Table of contents for Issue 140 in VWt

FULL STEAM AHEAD INTO 2024! Hello and a warm welcome to edition 140 of VWt magazine. As you might imagine, with all the usual stuff going on in the lead up to Christmas etc, it’s been pretty hectic here at VWt HQ. Still, I am loving it so far and it’s been great finding various Van pics land in my inbox and getting all your snippets of news – so please keep sending them in to ian.cushway@kelsey.co.uk. Personally, I find this time of year a tad tricky mentally if I am honest. I guess it’s because I am an outdoor, sunny weather kinda person, so when it’s cold, dark and drizzly most of the time, it takes its toll. Hence why I’ve been doing some forest rides on my mountain…

It’s rare to find a guy as open about his mental health as Dan Chambers; in a world where most people only post their highlights on social media and hide anything that doesn’t paint a picture of a perfect life, chatting to Dan to get the scoop for this feature was a breath of fresh air. It’s probably no wonder then that he’s managed to build a YouTube channel with over 120k subscribers, but he didn’t just arrive there without some adversity along the way. Dan had a business as a successful shopfitter, working with several brands and although it sounds glamorous, it ultimately drove him to a breakdown in 2019, after which he chose to sell everything and move into a camper. That all happened a week before the…

It’s essential to get as much use as possible out of a hobby vehicle because the sword of Damocles always hovers above the roof of an asset sitting idle on the drive most the time. And indeed, regular enjoyment was the objective when Dan and Natasha Noble decided to buy a Van in 2015. Dan’s into mountain and gravel biking, so the Transporter would get use all year round accessing the best off-road trails, while Natasha, who has a super stressful job as a nurse and was also a care home manager at the time, wanted the opportunity to go off-grid, decompress and get away from it all whenever she got the opportunity. Nope, a summer-only trailer queen just wouldn’t cut the mustard with this intrepid couple. BUS BUG Dan…

ANDREW’S ROAD TRIP Hello people of VWt, if you’ve read the last few issues of the mag, you’ll already be aware that I’ve stepped down as editor. One of the main reasons was so I could spend more time and have more adventures with my youngest son Buzz who has complex health needs. First on the to-do list was something my partner and I have wanted to do for years, go on a big European road trip. So, with my final ever deadline day looming I started the search for an adapted campervan as Buzz is in a wheelchair. Although we have two Transporters, neither of them is big enough to accommodate the three of us on a roadtrip, so the only solution was to hire a Crafter or something…

RICHARD SUMMERS, 2014 T32 Hi VWt, my name is Richard Summers – I am 57 and was born in Cardiff where I have lived all my life. I’ve been married to my wife, Amanda, for 33 years and have a daughter, Gemma, who is 31. I bought my 2014 T5 in March 2019 as a plain ex-Coca-Cola Van to get me back into modifying, as I hadn’t done much for a couple of years beyond fitting alloys to a couple of my vehicles. It had already had some minor mods when I bought it, including roof bars, side bars, Sportline spoilers and 20in Exile R alloy wheels, and it had been lowered on Cobra springs so it looked quite nice to start with and things have kind of gone on…

Adapting to environmental conditions is a behaviour instinctive to all creatures, from the hibernating tortoise in its winter box to the absurdly-shod blue-footed boobies of the Galápagos Islands. To humans living in the United Kingdom, this manner of adaptation has evolved into a sort of grimacing resolution; a general aura of being prepared for the worst, because it may be sunny now but it’ll probably rain soon. Brits don’t act like, say, Hawaiians, reflexively reaching for their beach shorts of a morning without so much as a troubled glance through the window first. The umbrella is the weapon of choice, closely followed by the barbed and defensive sarcastic quip. Gosh, but that’s a negative way of looking at it, isn’t it? The other side of this weighty coin is a…

TAROX BRAKE UPGRADE KIT Some things shouldn’t be rushed, which explains why TAROX have spent time developing their front brake kit for the T6 and T6.1. Recognising it as such an important application, they wanted it to be absolutely perfect. At the same time, because the modern Transporter is used in such a uniquely diverse way, they eventually came to realise that they might not be able to tick every box. So instead they concentrated on what they know best – performance. And the solution they finally arrived at is one that offers huge improvements in performance and a massive reduction in un-sprung weight while maintaining an OE-style firm but progressive pedal feel. The TAROX Sport brake system features a 345mm floating two-piece disc paired to a billet alloy six…

