Table of contents for Issue 157 in VWt

BIG AND BEAUTIFUL... Hello and welcome to issue 157 of VWt magazine. You may have noticed we’ve bulked up in the pages department this month, and that’s because this issue is our show season special. The idea is to give you guys a heads up on what’s likely to be hot and happening in the year ahead. We’ll show you what mods you’ll need to get chins wagging on the show field and the wheels everyone will be wanting in 2025. Oh, and we will also be checking out some awesome drive-away awnings that will provide useful extra living space while kicking back and enjoying a weekend’s VW-fuelled shindig. And if you’re feeling the pinch right now, you can turn to our ‘50 nifty mods for under £50’ feature where…

IAN MORRIS, 102BHP 2.5 T4 Hi, I’m a regular reader and of VWt magazine, I am from Neath on the outskirts of Swansea and this is my T4. This must be my eighth Transporter in about 15 years so to say I’m a bit of a VW addict is an understatement. I’ve owned everything from a T25 through to a T5 (my T25 was a show winner) but I’ve always had a soft spot for T4s. I’m very much in the scene, my mates are all VW fanatics too and my wife and I love going to all the shows. We currently use the T4 for weekends away around the south and west Wales coast. We have a local(ish) beach down on The Gower Peninsula which we gatecrash now and…

Everybody but everybody has the NC500 on their ‘things to do’ list and it was no different for Adrian Ball and his partner Clare from Port Talbot in South Wales. The problem was that although they had a decent set of wheels, they suffered a lack of space with their Alfa Brera V6 3.2 and, wait for it, a tent. There was no alternative but to hire a camper for two weeks, a VW of course, a vehicle Mr Ball already had on his secret bucket list. Such a success was the T6 hired from Sunshine Campers of Bridgend that after considerable umming and ahing Adrian decided to part with his Alfa pride and joy Amazingly, the very first camper Adrian looked at on Marketplace appeared ideal and plans were…

NAVIS SCHMOOV When Navis conceptualised the Schmoov, they wanted something that suited both retro looking and brand new vans – and they’ve totally nailed it in our opinion. Not only are these wheels unique and classy, they are also made to the highest standard. They are designed and produced specifically to fit and suit Transporters perfectly. With the ultimate mixture of dish and concave, the Schmoov gives a significant commercial look with plenty of depth. Price from £950 per set www.naviswheels.com WHEEL SPECS:Diameter: 19/20inWidth: 8.5j/10jOffset: 35/40Finishes: AnthraciteLoad rating: 1100kg ROTIFORM STL A cast monoblock alloy that mimics the look of an original factory steelie? What’s not to like? £1375 www.rotiform.com WHEEL SPECS:Diameter: 18/20inWidth: 8.5/9jOffset: 30/35Finishes: Gloss BlackLoad rating: 997kg FUEL OFF-ROAD CYCLE Fuel Off-Road wheels always look stunning and we…

APRIL 5th – 6th DUBSHEDEikon Centre, Lisburn, Northern IrelandGtini.com 17th – 21 CAMPERFESTRoodee Racecourse, ChesterCamperfest.co.uk 18th – 20th CARRY ON CAMPOUTSouth of England Showground, RH17 6TH Carryoncampout.co.uk 25th – 27th ALIVE & KICKINHaughley Park, SuffolkAliveandvdubbing.co.uk 25th – 27th DUBBED OUTHooton Lodge Farm, RotherhamDubbedoutfestival.co.uk MAY 4th STANFORD HALLLutterworth, LeicsStanfordhallvw.com 9th – 11th VANWESTTaunton RacecourseVanwest.co.uk 16th – 18th 75 JAHRE BULLI TREFFENSalzburgring, AustriaVw-nutzfahzeuge.at 22nd – 26th DUBS IN THE MIDDLEHanley Castle, WorcsDubsinthemiddle.co.uk 23rd – 28th RUN TO THE SUNNewquay, Cornwall rtts.co.uk JUNE 1st STONOR VW SHOWStonor Park, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6HFTheabvwc.wixsite.com 5th – 8th ALIVE & V-DUBBIN FESTIVALHaughley Park, Suffolk Aliveandvdubbin.co.uk 6th – 8th BRISTOL VOLKSFESTBirches Farm, Bristol BS48 3RNBristolvolksfest.co.uk 7th – 8th CAMPERS AND COFFEEHellingly, East SussexCampersandcoffee.co.uk 13th – 15th MIGHTY DUB FESTAlnwick Castle, NorthumberlandMightydubfest.com 20th – 22nd VANLIFE FESTScampston Hall, Malton,…

Gazing out at the rolling hills of Yorkshire’s northern moors as you relax on the sumptuous L-shaped couch, surrounded by bespoke cabinetry and hand-oiled oak worktops, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in some secluded executive retreat. From the oak paneled ceiling and unique light fixtures custom fabricated from copper piping, there’s certainly little to give away the fact you’re actually sitting in the back of a usually much more utilitarian T6 Transporter. Known as Sully, named after Suilven mountain in the Scottish Highlands, a place that is dear to the hearts of its owners, this most tremendous of Transporters is the brainchild of married camper-addicted entrepreneurs Jacqui and Laura Fiddes-Brown. Their Yorkshire-based company, Brown Bird & Co has been constructing custom camper conversions since 2017, although the…

