind of place where you can get artisan coffee and play spot the hipster moustache, but without the hipsters, moustaches or vegan only cakes.…

The idea and philosophy behind Dubbed Out has been manifesting for years, but the reality is the club has been around for less than a year. Both myself, Germaine Williams and my good friend Neil Green have been friends for nearly a decade. We met through our own respective music event businesses. Between us we’ve probably got 20 plus years of experience in organising dance music events and music festivals around the North West. Neil has been into VWs for years, he owns a 2.5 T4, a Mk1 Golf GTi Cabriolet, a Caddy and has changed practically every moving part on his stunning T4. In contrast I know absolutely nothing about VWs or any other vehicle for that matter. I just love the hippy dream of campervans and festivals and…

Own an awesome Transporter 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, interior and engine bay 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!…

British Armed Forces & Emergency Services Volkswagen Owners Club Area: National www.facebook.com/ groups/330513957412420/ Bath Air-Cooled Area: Bath & Bristol www.bathaircooled.co.uk Cambs Transporters Area: Cambridgeshire www.facebook.com/ groups/1374742886168935/ Club 80 – 90 T25 Area: National www.club80-90.co.uk Chase Dubz Area: Cannock Chase & surrounding www.facebook.com/ groups/1535643423130892/ Club-Vdub Area: Kent & National www.club-vdub.co.uk Cornwall Volkswagen Owners Club Area: Cornwall www.cornwallvwoc.com Dirty Low Down Dubbers Area: West Sussex www.facebook.com/DLDDVWC/ Donny Dubz Area: Doncaster www.facebook.com/ groups/562792360434388/ Dorset Dub Club Area: Dorset www.facebook.com/dorsetdubclub/ Dubbed Out VW Community Area: Nationwide www.facebook.com/ groups/2434740270141152/ Dubs in Law Area: Wigan & surrounding www.facebook.com/ groups/1415419492007924/ Dunstable Dubbers Area: Dunstable www.facebook.com/groups/ Dunstabledubbers/ Herts VW Owners Club Area: Hertfordshire www.facebook.com/groups/17758385004/ Highlandubbers VW Club Area: Highlands of Scotland www.facebook.com/ groups/1671739203039871/ Just T4s Area: National www.facebook.com/groups/JustT4s/ Kombi Club Area: National www.facebook.com/groups/kombiclub Leicestershire & Warwickshire VW Owners…

Mikey could possibly be one of the happiest guys in town. You get the impression he’s very present in the moment. The people who go through life like that tend to lead a very minimalist lifestyle, like Buddhist monks for example. We had a decent conversation so he either hasn’t taken a vow of silence or he has broken it. Either way, his van is an absolute signature piece of minimalist customisation. OEM plus has been around for a while, but this van has all the elements of a new breed of OEM plus plus! To get to the heart of it, you need to get to what it is that makes Mikey tick and that is a lowered car. From the moment he was able, Mikey has been lowering…

CHERRY DISPOSITION Hi VWT, please will you give a shout out to Cherry, my T4. She’s been in restoration for three months and it was her first time out today. We’ve had some work done on her, mainly body work and a full original paint re-spray and she’s been in the garage having all this done during lockdown. We got her back at the weekend and had our first little trip out to Bakewell in Derbyshire. It was just for the day, but we’re hoping to make the long trip down to Cornwall next week all being well. Stephen Mills via email VWt: Hello Stephen, we have to say Cherry is looking mighty fine for an ol’ girl. It looks like that was money well invested, we hope there’s more…

The thing with going low for many, is there’s always someone lower; how many times have you seen a slammed van and the owner is still talking about more lows? Sam is no exception; he was a little coy, to begin with, then mentioned about booking the van back in with Ray for some extra notching to bring the van even closer to terra firma; he’d also toyed with the idea of a full body drop, but in doing so, found out that it’s a lot of money to carry this out! Also on the cards is an engine raise, as, from what Sam has discovered, a lot of guys say the slammed vans drive better with this mod – we look forward to seeing the future incarnation.…

There are many elements to this interior that emanate luxury, but none more so than the front blind. Is it because something like this is usually associated with very expensive motorhomes? Attached to the A-pillars they simply slide to the centre where a magnetic strip keeps them firmly close – they even have a recess to avoid interfering with the rear view mirror. Providing both complete blackout and security from prying eyes, they make a very classy alternative to curtains or stick on window blinds. Perhaps they are just the cherry on a very luxurious cake.…

“What could be more personal, than building a camper interior” Isn’t it strange how some decisions made when you’re building a van on a budget can often work out to be the best thing you could have ever chosen, even if money was no object? We feature a lot of vans here at VWt and many of them have had a blow-the-budget makeover by one of the many high-end companies in this lovely scene of ours. I’m the first one to be impressed by these kinds of builds; they set a benchmark for many and, if nothing else, show what can be achieved if money was no object. Having never had this sort of money to throw at a van though and also having built a lot of cars over…

