Table of contents for Issue 136 in VWt

TAKE A CHANCE… Hello and welcome to issue 136 of VWt magazine. As I write this, it’s the end of August and nearly the end of the school summer holidays. So, if you have kids, I hope it’s been an enjoyable one with plenty of van adventures and fingers crossed you were lucky enough to plan your time away when the sun was shining... all 3-days of it! And, if you don’t have kids, well I guess you can go on holiday when you like and not have to remortgage the house to pay for a week away. Lucky you! But hey, whatever your situation just feel fortunate that at a minutes notice you can chuck everything in the back of the van and go chase the sun, the waves,…

Let’s face it, Vanworx has become a renowned manufacturer in the VW scene from relatively small beginnings. Dave Garnsworthy set out to bring a product to the market that was more bespoke than the offerings from VW but with a very high-end fit and finish. Over the years, he’s done just that and was one of the pioneers putting together packages for their customer base, rather than a randomised set of parts being fitted to each van. This has meant they could streamline their processes and achieve massive growth as a result. Any company worth its salt in any marketplace always has an eye on growth and part of this is knowing when to keep putting development budget into the same product, or knowing when to pivot and diversify into…

Let’s get the full disclosure out of the way right from the start. My favourite van we’ve ever featured is Mikey Roe’s (THQ) super-subtle, T6 commercial from issue 98. The breaking news is, Dale Heming’s has just joined it at the top of my list. I will do my best to proceed with a sense of impartiality, but I cannot guarantee that my heart won’t rule my head when it comes to some of the words. If I were to build another Transporter, it would definitely look something like this. Dale’s story is one that resonates with me, and I’m pretty sure the same will go for many of you - especially those that entered planet Earth during the ‘70s or ‘80s. “I’ve always been into cars,” he begins. “I…

I’m going to go out on a limb here; most people these days don’t have it in them to take on a long and arduous project and see it through to the end. In a world where everyone is turning into snowflakes and project cars are a lot harder to sell as a result, most people have been conditioned by their smartphones and the instant gratification of Google searches and social media and aren’t able to delay gratification enough to complete a long project. Having said that, I’m also going to make an admission. I find it very hard to delay gratification for any length of time. I didn’t really pick up this skill until I was in my forties and, although I’ve completed plenty of fairly involved project cars…

“My wife and I wanted to go on adventures exploring more of the South West” VASILY SHELKOV’S 1993 T4 AUTOSLEEPER TRIDENT Hey VWt, check out our T4 Autosleeper Trident. Our friends had a T25 that we went on a few picnic/day outs with, and we loved being part of it and thought we’d find a van for ourselves. Also, my wife and I wanted to go on adventures exploring more of the South West and beyond. It was a bit of a spontaneous find and our first van as a couple. The build was done by Dale Giles of DG Service Repair who is a master at his craft. The biggest challenges were the wood cladding, as finding cladding which would be hardy, give it a unique look and had…

From the very beginning, VW Transporters were known for their striking two-tone paint jobs. From the early days of solid Dove Blue vans, the Splitscreen and Bay Window eras were ultimately defined by winning colour combinations such as Palm Green/Sand Green and Chestnut Brown/Sealing Wax Red. The appeal of such a variety of options is undoubtedly a cornerstone to the success of the Transporter worldwide and its ultimate home as a beacon of counter-culture. In later years, the two-tone options faded away and we are now more used to seeing vans from T4 onwards in monocolour, with white and grey dominating. When you first set eyes on Steve Tustin’s 2004 T5, you begin to wonder - why on earth did that happen? Right from the start of this project, 63-year-old…

ID. BUZZ CARGO H&R DEEP COILOVER 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. And now it seems the upgrades and modifications are coming thick and fast, as tuners worldwide turn their attentions VW’s latest van. Chassis specialist, StillStatic has just announced it is stocking H&R’s ‘Deep’ coilovers for the quirky new Buzz bus. These coilovers are different to the regular H&R items in that they have been specifically engineered to get the ‘Buzz’ lower still and yet retain the same comfy ride you’d expect from H&R. Featuring specifically designed springs and struts, these coilovers will lower the van from 40mm to 80mm. Seen here fitted to Blackline Performance’s custom ID. Buzz,…

ROAD TRIP My Dad and Stepmum live in Northumberland and in all the years I’ve been driving up north to visit and spend time with them, I’ve come to realise that the North East is a real Foodie hotspot. There are literally tons of cool cafes, restaurants and pop-ups all offering top-notch cuisine for people who really appreciate great food. When I started thinking about the nine plus hour drive from my abode on the South Coast to visit them this summer, the wheels in my mind started turning and I devised this piece, thankfully aided by the Volkswagen Press Office, who furnished me with a T6.1 California Ocean to break up the journey. These days, the media is full of “off-the-beaten-track” and “live-like-a-local” guides to places, aimed at people…

