Table of contents for Issue 141 in VWt

CLEAN SLATE Hello and a warm welcome to edition 141 of VWt magazine. And a belated happy new year to y’all! Dunno about you, but I’ve had a bit of a cathartic Christmas which started on the very morning of the 25th. It’s become something off a habit of mine to grab a video camera on special occasions such as this in order to capture moving images of the family as a memento, what with the kids growing up so quickly and all that. Except on Christmas morning, as misfortune would have it, I discovered the camera’s memory card was full. Instead of seeing this as a timely metaphor, I hurriedly started deleting unwanted footage to make room for our impending Christmas family capers. And I clicked on the wrong…

Dan isn’t the kind of guy to rest on his laurels; he’s recently owned (and sold) a factory T6 Sportline and a California too, but he prefers the simplicity of the Van he created here, even though it too is now for sale, with a replacement T6 already purchased and plans hatched to create something ‘a little bit different’. And the air-cooled enthusiasm? That comes from the fact he owns a pretty unique twin slider RHD Late Bay Window Deluxe, as well as a Beetle and small bumper Mk1 Golf project – as I said, he rarely rests! This project was hatched with a clear vision in mind. Dan wanted to prove that it is possible to build a standout T6 and get it featured in a magazine without spending…

You’re used to seeing slammed Transporters on these hallowed pages, right. But an ’80s wedge? Well, why the hell not is what we say, especially as Micky Ellery’s taken his one to another level by fitting Rayvern air suspension in order to reach lower lows. Micky’s been a VW fan for as long as he can remember, his passion kick started by a ’74 Beetle before moving on to a Polo breadvan, Mk1 Golf and Mk1 Golf cabriolet. Indeed, currently residing in the Ellery’s driveway is an impressive fleet containing a now quite rare Mk3 Golf, a 2005 Beetle, and a return to his air-cooled roots courtesy of a ’66 Bug. So far, and perhaps also surprisingly, there’s been no mention of a VW Van but that’s something that only…

I took my test in a Beetle, my mum and dad had a T2, I’ve owned Karmann Ghias, Type 3s, Golfs, Sciroccos and had (and still now have) a T25. A T4 once graced my driveway, too, so it seemed rude not to tick off the missing T from my list and buy a T5. And this was the first one I owned, a 2004 SWB in Friesen green – an old T4 colour. I recently happened upon some old shots of it on my hard drive, so I thought I’d share them here and tell you a bit about it. In case you didn’t know I’ve lived in Brittany for the last decade or so and secondhand cars here are ludicrously more expensive than they are in the UK.…

JANUARY 19th – 21stMOTORHOME & CAMPERVAN SHOWStoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warks CV8 2LGwww.outandaboutlive.co.uk FEBRUARY 4thCAMPER MARTThe Telford International Centre, Telford, TF3 4JHwww.ultimate-stance.co.ukwww.campermart.co.uk 13th – 18thCARAVAN CAMPING & MOTORHOME SHOWThe NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NTwww.ccmshow.co.uk MARCH 10thULITMATE DUBSThe Telford International Centre, Telford, TF3 4JHwww.ultimate-dubs.co.uk 16th – 17thVOLKS WORLD PLUSSandown Park, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJwww.volksworldshows.com APRIL 21st – 23rdVW CAMPFESTChester Racecourse, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 2LYwww.camperfest.co.uk JUNE 7th – 9thBRISTOL VOLKFESTBirches Farm, Bristol, BS48 3RN www.bristolvolksfest.co.uk 21st – 23rdVWT FESTIVALKent County Showground, Maidstone, ME14 3JFevents.fastcar.co.uk/vwt-festival/ GET ADDED Got a meet or event that should be in here? Drop us an email to ian.cushway@kelsey.co.uk *Please note dates and venues are subject to change. So please check website for latest details.…

Own a super-tasty Transporter, Crafter or Multivan and want it featured in these very pages? Then show us what you’ve got! Please e-mail a good selection of images that show the exterior and interior of your van to ian.cushway@kelsey.co.uk along with a spec list and add the subject title ‘Feature me VWt’. If we like what we see, we’ll get back to you ASAP about the possibility of a full VWt magazine feature shoot. So, what are you waiting for? Get snapping and show us your van, we’d love to see it!…

The notion of Van as ‘therapy’ has saved more than a few souls in the VW scene, and for Gregg Lomas it was all thrown into sharp focus with the acquisition of this 2010 T5.1 Kombi. In 2021 he was preparing to move back to the UK after 15 years of living abroad, and the logistics of his personal menagerie had him looking at some offbeat solutions. “After having some frightful quotes for transporting my personal belongings, my Great Dane Nelson, Afghan Hound Vivienne and black cat Boux, along with all the uncertainty of coming out of Covid and with Brexit coming into effect, it was a minefield of uncertainty,” he recalls. “So I decided to simply do it myself… to be honest, the more I thought about it, something…