Aurélien Bes from Toulouse bought this ’69 Bay Window in 2014 and finished it in 2020 ready for the show season, just as Covid hit. It was absolutely ‘shot’ he explains, or a word similar to that effect which we can’t repeat here. Alas, he doesn’t speak much English. That might have come as a nasty surprise given the fact that despite having done up a Beetle and a Buggy, it’s was the first Bus he’d tackled. More impressive still is the fact he ended up virtually all the work himself. “I made my own ‘spit’ so I could turn the Bus on its side then spent the next year cutting out all the rust,” he explains. This included a ‘orrible’, as he put it, aftermarket sunroof from an Opel.…

This beef and broccoli stir-fry is a yummy recipe that you can easily create in a single pot for convenience. It’s quick, low carb and packed full of flavour. Need to know: ■ Prep Time: 10 mins■ Cook Time: 15 mins■ Total Time: 25 mins■ Servings: 2 Ingredients ■ 1 level tsp cornflour■ 1 tbsp soy sauce■ 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (plus more for cooking)■ 200g sirloin steak trimmed of any fat and gristle■ 150g Tenderstem broccoli■ 100g pak choi■ 1/2 red chilli thinly sliced 1. Preheat a wok, large frying pan or sauté pan on high. Whilst the pan is heating, make the sauce by mixing the cornflour, soy sauce and sesame oil together in a small bowl until smooth. Put to one side. 2. Using your sharpest…

Vanlife is, at its very essence, an escape from reality. Or perhaps, if you view such things through a more conceptual filter, it’s the true reality that intersperses the mundanity of the everyday. Either way, the truth is a constant: if your day-to-day life involves being tied to a desk (not literally [or perhaps literally, we’re not judging]) and spending 40-odd hours in the office each week, the idea of trundling out into the countryside for a bit of fresh air, cider and relaxation represents the perfect escape. And it’s a tremendously versatile way to see the world, isn’t it? You can call pretty much anywhere home for the night, depending on how much driving stamina you have and where you fancy giving up for the day and grabbing a…

CADDY PROJECT The thing we share with our colleagues at Performance VW magazine is their passion for making the automotive mundane look more interesting. Which is why we’re following their project Caddy, which they’re doing in conjunction with Teng Tools. The theme is VW’s T1 Spit Screen ‘Rennsport’ (Racing) support Panel Van that Porsche first used back in 1950s, so you can see the link. They were all painted bright red and looked instantly cool with their ‘Porsche Rennsport’ logos on each side. In fact, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Rennsport, Porsche Netherlands created eight VW ID.Buzz EVs resplendent in Renndienst (racing service) livery to exhibit in showrooms across Holland. Porsche itself actually produced a concept back in 2020, too, although that one never made it into production. The…

If you want to transform a Transporter into a bed on wheels, this guide will help you do it. There’s lots of different bed frames available, with prices starting at around £350, although full width beds are likely to be closer to £600, with crash-tested beds with seatbelts for the T5/T6 being £1074 from the likes of Rusty Lee. The main difference between the fitting procedure in the T4 and T5 is the positioning of the fuel tank and the added plastic cover panels underneath the T5, which need to be removed before work can start. Fitting a fold up bed frame is relatively straightforward – the main issue is where to drill holes in the floor whilst avoiding box sections and components; whenever locating where to drill a hole,…

JANUARY 19th – 21st MOTORHOME & CAMPERVAN SHOW Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warks CV8 2LG www.outandaboutlive.co.uk FEBRUARY 4th CAMPER MART The Telford International Centre, Telford, TF3 4JH www.ultimate-stance.co.uk www.campermart.co.uk 13th – 18th CARAVAN CAMPING & MOTORHOME SHOW The NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT www.ccmshow.co.uk MARCH 10th ULITMATE DUBS The Telford International Centre, Telford, TF3 4JH www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk 16th – 17th VOLKS WORLD PLUS Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJ www.volksworld.com APRIL 21st – 23rd VW CAMPFEST Chester Racecourse, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 2LY www.camperfest.co.uk JUNE 7th – 9th BRISTOL VOLKFEST Birches Farm, Bristol, BS48 3RN www.bristolvolksfest.co.uk 21st – 23rd VWT FESTIVAL Kent County Showground, Maidstone, ME14 3JF events.fastcar.co.uk/vwtfestival/ 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.…