Table of contents for Issue 129 in VWt

GET IT SORTED... Hello and welcome to issue 129 of VWt magazine. I always find this period of the year, well, a bit on the strange side. The festive period has come and gone, Spring seems a long time away and I find myself looking back at photos from the Summer wishing away the months until the lighter evenings arrive. Ahh... warm sunshine memories. But, then I remember that come mid-March, show season kicks into action with the VWt stand at the VolksWorld show (see page 20 for a show preview) and there’ll be new van builds to salivate over, people to see and plenty of laughs. If you’ve not been, I highly recommend it. Yes, it’s mainly air-cooled vans and cars, but there’s such a good vibe at the…

Let’s face it, each generation of van – T1 to T6 is pretty different looking. Sure, there are some big similarities between the Split and Bay vans and the T5 and T6 – despite Volkswagen’s assertions that the T6 was a completely new vehicle, but each model tends to have its own devotees. I’ve owned everything from T1s to T5s and my preference is firmly rooted in Splits and Bays, with the Early Bay Window Buses being my absolute favourite, as they have more practicality than a Split but still have cool looks. Besides, more of the Bay Window Buses were running around when I was growing up than anything else and a few formative experiences gained my unflinching devotion, at least in the last 30 years. And these experiences,…

There wasn’t a single aspect of human life that escaped the reach of COVID-19. Sport was decimated. Music festivals failed to exist, and it seemed everybody we knew was supposed to be getting married in 2020! The number of wedding cancellations could have been a different data point for tracking the impact of the virus on the world. Many couples compensated for the delay in different ways. Our favourite so far has to be the purchase of this 2018 T6, by the now thankfully married couple Gavin and Megan Maidment from Portsmouth. “We bought the van in July 2020 after our wedding had been cancelled for the third time due to the various lockdowns,” reveals Gavin. The search for the van was certainly touched with serendipity. “Trying to find the…

HOT VANS Ah the 1980s. Many of you reading this will be too young to remember it, so all you’ll really know about it is from snippets you see on TV – Princess Di with mad bouffant hair and shoulder pads and women in leg warmers come to mind. But that’s not what Lloyd Aldred’s T5.1 reminded me of... luckily! The ‘80s – for me – was a pretty carefree time, I must admit. We moved to a house in a (then sleepy) village and most of it was about playing out in the street on our BMX bikes and with Tamiya RC cars. The road was pretty quiet, so we’d build ramps in the street for RC cars and bikes and only have to remove them now and again…

Own a super-tasty Transporter 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 glenn.rowswell@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 to chat about a full VWt magazine feature shoot. So, what are you waiting for? Get snapping and show us your Transporter!…

Running a company split between the UK and the Netherlands has certain logistical situations that need clever solutions. Just ask Andy Stretton, owner of Transporter HQ and now also THQ EU. With the advent of Brexit, selling parts into Europe from the UK brought with it fresh headaches. The easiest way to circumnavigate this newfound land of red tape was to create a base on the other side. The best ideas are always the simple ones. To make things even more straightforward, rather than build something entirely from the ground up, Andy made contact with Marcos Dreves, owner of a well-known tuning company in The Hague known as Baas Custom Parts. A deal was reached and BCP soon became THQ EU. A demo vehicle was, of course, a prerequisite. This…

There aren’t many new van launches that have caused as much of a stir as the ID.Buzz. The latest addition to Volkswagen’s electric ‘ID’ line-up is a long-awaited reinterpretation of the T1 Transporter. A car with the same visual impact as the concept that unveiled on a Californian beach way back in 2017, now available at your local dealership. It was bound to happen eventually. Volkswagen revived the Beetle way back in 1997, then again in 2011, but both had the compromise of stretching a rear-engine body shape over a front-engine platform borrowed from the Golf. By comparison, the ID.Buzz feels quite authentic; its toaster-like silhouette sits on a flat floor with an air-cooled motor at the rear wheels, just like the T1 Transporter, except this one runs on battery…

The search for a conversion company in the current UK market can be daunting. From one-man-bands to large factory style, mass-production companies; it’s as though everyone is at it right now. “We knew that we wanted a Volkswagen and to have it professionally converted,” Siobhan explains. “We spent months researching different conversion companies when we came across Ecowagon who had been mentioned in a forum. Once we saw their style of conversions and the ethos behind the company we were sold. At the time we were looking for a VW van they were in high demand and build times were ridiculously long. We were fortunate that Ecowagon had already put in an order for a number of vans, and we were offered one to purchase which met our specifications. Kenny…

OUR VANS You may remember a few issues back I spoke about how the T6 dash was in but there were a few issues and missing parts. After a delivery from James & Freddy down at Cali Campers -the Transporter breakers in New Milton - the dash was complete. However, there was always going to be a few little extra bits that were going to be needed to make this mod finished and take it to the next level. For some the next level maybe the comfort dash, but I’ve always thought the larger cup holder area from Volkswagen’s comfort dash gets in the way and the wine bottle chiller is a little unnecessary for me. The ultimate set up in a T6 for me is a combination of the…

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! PAUL CUTHBERTSON’S 2015 T6, WILTSHIRE Hey VWt, check out my slammed 2015 T6 camper. I used to work with a guy who had a Transporter and ever since I’d always…