OUTBACK EXPLORER Versatility is the name of the game with the VW Transporter. That’s why they’ve become a lifestyle vehicle icon! Well, the Explorer conversion kit from Cambridgeshire-based Outback takes its flexibility to a new level – and best of all, it can transform your van in just 30 minutes. The kit has been thoughtfully conceived by product designers, Will Collier and Jack Schneider, their joint passion for vanlife providing them with the necessary real life experience to fine-tune their creation to provide the ultimate end product. “It took us two years to develop,” said Will, “we really wanted to reshape how people think about their vans, for both work and leisure. Doing a conversion needn’t be a lengthy process, watching hours of YouTube videos and having to make constant…

I hate paperwork, especially when it’s in French. The nation of baguettes, gut busting patisserie and inexpensive wine on the other hand love it. So, when I got an email from the people who I’d put in charge to register my T5.1 in France, my heart sunk. Apparently, since Brexit I presume, the Certificate of Conformity issued by Volkswagen UK now contains a paragraph which states my vehicle meets EU standards in every respect, but only in countries where you drive on the left! Useless or what? Anyway, I won’t bore you with the details but suffice to say I need to get my vehicle inspected at a government depot, and even though it passed the French equivalent of its MoT with flying colours with beam deflectors on the headlamps,…

To put you in the picture, the show’s organised by our sister title, Volksworld magazine. And while the event’s predominantly for lovers of air-cooled Volkswagens, being part of the same family so to speak, VWt was allocated a generous display area for modern water-cooled vans as well. Now, the big news that got everyone talking leading up to the show this year was the change of venue. After three decades at the posh mainly indoor location at Sandown Park in Esher the show team made the brave decision to up sticks and hold it in Ardingly, West Sussex instead. Oh, and while traditionally an all-weekend affair, it was to be a one-day event this time. Nobody likes change but the new format made a huge amount of sense; more space,…

We all love personalising our Transporters; buying stuff and slowing making it our own is all part of the fun isn’t it? And while forking out on major modifications might require a sizeable pot of cash, we appreciate that not everyone has the funds right now. That’s not a problem though because you’d be surprised by how much you can do on a miniscule budget to make your van look cool and add extra practicality, too! 1. Foor mats Here’s a dead cheap mod that looks great and has a function, too. Choose between chunky rubber mats for your swamper or classy, grey with colour-coded logos and edging for your posher vans. 2. Gearknob We’re too woke here now to make any lurid jokes about knobs, but here’s something you…

Seventeen years ago, Luke Henley’s dad bought a basic T4 Panel Van of 1999 vintage with the sole aim of using it to transport his son’s large radio-controlled aeroplanes which wouldn’t fit into a car. As you might imagine, Luke, then 16, was delighted. As for the SWB T4 – a VW having been selected over the crowd of also-rans due to the marque’s known reliability – yes, it was fun to go places in and surprisingly quick for an old oil burner. On the minus side, it suffered from the usual dents and scrapes associated with an existence as an uncared-for workhorse, although the original owner had at least seen to it that it was ply-lined. On the spec side, as there is a mention of wind-up windows, hopefully…

For all their potential headaches such as servicing, repairs, tax, insurance and the always exhilarating joys of gridlock traffic, cars can also give a lot back to their owners, and we’re not just talking about the practical ability to complete your daily commute. No, the very act of driving can be an excellent method of de-stressing and relaxing, not to mention the amazing places they can take you. For 53-year-old Scott Smith, getting behind the wheel has always been about escapism, giving him the ability to jump in his car and blast away the stress of his death-defying day job as a rope access technician onboard offshore oil rigs. “I basically spend my working days dangling off the side of an oil rig on an abseiling rope, fixing various parts…

Believe it or not, the first T3 Syncro went into series production in 1985. However, the story of all-wheel-drive adventures with the VW van began much earlier – in the 1970s, with the head of development for the Transporter product line: Gustav Mayer (1925–2014). He loved travelling and challenging himself, a passion that kept leading him back to the Sahara Desert in a T2 time and again. However, the T2 was only rear-wheel drive and soon Mayer got fed up with shovelling his van out of the sand so he and his team built an all-wheel drive version. The tests of the first prototype went well, including a few again in the dunes of the Sahara. In 1978, construction of five test vehicles with a selectable front-wheel drive began. However,…

After leaving school and finishing an apprenticeship at Severn Valley Motorsport, 39-year-old Ian Millward progressed through the ranks to become a master technician at Nissan before transitioning to Volkswagen, where he developed a deep passion for the brand. Adding another string to his bow, Ian is also fully high-voltage trained to Level 3 across six manufacturers, making him highly skilled in diagnostic work – expertise that’s likely to prove handy in his latest career move. Ian’s got previous experience of owning and converting VW vans – beginning in 2008 with a T4, followed by two T5.1s – so when he had the lightbulb moment of starting up a business with friend and fully-trained VW technician, John Warburton, the pair took a deep breath and decided to combine their skills and…

GET ROLLIN’ There’s tons of truly wicked wheels to choose from but you’ll need to take things to the next level if you want to get tongues wagging… ONE-OFFS The obvious way to ensure your rims get noticed is if they are truly custom, one of a kind, a 1 of 1, totally bespoke. Here, you’ll need to approach a specialist like Transporter HQ or West Forged (check out their Bespoke Design Program). These companies can offer endless customisation with a real personal touch to ensure their wheels are made precisely to the customer’s specs regarding design, fitment and colour; the sort of people who don’t stock any product on the shelf because everything is custom and made to order. You simply go to them with an idea and they’ll…