Table of contents for Issue 88 in VWt

“The body type of your vehicle will not be changed unless its exterior looks like a motor caravan in traffic” The DVLA is required to record vehicle details for road safety and law enforcement, and the ‘body type’ information held on the vehicle record must describe what a vehicle looks like in traffic. This description, as well as other distinguishing features, allows the police and other enforcement agencies to easily identify vehicles. It should be noted that the body type does not affect the insurance category of a vehicle, or have any bearing on speed limitations or other legislative requirements, it is only used for establishing vehicle appearance and identification. It is important to remember that even if the vehicle’s body type is not changed to ‘motor caravan’ on the…

“an eye for a level of quality that meets, or even exceeds, factory quality control” When you’re speaking to someone on the ’phone and they tell you their company attracts “all the oddballs”, it could be taken for a criticism. But with a little context added by Mick Andrews, head honcho at Advanced Auto Conversions in Doncaster, it points to the company’s bespoke build service that delights in going against the grain. Let’s face it, there are quite a few companies out there now who offer Campervans with set packages and option lists. That’s great for some – great for a lot judging by the number of them – but not so great if you’ve been around the block a bit and have some distinct ideas about what it is…

Paul Merritt from Hippo Campers wants to help you make memories by creating your dream Camper. With a solid background in engineering, having gained a degree and devoting 35 earth years to it, you can be sure you’re in safe hands. Whenever you use a keyboard in places such as Argos, chances are Paul had some involvement in its development. Prior to that, he spent his summer holidays helping his dad build coachbuilt vehicles for military and police use in Wiltshire. An engineer who builds cars – what more do you need? When the engineering company he worked for downsized around 10 years ago, Paul opted for a change of pace by moving into the kitchen and bathroom installation game. Paul: “Creating bespoke keyboards involved a lot of back and…

The weather at any early season event in the UK is always a hit and miss affair, and the Big Bang Camper&Bus Show certainly proved that point. However, a little wet weather wasn’t about to spoil the fun and the festival feeling was well and truly in the air at Santa Pod over the weekend of 17-19 May. Big Bang 2019 hosted an explosive, jam-packed schedule for VW lovers of all ages, including show cars, family entertainment, trade stands, club displays and a vast array of music acts on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Friday night in the marquee was the Big Bang dance night with DeeJay FX while, over in Fuelers Bar, the brilliant Outsiders took us back to the ’50s with some classic doo-wop, jive and rock ’n’…

’Tis the season to feed Jolly, tra la la la la, and all that. And, as Pete was supplying the Xmas ribs, I thought I’d opt for a festive juice, which Knighty picked up for me on his trip to Cornwall this month. What we have here is a Christmas treat from the The Bearded Brewery down in Saint Mawgan. It’s a mulled, spiced cider with Tahitian vanilla that is best served warm. And, at 7% ABV, it’s fairly lively, too. A three-litre box of the good stuff runs in at £24, and the best news is you can order it, or any of the fab Bearded products, online via www.thebeardedbrewery.co.uk…

• Tfloor The guys at Slambassador are killing it with the latest Tfloor project • Working class Porsche Ever wondered what a white Van man’s Porsche might look like? • Grand design Had a look around the Grand Cali this month. Report coming soon • Coachbuilt pt1 There’s a wrong way to build a custom-bodied Camper… • Coachbuilt pt2 …and a right way of doing it • Intercity 124 One for the train fans • No shaggin’ No piggy back rides inside Campervans…

The VolksWorldShow 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? Please be aware, pre-booking via the website is essential, you cannot turn up on the day and camp. Make sure you bring the family too, because kids go free and there’s loads for them to do. If you like the sound of all that, take advantage of the Early Bird ticket deals, which are running now until the end of the…

I’ve been a classic car fan for many years but, when I recently sold my BMW E28, I decided to look for a T4 Van for my next project. I’ll admit I had a few friends that already owned T4s who egged me on but, since buying my ’96 800 Special in March 2018, I’ve really grown to love it. “well used but also very much loved” I’m a bus driver by profession, so when I found the guy selling this Van worked at another local bus depot, I thought that was either a sign or a huge coincidence. Either way, I liked it enough to buy it on the spot! I literally started ripping the interior apart and stripping things down as soon as I got the Van home.…

To fully understand exactly what you’re looking at here, we need to take you back a few years to around 2011. Back then, Jamie Colley was the proud owner of a very respectable looking Type 25 with a 1.6TD engine. The problem was, there was nothing respectable about being overtaken my petrol tankers for a guy who works as a technician for Porsche. Jamie: “I’d seen a few Subaru conversions doing the rounds, but I decided to keep it VAG and fitted a 1.9TDi engine from an Audi instead.” He did all the work himself, including the necessary upgrades to fly-by-wire control. Now, you might not know Jamie, but we’re confident you’ll know somebody just like him: “Once I’ve done something and, in my eyes it’s finished, then it’s up…

