Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i VWT Lifestyle

October 06 – 07 Brighton Breeze London - Brighton www.brightonbreeze.co.uk October 06 – 08 Oktoberfest River Dart Country Park, Devon www.oktoberfestuk.com October 28 – 30 Hermanns Halloween Campout The Plough Events Centre, Peterborough www.hermannshalloween.co.uk November 03 December issue of C&B on sale! November 05 Slough Swapmeet Montem Leisure Centre, Slough www.sloughswapmeet.co.uk December 01 – 02 Dubs in the middle Xmas Campout Ashdown Farm, Worcestershire www. dubsinthemiddle.co.uk March 24 – 25 The VolksWorld Show Sandown Park, Esher www.volksworldshows.com…

’64 Split Screen, Aaron Dimarco Aaron Dimarco is very much into the scooter scene, but more recently he’s spread his interests wider into the Volkswagen scene and decided to purchase a Split Screen Camper. His 1964 Split was originally painted blue and white, had six previous owners and has retained its original Devon conversion interior base units, including the Easicool fridge and cooker. “The Bus is reasonably fresh from a two year restoration, much of which was completed by the previous Cambridgeshire owner and all the running gear was refurbished by T2D,” says Aaron. “They fitted a new 1600cc engine, along with front disc brakes from a late Bay and the suspension has been slightly lowered. For myself and my family, it was really important to me that it was…

Readers of a nervous disposition look away now. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but this story does involve a lot of chopping up of a one owner from new Barndoor Panel Van before any rebuilding actually starts, but then what choice do you have when you find yourself 1,300 miles from home, stood in a forest with the Bus you came to rescue lying half collapsed in front of you and locked in by a bunch of trees? Time for plan B… This story actually starts back in 2013 when my wife, Mo and I took a trip to the Hessisch Olderndorf vintage Volkswagen show in our 1951 Standard Microbus. I’d bought the Standard a couple of years prior as a complete basket case that was actually being used as…

When our good buddies Tor(ville) and Dean suggested a camping expedition for the August bank holiday, we signed up immediately. Sophie loves our Bus, but has only been away a couple of times so far. Which clearly isn’t enough for her, and is totally fine by me. By that I mean it’s cool that she wants to go away in the Bus, not that she hasn’t much, so far. The question was, where to go? Knowing what driving on a Bank Holiday can be like, we didn’t want to spend half our time sat queuing in traffic, so opted for our favourite local campsite, Wing Hall in Rutland. You may remember this place from the last time I wrote a weekend away feature. It’s only half an hour’s drive from…

This ’66 was featured a number of years ago in our sister mag, VolksWorld. It started out as a US spec SO42 Westfalia, but by the time it was done travelling around America, the original interior was totally worn out. Luckily, Vanwurks came to the rescue, and supplied one of their entirely new camping set-ups. So, whilst the exterior exudes oldeworlde charm, the interior has been brought bang up to date with a modern hob, sink and fridge unit. It also sports modern lighting and a 240-volt hook-up. Talk about having your cake and eating it. SHOW US YOURS Send us some pics and words about your ride to camperandbus.ed@kelsey.co.uk…

If you’re anything at all like me, when I begin mulling over a project - before I’ve even made the initial purchase - I’ve already decided exactly how the exterior is going to look. You know, the ride height, the wheels, any accessories I might care to fit. It’s only once I have all that set in my mind that I even stop to consider the interior. However, that certainly isn’t how Chris Kinsella approached this build. He had already created his perfect interior - it was already built and stood patiently waiting in the corner of the workshop - all he needed was the perfect receptacle in which to place it. When you hear that Chris works at Starlight Campers (www.starlightcampers.co.uk tel: 01384 671520) you’ll be less surprised he…

 It totally boggles my mind when I think there are now children, and even grandchildren of the original Bug Jammers going to this show. Bug Jam is an enduring part of the VW landscape, and a show that even those with zero interest in old Volkswagens have heard about. That’s because, to my mind at least, Bug Jam is about more than the cars. It’s grown to become a lifestyle show, where music, rides, and having a good time in a festival atmosphere has become (to some) the main attraction. If you want a weekend VW show where you can really go wild and let your hair down, this is the one. For me though, this is a show where the cars still take centre stage. Not only is there…