Vanlife has transformed over the decades. From the flower-power era of the ‘60s to the modern-day nomadic lifestyle, the desire to escape the ordinary and embrace the open road remains unchanged. As we all know, Volkswagen’s Transporters have been a part of this journey from the beginning and the VW Crafter now takes the tradition to new heights – quite literally. Though not as iconic as its predecessors, it is making waves among camping fans. As the largest van in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles line-up, it offers plenty of space for customisation, making it the perfect canvas for many dream campervan conversions, just like the one here from Vannado. The Polish conversion company is full of people who share a passion for vanlife and creative craftsmanship. Among their team are…

There’s no doubt about it, the Webbs are a family who eat, sleep and breathe Volkswagens. Said mum, Amanda: “Our kids Josh and Leah grew up camping and with caravans. Then we bought a LWB T5, did the interior and got into the VW scene. But you know how it is. Once you’re into Campers, the only one to have is a Split Screen, isn’t it? We bought this Californian 13-Window in 2012 from FBIVW in Swansea. My husband, Jason, knew what model he wanted and he could see how it was going to end up in his mind’s eye. That said, at first we didn’t think it would be something we could do, but Jason just started working on it and he went from there, ticking jobs off one…

EATING OUT This month we’ve got one of those recipes that you can adapt to whatever you and those you’re feeding enjoy eating. The smell of it cooking will make you hungry, and it’s like a warm fire and comfy socks on a cold day – it’s soup for the soul! The recipe is based loosely around minestrone, and other thick warming soups which have fed and nourished humans for thousands of years. Traditionally, whatever vegetables were grown locally and in season would have formed the key ingredients and you can bulk it up into more of a meal with either pasta or pulses too, particularly if you’re out enjoying the beautiful winter weather. If you have a slow cooker in your van, simply throw in the ingredients and leave…

T6.1 REPLACEMENT BREAKS COVER Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has revealed the all-new T7 Transporter which is due to go on sale next year. It will join the already available Multivan and ID.Buzz. The new range of Vans will include a Panel Van in two different lengths and heights, a Kombi, a dropside truck with double cab and the Caravelle. They will be scooted along by either diesel, plug-in hybrid or fully electric powertrains. The new Transporter is 146mm longer than its predecessor and the wheelbase has been extended by 97mm, so load capacity has benefited as a result. There will also be an optional 400mm-longer wheelbase version. The new ‘T’ is 128mm wider, too. Of course the question being asked by VW purists is whether it’s really a Volkswagen at all,…

One of the real pleasures of putting VWt magazine together each month is the variety of content this format allows us to bring to you; a publication written by Van lovers for other Van lovers should always be at the very core of what we do. But, most importantly, it should inspire. After all, there’s no better reward when talking to a new Van convert than to hear them say they picked up our magazine and instantly recognised their automotive goal in llife! And that’s precisely why before your eyes right here is the latest VW Transporter from one of the UK’s most well-respected camper converters, guys and gals at the top of their game right now. It’s true to say that when Ecowagon decides to build a demo van,…

If you tuned in last time, then you’ll have already been introduced to the Caddy Project race support van, which is being built in conjunction with Teng Tools, with help from some loyal supporters. The base vehicle is a long wheelbase Caddy Maxi which was purchased for just over £5k – the van itself turned out to be an extremely tidy example with very few hidden surprises – ‘few’ being the operative word! Okay, so it may have broken down on the way back to Kent having picked it up in Devon, but it didn’t take the AA man long to diagnose the problem to be a faulty injector (which is a common fault on these), or to source a replacement item from eBay (considerably cheaper than an OEM unit).…

The thing about VW Transporters, as we all know, is that they’re supremely flexible. You can use ’em for just about anything, and that includes facilitating your favourite pastime. Now, mountain biking and surfing are the obvious favourites with you lot, but have any of you tried a ‘fat bike’? Thought not. Whether you’re a road cyclist or a mountain biker, riding one of these big boys for the first time will inject an exhilarating burst of fun into your two-wheeled adventures. These eye-catching off-road machines are fitted with giant tyres around 4.5in wide – that’s about the same width as the front tyre of a Ducati SuperSport motorbike, double the size of a downhill mountain bike tyre, and five times bigger than the skinny tyres on a road bike.…

DEREK BAIRD’S, 2019 T6 HIGHLINE Hi VWt, my name’s Derek Baird and I am based in Larbert, central Scotland. I am a 62-year-old retired electrical shift supervisor on the Brent Charlie Shell oil rig. I ought to mention, I’m a big football fan and am a season ticket holder of my local football team, Falkirk. I live with my wife, Caroline, and two boys, Lewis and Struan. When I retired, my first wish was to purchase a VW Camper – it’s something I’ve always thought about but never seemed to have had the time to do. Hence, the purchase my 2019 VW T6 Highline T28 2.0-litre diesel which has been remapped to 175bhp (with 360Nm torque) by Remap2race Scotland. Other mods include having a set of Bilstein coilovers fitted by…