CALIBRE ALTUS You can’t go wrong with a classic Y-spoke, it suits everything. Especially when it looks like this beautiful concaved ten-spoke Atlus from Calibre. Everything’s premium apart from the price. A bargain at twice the price! Price £815 www.wheelwright.co.uk Sizes: 9x20 PCD: 5x120 Offset: ET45 Load rating: 975kg Colours: Gloss Black, Black / Polished Face, Hyper Silver, Matt Black, Matt Silver / Matt Polished Face CALIBRE CC-U If you want something tough, big and with seriously aggressive styling the CC-U is for you. These would suit everything from a premium look panel van to something modified packing big in the brakes department. Pussies, need not apply. Price £825 www.wheelwright.co.uk Sizes: 9x20 PCD: 5x120 Offset: ET45 Load rating: 815kg Colours: Silver, Matt Black, Matt Gunmetal RIVIERA RF2 HUBLOT The RF2…

If you saw last month’s magazine, you’ll be aware that after a long search I finally got hold of the Transporter of my dreams, well one that fulfilled my sizable wish list of must-haves anyway. A LWB, twin-slider, with a tailgate in Pure Grey. With the bonus that it was Stitches and Steels ol’ workhorse, so it also came packing a few treats including SoLow coilovers, a full S+S dropdown bed conversion and a 6.1 facelift. I’ve got big plans for the van, some that need saving up for, so in the meantime, I am trying to take a measured approach and focus on one area at a time. This month I thought I’d tackle the seats. When I bought the van, it came with S+S seat covers, which were…

Founded in 1970, BBS takes its name from the surname initials of founders Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand and the town in the black forest, Schiltach in which it developed. Since the invention of an innovative three-piece motorsport wheel in 1972, the company has become synonymous with high-end aftermarket wheels. The BBS LM (Le Mans) is a typically classic design that can cost a cool £1000 a corner new. A great investment wheel, if you can afford a set that is...…

Volkswagen is urging motorists to treat van drivers, many of whom have been hard at work during lockdown (just saying), more considerately. New research, by VW has revealed van drivers’ biggest annoyances, from not being left enough space to small parking spaces. Grrr… don’t you just hate that?! In a study by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles of 1,000 UK van drivers, nearly a third (31%) ranked not being left enough space on tight roads as their biggest annoyance. Fellow drivers leaving tight parking spaces or narrow bays in car parks ranked second alongside not being let out into traffic. Whilst over a quarter of van drivers listed being cut up at roundabouts or cyclists coming up alongside their vans at a junction (26%) as the greatest faux pas. A further 23%…

Rayvern Hydraulics was started by Ray Ramsey way back in 1994, although it feels longer ago. Ray had spent some time building street rods in the US before returning home and starting Rayvern. Initially, he just worked on air-cooled VWs, but quickly became the go-to guy for hydros and, later, air ride on all models of car. Ray is proud to manufacture all of the company’s products in-house, so have total accountability and full control over quality – how many other companies can say that? With literally tons of their builds featured in magazines over the years – they’ve had over 50 cover cars and 200+ magazine features over the years, but Ray remains a humble guy to chat to. You can find them at rayvernhydraulics.co.uk…

KICKER K-SERIES SMART-RADIO INTERFACES We love anything simple but effective here at VWt, which is probably why we’ve kept our chief designer Initial G around for so long (oi I do read this stuff y’know! – Initial G). And, the auto world is full of ingenious solutions for problems that crop up as the industry moves on – especially when it comes to audio integration. Over the years, manufacturers have made it harder and harder to upgrade factory systems… it’s almost as if they don’t want you messing about with their gear. But, at every turn, the audiophiles find a way to get back in the game and one of the best firms for seeking out the answers, through a whole load of research and development, is US giant, Kicker.…

So here it is, the new project van! I wasn’t sure what route to go down for the next van. The logical thing would be to go for a MWB Crafter, but I hate to say it, I’m really not keen on the front end or the cab on the older versions! The New Crafter though, now we’re talking, that front end and cab is incredible, but unfortunately out of my budget, maybe in a few years… So I’ve ended up with pretty much an ideal spec van for me, it’s a LWB, twin slider, tailgate, electric windows and air con oh and a little rough around the edges so perfect for some graffiti paint driveway respray action! It needs a few tech upgrades, cruise control, new stereo with Bluetooth,…

MIKE HOLMES’ 2011 T5.1 LWB North Yorkshire Hello VWt! I raced motocross for many years at amateur championship level, so it’s fair to say I have travelled in vans a lot. At the time I kitted out a few vans for racing, but only to a very basic level. But as I moved on, I started kitting them out a bit more professionally, in fact I had a 1989 T4 which was featured in your magazine in the reader’s rides section a few years ago. I am hooked now and always wanting to better the last van build, being an engineer helps me to do this and add my own little quirky spin onto things. I’ve owned Gracie (named so because she is grey) the campervan for approximately 4 years…