While I’ve been running the T5 as a daily and smashing the occasional overnight event on my lonesome, I’ve not really had much of a chance to cover a full weekend of camping and touring with this Van – until now, that is. I’ve grown used to the creature comforts of my maxi-sized T4 Karmann Gipsy, which is always packed and ready to roll, so it was going to be a bit of a challenge to slim down and pack just enough ‘camping junk’ to make life comfortable for me and my 13-year-old son Oscar over the weekend of 30 August – 1 September in Norfolk. Sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, toothbrushes, cutlery, plates, BBQ, chairs, table and the ‘spare’ fridge packed, we were keen to hit the road. So I…

Saturday hosted the ever-popular Rust & Rat display, which included all kinds of crusty, rusty, quirky and crazy VWs. Honourable mentions go to Stephen Hooper, who picked up Best Interior with the home-brewed conversion in his ’99 T4, and Dom Clarke, who snagged the Promoters’ Choice award for his body dropped Type 25 Dokka. However, it was Carl Glew’s ’61 Beetle that took top honours in the Rust & Rat show this year.…

“a subtle, OEM+ look that reeks of quality” Like Type 25s to the air-cooled crew, T4s sit in a similar place with the water-coolers. Dropping prices of early T5s mean they’re shunned by many as the entry-level Transporter these days, yet are beloved by others precisely because they’re not T5s and ’6s. Not yet old enough to be considered a true classic, but old enough now to be beset with common rust and mechanical issues, in our experience people either love them or don’t want anything to do with them. So how can T4 ownership be deemed progress? When you’re an air-cooled VW Bus owner, and need something reliable you can drive daily, all year round, that’s when! “something reliable you can drive daily, all year round” The Man I’m…

It’s a cover up Dear VWt, I’m parking my T5 California up for the winter, can you recommend a cover for the Van and is there anything I should do to prepare it for some down time on the driveway? Mark Skelly via email VWt: If you buy a cover, don’t skimp out on a cheap single ply sheet, buy a good quality cover from a reputable manufacturer and make sure it includes straps and ties. Check also for opening door apertures as this makes quick access a doddle. Try www.justkampers.com for a range of covers. Otherwise, you should make sure your fresh and grey water tanks are drained, and consider flushing the system through with a mild bleach cleanser, too. It may also be worth picking up a moisture trap…

Hi, my name is Rob Kirwin and I live on the Isle of Wight – just a short ferry ride from Southampton or Portsmouth – and I wanted to share a few pics of my air-equipped T6. “for show use only, of course officer” It started out as a standard 2018 Shuttle with the 150TDi engine and DSG transmission. The first job when I got it, though, was to strip the whole thing both inside and out (yes, right back to bare metal). Inside, we sprayed all the grey plastic trim black, with a gloss finish on the hard plastics, and installed a Kicker sound system with an under-seat sub, amp etc. Next, the whole dash was removed and refinished in black and the headliner / roof panel and pillars…

January 2020 04-05 Aircooled Winterfest Autotron Rosmalen, The Netherlands www.keverwinterfestijn.nl February 16 Dubfreeze Stafford County Showground, Staffordshire ST18 0BD www.dubfreeze.co.uk March 08 Ultimate Dubs Telford International Centre, Telford TF3 4JH www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk 21-22 The VolksWorld Show 2020 Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ www.volksworld.com E: volksworld.show@kelsey.co.uk April 09-13 Camperfest Chester Racecourse, Chester, CH1 2LY www.camperfest.co.uk May 15-17 Big Bang Camper&Bus Show Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Way, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7XA www.big-bang.co.uk Sponsored by www.meguiars.co.uk RUN A SHOW? Why not tell us about it? EMAIL: paul.knight@kelsey.co.uk…

First, we should point out this is a pre-booked affair as it involves a great deal of logistical planning to marshal the run itself and the limited parking on Brighton’s Madeira Drive, so you can’t just roll up unannounced and expect to join in the fun. However, while it’s technically a one-day affair (October 5 this year), it’s possible to make it a three-day weekender if you want to. Allow us to explain. The official event departs from Hook Road Arena in Epsom at 8.30am on the Saturday, but you can pre-book camping for the Friday night if you wish. “unlike any other UK Van event” The drive down to Brighton takes up some of Saturday and, on arrival, participants collect goodie bags and can be in the running for…

In my experience, accidents and insurance claims are rarely straightforward, especially when you’re dealing with specialist vehicles and policies. So, if I’m perfectly honest, I was half expecting to have issues regarding the rear-end shunt I’d recently suffered in my Karmann Gipsy. After all, Karmann production figures for these things were in the hundreds, rather than thousands and, given the changes and updates they made along the way, I think my ’93 model with GRP front / rear panels (rather than aluminium) is one of less than 100 such bodies. Oh, and they were never sold in the UK, so I knew finding parts was going to be tricky, to say the least. However, I’m pleased to report that things turned out to be quite painless. I had reported the…