While there are many T5s out there built with a focus primarily on the show scene, we shouldn’t forget the multitude of other cool vans that travel up and down the country on a regular basis ferrying their occupants to a campsite, pub car park or even a deserted beach. Occasional overnight excursions for most vans are nothing unusual, but 55-year-old Dave Cottrell planned to use his stunning example for its intended purpose every weekend, all year round! Dave’s always been willing to get his hands dirty when it comes to his vehicles, back when he was just 18, he bought a Talbot Sunbeam which he went on to crash just three months later. “Rather than just scrap the car, I bought another shell and swapped all the running gear…

AUGUST 31st – 3rd (September)BULLI SUMMER FESTIVALAusesee, Wesel, Germanywww.bullisummerfestival.de SEPTEMBER 1st – 3rdVW ACTIONSanta Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, Northants, NN29 7XAwww.vwaction.co.uk 1st – 3rdFIELD OF DREAMS VW FESTIVALEscrick Park Estate, York, YO19 6EAwww.classicvolks.com 8th – 10thBUSFESTThree Counties Showground, Malvern, WR13 6NWwww.busfest.org 10thCAMPERS & COFFEEHellingly, Hailsham BN27 4DSwww.campersandcoffee.co.uk 10thBARRYFORNIABarry Island, South Wales, CF62 5TQwww.rothfink.com/barryfornia/ 15th – 17thV-DUBS IN THE VALLEY 9Bewdley, Shropshire DY12 1SUwww.vdubsinthevalley.co.uk 15th – 17thCARRY ON CAMP OUT 7South of England Showground, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6THwww.carryoncampout.co.uk 15th – 17thGRILL-N-CHILLOsney Lodge Farm, South Godstone, Surrey, RH9 8JHwww.grill-n-chill.co.uk 15th – 17thDONCASTER VW FESTIVALParklands, Wheatley Hall Road, Doncaster, DN2 4LTwww.eventbrite.co.uk 22nd - 24thDUB FARMTalymignedd Isaf, Nantlle, Caernarfon, LL54 6BTwww.dubfarmshow.com 22nd - 24thDUBS IN T’DALESThorp Perrow, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 2PRwww.dubsintdales.co.uk OCTOBER 6th – 8thOKTOBERFESTRiver Dart Country Park, Ashburton, Devon, TQ13 7NPwww.oktoberfestuk.com…

RARE TYPE 2 SCHULWAGEN EMERGES AFTER 43 YEARS In the early 1950s, Volkswagens and Porsches were among the vehicles imported to the U.S. by Austrian businessman Max Hoffman. However, Volkswagen decided to terminate its contract with Hoffman as sole importer and began groundwork on founding Volkswagen of America in 1954. Leadership in Wolfsburg wanted a dedicated U.S. organization to tap into the biggest car market in the world. But the company knew that in order to succeed they had to back up their sales organization with a parts and service network to support the customers after the sale. Through 1954, Volkswagen representatives Will Van De Kamp and Geoffrey Lange set up the dealer and distributor network. In 1955, they had Wolfsburg send their very first employees, three service tech trainers,…

If you’ve been reading VWt the last six months and been kind enough to read my incessant ramblings about my T5.1, you’ll know it’s been all about sorting out the camper conversion and pop-top. Now, although things are looking good inside, it’s still far from being finished. Firstly, it’s looking a little bit sparce for my liking and needs to be made to look a bit more homely, and a bit more, well me. Then there’s the small task of sorting out some permanent lighting, somewhere cold to keep the ciders and sausages, and some charging points and power points etc. Whilst in this in between stage I’ve been using a couple of Everyready USB charge LED strip lights, a small power bank for keeping my phone and camera batteries…

The Caddy Maxi’s main use is for my better half Jen’s dog walking business (see above) and it’s perfect for this. However, there are some incredible driving standards where we live, and I don’t mean in a good way, it seems like it’s only a matter of time until we have our vehicles damages. I’m not sure why there are so many bad drivers here, but it really is something else. The local Facebook group is filled with people trying to find out who smashed their vehicle and did a runner. A lack of indicating isn’t reserved just for BMW drivers here, it’s everyone! The mini roundabouts are a free-for-all, cars go over or just cut the corner off completely and I kid you not, I’ve even watched vehicles go…