Table of contents for Issue 151 in VWt

ALL HIS OWN WORK... A warm welcome to our December issue. We’re huge fans of ‘built not bought’, which is why we’re ecstatic at being able to showcase Mike Russ’s awesome silver T5 on the cover this month. The 44-year-old joiner used it as a work tool for over a decade, clocking up over 100k miles, before deciding to retire it. But instead of putting it out to grass, he showed it love and gave it a new life as a show stopper come camper, doing all the mods himself. To be honest, we’re totally in awe – and the result, as you’ll discover, is truly astounding. Enjoy reading about it and be inspired by Mike’s vision and DIY ability on pages 12-20 this issue. In other news, next year’s…

As a first car, a VW Fox wasn’t exactly the perfect starting place for a project,” says 23-year-old shop assistant Jack Little. And he’s got a point, hasn’t he? The poverty spec South American made city car isn’t bad, but however hard you whack it with the modding stick, it’s unlikely to make it onto the cover of Performance VW is it? At the same time dad, Mark, had been harbouring a secret desire to get cracking on a project, too. “Since family life had taken over, I hadn’t been able to relive areas of my youth, for example, telling Jack about the old skool ‘boy racer’ days in my Renault 5 GT Turbo,” he revealed. Even before getting his test, Jack had floated the idea of getting an old…

When we tell you Shaunna and Mick from Sheffield both went on camping/caravaning holidays with their parents when they were young, you’ll know straight off this can end in one of two ways. Either they’ll look back and see it as a form of child abuse and make a solemn oath never to spend another night shivering in a damp field. Or, if they actually enjoyed it – like most of you reading this probably did – the passion carries on into adulthood. Well, we’re pleased to report the latter was indeed the case with this couple, which explains why they bought themselves a 2021 Crafter and converted it themselves into a camper. The story behind its creation runs a lot deeper than that, though, as Shaunna explains. “My dad…

Spektrum Interiors was founded by Chris James – a VW enthusiast who has been working on VW Campers for over 20 years – and the company is the dog’s danglies when it comes to bespoke interior conversions. What sets them apart from other conversion companies is its focus on creating interiors that are not only functional but also visually stimulating. Oh yes, their interiors are a far cry from the factory Westfalia grey and beige that are common in T25s. The purchase and subsequent conversion of this former Westy was carried out by Chris for his wife Tracey at their Bromsgrove HQ, the brief being to rip out all of the ‘boring, staid’ Westy grey interior and to build something new and eye-catching, whilst upgrading the look of the outside…

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!…

NEW TRANSPORTER, WHAT DO YOU THINK? THE FORD-BASED DUB IS SPLITTING OPINION By the time you read this, the veil will have been lifted on the all-new seventh generation Transporter and Transporter Shuttle. The hot takes are that VW’s new commercial offers more interior space, more payload, more safety features and a more refined cockpit. Indeed, the load compartment is 61mm longer than the T6.1 and as before there’s the option of barn doors or tailgate. There’s no doubt the cockpit is more high tech, too, with more ergonomic seats, a new multi-function wheel, a configurable 12in instrument cluster and a 13in touch screen infotainment system being the main highlights. But the big question is, has it lost its VW soul? And despite the spiel by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ chief…

SHOWS Busfest was spawned from Vanfest, the first of which took place in 1994, making this year’s Malvern spectacular its 30th birthday celebration. Dodging the showers, we managed to track down organiser Simon Holloway to get an insight into how it all came about and why Busfest remains one of the most celebrated ‘Bus’ events on the international show calendar. “I decided there ought to be a show just for vans so organised a special display for Transporters at the British Volkswagen Festival one year to gauge interest. Initially, I was thinking of a show which would include all classic vans, not just VWs, but when we floated the idea with all the various organisations, only the Split Screen Van Club really showed any interest. We subsequently had a meeting…

OCTOBER 6th DUBS ON THE BROADWAY Bexleyheath Broadway Vdubradio.com 6th OCTOBER’S VW AUTOJUMBLE Trinity Park, Ipswich Suffolkbugrs.co.uk 20th VW CAMPERVAN MEET The Boardwalk, Port Solent, Portsmouth PO6 4TP See facebook NOVEMBER 29th – 01 Dec CHRISTMAS CAMPOUT Croft Farm Water Park, nr Tewksbury Croftfarmwaterpark.com APRIL 2025 25th – 27th ALIVE & KICKIN Haughley Park, Suffolk Aliveandvdubbing.co.uk FEBRUARY 2025 18th – 23rd CARAVAN CAMPING & MOTORHOME SHOW NEC Birmingham Ccmshow.co.uk MARCH 2025 23rd VOLKSWORLD SHOW South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex…

HOT VANS We can blame the Volkswagen Corrado for all this. When the silver T5 you see before you first rolled off the production line back in 2005, it was a utilitarian Trendline Panel Van, destined for a life of unassuming usefulness, faithfully going about the business of carting stuff around and generally being a handy box-on-wheels – just another tool among a workman’s arsenal of implements. And that, indeed, is precisely what it did for many years, plodding along, clocking up the miles, doing what it was designed to do. But all along, and with increasing insistence, the devil on its shoulder was scolding louder and louder. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can be more than this. You only live once. Why not try something new?…

Most of us have our favourite destinations, some visited pretty often if they’re not far from home so we can get our respite from the daily grind. Meanwhile, others are more adventurous and are prepared to travel that bit further if the destination is worth the long drive. The thought of taking regular 500+ mile round trips to a favourite camping location would send a shiver down many a seasoned driver’s spine, but as far as Yorkshire couple, Mikey and Danielle Sutton are concerned, that’s just part of their normal routine. To them, the Scottish Highlands is the perfect place to relax – and what better way to travel and spend time there than in a fully kitted out VW Transporter. And that would to be pretty key to them…

PROJECT T5.1 CARAVELLE The recommended timing belt change interval on this 2.0-litre TDI engine (code CCHA) is every 75,000 miles regardless of months since the last change. Our Caravelle last had a belt and water pump renewal only 14,000 miles ago. That’s good to have on your service record, however we’ve completed the job again to show you what’s involved using a bilstein group timing belt fitting kit (p/n 37021) and water pump (p/n 36048) which is OE quality but at a much more competitive price. Engine locking tools are essential for this job and they are readily available from people like Laser Tools, Draper and Sealey who all offer kits for VAG engines. The belt tensioner caused us some confusion and it wasn’t until we’d finished the job and…

GEORGE WALKER, 2017 T6 CARAVELLE TSI Hi VWt, I’ve always loved the thought of owning a T6 with the 2.0 TSI engine up front and when this one turned up for sale I had to have it. It’s pretty rare. In fact, there are only 125 TSI Caravelles in the UK according to howmanyleft.co.uk. Mods started immediately. The suspension was already sorted by Chris at CRS so a new RS3 clutch and R8 coilpacks were fitted so the 300bhp Revo map could go on. A PP Tuning quad-tipped, valved exhaust (switched to bypass the silencers) was also fitted so it sounds crazy for a van! I then added a Maxton Design splitter to finish the look off. The brakes were definitely not up to the job so Porsche Macan GTS…