WHO IS HANS? Our man Hans is the expert’s expert. He was at Hanover in the glory years. Think of him as a German Uncle Albert, albeit one you want to listen to when he starts talking VWs How many times have you been walking around a VW show and heard someone referring to a later Split Screen as a Barndoor? If you are anything like myself I will wager the answer is, many, many times. The confusion arises when a deluded enthusiasts refers to the side-loading (cargo doors) as barndoors. This does not a Barndoor make. The matter is not helped by T4 and T5 owners, who often refer to the twin loading rear openings on their ex-commercial vehicles as barndoors No. A Barndoor Split Screen is an entirely…

SANTA CRUISE IS BACK Don your red suit, beard and hat and join VW Heritage for a festive convoy you’ll never forget. For the 8th year running, the Christmas Charity cruise will be heading to The Children’s Trust at Tadworth Court. The date for your diary is Sunday 3rd December; and they’ll meeting at the VW Heritage HQ in Shoreham-by-Sea at midday, with everyone leaving at 1pm sharp for the 40 mile cruise. The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury, offering residential and community based care for both them and their families. Presents may be brought along to give to the children, but it is requested that these are in gift bags and not wrapped, so the care staff can identify suitable gifts for…

Otto Richelmann steps on the gas pedal. Hard. The six cylinder Porsche engine in the back screams and pushes the vehicle forward. Third gear. You watch the rev counter needle pass the 6,000 rpm mark in no time as the driver engages fourth gear of the 915/44 Porsche ’box. This thing pulls like a train while you feel comfortable in the familiar Porsche highback seats. Everything is typical 911. But the difference here is that you sit two stories higher than in your usual Zuffenhausen sports car. Because all this happens in a 1976 VW Bus! A what? Yes, Otto Richelmann actualised a dream for many of us: A high performance family hauler! But let’s turn the clock back to the 2007. Back then this late Bay Window was just…

This is what happens when you leave your girlfriend unattended at her first VW show. A bottle of Malbec also helped, but when I returned to our friends Bus in the Split Screen display at Stanford Hall, an excited Sophie asked me if I’d spoken to Rob Ayres, the owner of the ’61 Microbus parked alongside us. I hadn’t, but I was certainly glad of the introduction, because the longer I spoke to Rob, and the more I looked at his Bus, the more special it became. As a discerning reader of Camper&Bus you’ll already know this is a rare bird. Not only is it a right-hand drive, UK-supplied Split Screen, it’s also in the desirable and oh-so-lovely colours of Mouse Grey and Pearl White. And the icing on the…

The thinking behind Volks Weald was to create a family oriented, old-school classic VW show, with the emphasis on the vehicles. Basing Volks Weald at Penshurst Place not only provided the perfect venue for a VW show with its beautiful 62 acres of parkland, but also provided all the fun and entertainment of the childrens adventure playgrounds, woodland walk, café and the famous Maize Maze, which was freshly opened for 2017 on the Saturday of our show. There was a wide variety of trade and auto jumble stands, with over 60 of them selling everything from used parts and retro trinkets to clothing and even brand new Caravelles. One thing we knew we wanted from the start was to create an atmosphere and that meant live music. So, we converted…

Most Bay Window Buses out there are probably still on their original rear wheel bearings, as they are very hard wearing and often forgotten about, but play in the bearings at MoT time will fail the test, which means you’ll need to bite the bullet and whip out the tools. Until a year ago, I had never had to change the rear wheel bearings on a Bay, and I have worked on a lot of Bays over the years. Sure, the MoT inspector I use had advised ‘slight play in a rear wheel bearing’ a couple of times, but even he said he had never had to change one in 40 years of running a workshop. It came as a surprise then, when I had a Bay fail the MoT…