Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i VWT Lifestyle

July 21 – 23 Dorset Dubfest Herston Park, Swanage www.dorsetdubfest.co.uk July 28 – 30 Camping at the Castle, Camper&Bus Show Eastnor Castle www.volksworldshows.com July 31 Dubstock Upper Hill, Herefordshire www.dubstock.co.uk August 3 -6 VW Whitenoise Euston Park, Thetford vwwhitenoise.com August 4 – 6 Le Bug Show Spa, Belgium www.vwbugshow.be August 6 Tatton Park VW Show Knutsford, Cheshire www.vwnw.co.uk August 7 – 13 Dub Vacation Stonham Barns, Suffolk www.dubvacation.com August 11 September issue of C&B on sale! August 11 – 13 VW Festival Harewood House, Leeds www.vwfestival.co.uk August 11 -14 V-Dub Island South Fairlee Farm, Isle of Wight www.v-dubisland.com August 18 - 20 Viva Skeg Vegas Skegness, Lincolnshire www.vivaskegvegasvw.co.uk…

I wholeheartedly apologise for the title of this feature. I don’t know why I did it, I don’t even like Grease, but I do know I like an L87 Pearl White Early Bay Westy, which as you can tell, is precisely what we have here. The title is also a reference to the vehicle’s owner, Michael Sumner, who hails from Eastleigh in Hampshire, so cut me some slack, people. Michael could see the potential in this Bus, even when the rest of his work colleagues couldn’t and told him not to buy it. Which is saying something when you work for Just Kampers and you’re surrounded by serious Bus heads all day. Actually, that’s not entirely true, because there was one person encouraging Michael to open his wallet and buy…

Two blokes and friends in their mid-fifties, single and with a desire to see the ‘real’ India prompted Rob Freeman and Paul Williams to get their jabs, apply for visas and pack their ruck sacks to venture across northern India. Both own VW Campers that have been used countless times over the last seven years, but taking them to India, whilst a challenging thought, was dismissed for logistical and obvious reasons, like: “If we break down how do we get home?” After all, once arriving in India, they were setting off on a 2,300 mile road trip. Cheap Indian B&Bs and train journeys were booked on line for each leg of the 15 day trip that was to start in Delhi and end in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Things are cheap…

Dual Weber 34 ICT Carb Kit,›£460 Let’s face it, one area all Buses could do with an upgrade in is the engine department. A little more power for hills and overtaking wouldn’t go amiss and one of the most effective ways to get a boost out of your Bay is by fitting a dual Weber kit. This one from JK includes twin Weber 34 ICT carbs, complete with manifolds, linkage and air filters. It’s the ideal kit for increasing the power of your engine and will fit all twin port 1600cc Bays from 1971-1979. www.justkampers.com Throttle pedal, £50 It’s only after you’ve tried one of these that you realize what a difference to the snap and feel of your throttle pedal they make. Butty’s kits are an upgrade for worn…

BURNING QUESTION Help! My 1974 15-window Kombi caught fire on Friday. Can it be restored? Ashlie Johnson, via email Hi Ashlie, sorry to hear this. It depends how bad the fire was and what the insurers say. They’re likely to write it off as the cost of repair could be more than they think it’s worth. We’ve seen a number of Buses put back on the road after fires, some of which have buckled roof panels and fire scorched paint. After being lacquered over, of course. The owners were able to buy back the salvage and put their Bus back on the road. So, yes anything is possible. JP GETTING DOWN After reading your article ‘Getting down’ in July issue and looking at the chassis notches I hope you are…

Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of many Commercial vehicles, other than those from Volkswagen that are still earning their keep 57 years after they rolled off the production line. I mean, how many 20 or even 10 year old Ford Transits do you still see on the roads, never mind Pick-Up trucks from the likes of Toyota et al. Because most Pick-Ups are pretty much guaranteed to have had an even harder life than white van man’s weapon of choice. And yet here we have yet another vintage workhorse from the VW stable, not only still on the roads, but in rude health and being used to earn someone their daily bread. That someone is Paul Irving, or Irv to everyone who knows him. That’s…

Organised by the Flat4 VW Club, this great little one day only show is held in the lovely grounds of the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, hence the windmill in the picture over the page. There’s no dance tent, BMX display or a load of stands selling flags or tat you never associated with Volkswagens, it’s simply a show that’s all about the cars. The Beetles, Buses and Karmann Ghias you drive to the show in are what make the show, and there’s a bit of discount on the gate if you turn up early in an air-cooled VW. And, once you’ve paid to get in, you also get free access to the museum, too. From the point of view of someone who’s predominantly into Splits and Bays it’s refreshing…

’64 Split Screen, Gordon and Wendy Townhill Gordon and Wendy Townhill’s Split came in from California some time around 2010. Gordon believes it was previously painted dark green, but in 2012 the colour was changed, to the much more vibrant orange, as used on the Ford Focus ST. Indeed, the colour was one of the main reasons why they bought it. “We started off several years ago with a ’72 Bay Window, which got us into the Volkswagen scene,” he explains. “As soon as I saw this one being advertised, I thought we’ve just got to have a Split Screen camper. “We bought it from an owner down in Devon in the spring of 2016. Straight away I was using it for work everyday. However, the brakes weren’t very good…

Richard Jackson got into old VW’s, after he decided to ride his mountain bike to the Harrogate VW Festival, which is just down the road from where he lives. That innocent cycle ride lead to him purchasing his first Bus, a right-hand drive ’67 Walkthru 11-window, that he’s now owned for over 10 years. However, like many of us in the VW fold, Richard felt the ultimate in Split Bus ownership was a Deluxe Microbus - or Samba as they’re commonly known - and when one popped up for sale in Newark, Notts, he responded to the advert. The vehicle in question is this right-hand drive 21-window, but at the time was painted blue and white and was being advertised as a wedding vehicle. The job lot This was back…

When it comes to hiring a VW for a special occasion, there are quite frankly, any number you can call on. However, when the man behind Perfect Day Weddings and Events got in touch to tell us about a few of the additional services he offers, we immediately sat up and took note. Chris Franklin has a background and extensive knowledge of catering and events and has been into VWs since he first watched Herbie as a youngster, so it was only natural for him to combine his passions and turn them into a working business. How did you get started? I was looking to open a restaurant in Kent, but all of the locations I was interested in fell through. The person charged with finding me premises found a…

Okay, apologies for the football reference, but there’s nothing to be at all embarrassed about when it comes to this show. Organised by the Leicestershire and Warwickshire VW Owners Club, it’s one of those shows I simply wouldn’t dream of missing. In fact, I think I’ve only missed one in the last 24 years, so that says something. Whilst the main event is a concours d’elegance for stock, unmodified VWs, there are so many club and visitors cars that go into making this one day show the monster it has become, there is something for every tastes. You name pretty much anything from the VAG or Porsche back catalogue and there’s likely-as-not a club display chock full of the stuff. Even first generation Audi TTs for flips sake. But as…

Seeing as this is the upgrade issue, I have a little confession to make; I have absolutely no interest in ever owning a stock Volkswagen. There I said it. Don’t get me wrong. I can appreciate a factory spec VW as much as the next person, but they’re just not for me and never have been. You see, for me a big part of air-cooled ownership is having something different to everyone else. I’ve always enjoyed personalising my cars to make them more interesting (to me) and the style I like is best described as OEM plus - which roughly translates as modifying, but trying to maintain the integrity and looks of the original manufacturers design. Hence, I’ve always been into factory colour schemes, keeping all the trim and styling…