Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i VWT Lifestyle

Forget all that Brexit malarkey. There’s really only one debate worth discussing… Which side of the fence are you on when it comes to the subject of paint or patina? Some people can’t get their head round it, whilst others totally flip out over thin, factory, sun-scorched paint. You either get it or you don’t, and you never will. One man who clearly does get it is Jonathan Willows, or Wilf as he’s generally known to one and all. Neither of which are names we’ve heard for a long time, but still rang a bell all the same whilst arranging this feature. “The plan was to paint it…” You see, it turns out that Wilf has owned a previous feature vehicle of ours, an Elm Green tin-top Westy featured in…

’59 Split Screen, Noel & Hayley Rea Noel and Hayley Rea’s Split was an American import they bought from Type 2 Detectives. Much work has been completed to the Bus, included fitment of a narrowed front beam and tubbed wheel arches, IRS, dropped spindles, raised steering box, Bilstein telescopic dampers, etc. There are pop-out side windows as well as Safari front windows and the Bus sits on polished Fuchs alloys. The engine is a 1641cc with twin Dellorto 36 carburettors. “All the various modifications and running gear upgrades, mean that that Bus offers a really good ride quality,” points out Noel. The interior has been fully refurbished courtesy of Richard Booth, using new wooden birch plywood bases for the seats, that curve round at the edges, which have been finished…

Dianne Quinney’s Type 25, with an Autohome Komet conversion and powered by a 1.9 litre DG petrol engine, was actually built in 1990, but for some inexplicable reason, it wasn’t registered until 1994, hence the later number plate, in case you were wondering… Dianne has been involved with the VW scene for quite a while, having previously restored a Beetle and then owned an exceptionally original Beetle, not to mention running a Bay Window for a while. She had a break from Buses for a while but two years ago, the yearning for another became too strong to ignore, but why a Type 25? “Well, from memory my last Bay Window wasn’t the most reliable of vehicles and I seem to recall coming home on a recovery wagon on several…

As explained previously, VW decided to design and build and their own Camper conversions via the VWCV Special Business Unit (a subsidiary of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles) starting with the T5 range, which was launched in 2003. In fact, the decision to move the California construction away from Westfalia was made several years before, which had provided the designers and engineers with enough time to cover the development and manufacturing of the Camper-related parts and accessories prior to the release of the T5. However, whilst it was all-new and redesigned, the interior layout was essentially the same as the California had always been, albeit with a fresh modern look and feel to the fixtures and fittings. Leipzig a go-go It was at the Auto Mobil International (AMI) event in Leipzig, Germany…

If you’ve ever imported a Bay from the States, then you’ll be familiar with cracked windscreens and brittle windscreen rubbers. Obviously the former needs to be dealt with, in order for your Bus to be road legal, but brittle, shrunken window seals are pretty bad in themselves though, especially in the damp UK climate, where moisture can become trapped under the rubber, causing terminal rust if left to its own devices. Whether you have a US import or not, this job is worth doing if the rubber is a little tired, or if you have a European Bus with a toughened windscreen, which will shatter if a stone hits it. There’s also no better time to give a tired dash top a refresh than when the windscreen is out -…

4 - 5 October Brighton Breeze London/Brighton www.brightonbreeze.co.uk 4 - 6 October Dubs in t’Dales Camp Kature, Bedale www.dubsintdales.co.uk 4 - 6 October Oktoberfest River Dart Country Park, Devon www.oktoberfestuk.com October 31 December 2019 issue of C&B on sale  shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/VWC 1 - 3 November Herman’s Halloween Campout Newark Showground, Newark www.hermannshalloween.co.uk 10 November Slough Swapmeet Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire www.sloughswapmeet.co.uk…

Brothers have so much to answer for. Growing up they get you into all sorts of bother and yet you always forgive them in the end. Even the music they inflicted on you when you shared a room in your formative years is forgotten eventually and whilst you might hate a lot of what they’re into, there’s an equally strong chance that you’ll grow to like the same as they do, as their influence slowly rubs off on you. Sure, I still think my brother’s taste in music is abysmal, and he wouldn’t be seen dead in an old VW, but Gordon Stanley sounds like he had nothing but a positive effect on his brother Neil, and it was he who passed on his love for all things Volkswagen. So,…

The original Bug-In story started way back in 1968 on the American West Coast and it grew into a major VW event that lasted for 15 years. Today, the Bug-In name has a legendary status and for the eighth time the show was held on Belgian soil under the European Bug-In flag. Like the original US show, the European Bug-In has attained a legendary status, with owners and enthusiast attending from all over Europe and beyond. Although it wasn’t my first time visiting a European show it was my first-time at the Bug-In. There is something about European shows that really excites me. Whether it’s the sense of adventure, the road trip in other countries and new areas, the camaraderie that is built between the drivers who often cruise together…

PICNIC ESSENTIALS Okay, so there’s a morning chill and the nights are starting to draw in but there’s still plenty of left time to camp and we all like a picnic, right? Even better if you turn up prepared with suitably chilled drinks and snacks, somewhere to sit and of course a bottle opener! Clearly the good folk at Heritage feel the same when it comes to alfresco dining as they’ve put together a range that not only covers all of the above, but is endorsed by your favourite German vehicle manufacturer – Porsche, no we mean VW of course! Yep! Genuine VW camping chairs and thermal flasks, who’d have thought it? Go to www.heritagepartscentre.com Magnetic decals If you fancy personalising your VW, but not permanently, you need to check…

Pre-kids you could always find us checking out new festivals or going to gigs but when the girls came along life kind of changed, in a big way! Now they are getting older Mr. Mitchell and myself wanted to introduce them to festival life and what a better way to test it than in our faithful Bay Window, just down the road from home, at a local, family-friendly festival! We booked our tickets in advance, the prices go up in tiers over the year from when they are released to when the event takes place. We booked a Campervan plot at the same time. Having packed up the Bus the previous evening, we set off early on the Friday morning in our Westy to do the 15 minute journey up…

When you’ve been doing the rounds as long as we have, you pretty much know what to expect from the majority of any UK-based VW shows. By that, we mean you tend to see the same attractions and people year in year out. And we’re not just talking about traders, because when it comes to the Pod you’re likely to see the same crowds parked in the same spot year after year. It’s almost as if they never leave… Few could blame them if they didn’t. A show like the Big Bang has pretty much all the entertainment you could ask for - a show ’n’ shine, a rust ’n’ prime, a bit of trade, a lot of high-octane drag racing (if the weather allows) and lots of music-based entertainment…