Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i VWT Lifestyle

Here’s a feature that’s been a long time coming. Well, actually you could argue it’s been in the pipeline since 1968, when this Bus rolled out of Hanover and was loaded on a boat bound for America. But, we’re not going that far back, just to the Spring 2019 issue when we featured Leon Taylor’s Delta Green Early Bay Westy. (It was actually the rather lush cover star.) You see, at the same time we had our intrepid snapper Steve Sharp shoot that, he also shot Simon Hardy’s ’68. This ’68. These Buses couldn’t be more different from one another. Leon’s Delta Green ’69 is a totally stock, fully restored and painted Bus and Simon’s ’68? It looks like a pizza that’s been popped in the oven as Game of…

Anyone who wandered onto the Just Kampers stand at last year’s VolksWorld Show will have immediately clocked this super-rare 11-window Split. To the casual admirer it’s unusual due to the (Canadian) Royal Mail livery, but the Split Screen cognoscenti unanimously flipped their wigs once they took a peep inside… You see, when it comes to rare, this former post van knocks your Barndoor Samba’s into a cocked hat. If you’re still not convinced, take a look at the interior pics and you’ll notice there’s something more than a little out of the ordinary in the cab area – specifically the front bulkhead(s) because they aren’t there. Neither is there a passenger seat and the driver’s seat? Well, it swivels! So yeah, forget about corner windows and Golde sunroofs, this is…

Gary Dunlop is no stranger to the classic VW scene, he’s a stalwart member of the Splitterz VW Club and over the years, has owned many Beetles, Bay Windows (around 12) and a Type 25, some of which have graced our pages before. He also came this close to owning a Karmann Gipsy, but sadly the deal didn’t come to fruition. And, having sold his mint-condition, two owner from new Type 25 with only 46,000 on the clock, Gary found himself without a Bus. “I should maybe have kept the Type 25, but once you make your mind up to sell something, then often there’s no going back,” he muses. “Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?! It became a standing joke amongst fellow Splitterz members Dave, Kieron, Tim and Fenton, who…

Although the VW restoration game in the UK is healthier now than at any other time we can remember, and witnessing a large number of specialist restoration companies springing up over the last 10 years, there’s one name that crops up time-and-time again when it comes to quality workmanship - Smiths VW of Cornwall. Having been responsible for the unbelievably epic build that was Dave Hall’s RHD Barndoor Deluxe and many, many more besides, we don’t think there can be many people in the UK or the rest of the world with as much time served on high-end metal repair alone. To get the full story behind Smiths VW, we had a chat with owner and main man, Matt Smith. How did you get into restoring VWs? By the time…

A chat with Herr Peene revealed he has recently purchased a cheap diesel heater that he intends to install in his Bay Window. Heresy says I. To my mind there is nothing at all wrong with the factory heating system and do not get me started on the ethics of fitting something from China in a machine of the quality and magnitude of a Volkswagen. Upon hearing his plans, I took a moment to compose myself rather than utter anything rash, as words are like toothpaste and once out there are impossible to put back in the tube. Steadily I asked: “Have you ever wondered how the man who drives a snowplough drives to the snowplough?” As we all know, the answer was: “He drove a Volkswagen, so you can…

27 December 2019 February issue on sale Shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/vwc 15 – 16 February 2020 Dub Freeze Stafford County Showground, ST18 0BD www.dubfreeze.co.uk 14 March 2020 UK Cruise to Ninove Folkestone (UK) to Ninove (Belgium) facebook.com/ukcruisetoninove 15 March 2020 Freddy Files Ninove (Belgium) facebook.com/ukcruisetoninove 21 – 22 March 2020 VolksWorld Show Sandown Park, Esher www.volksworldshow.com 7-10 May 2020 Derbyshire Dubs Wardlow, Derbyshire www.derbyshiredubs.co.uk 8 -10 May 2020 VW Campout Budel Bay, Northumberland www.vwcampout.co.uk 21-25 May 2020 Dubs in the Middle 7 Evesham, Worcestershire www.dubsinthemiddle.co.uk…

LED Split string lights Get in the festive spirit with this 3D string light set. It sports a string of 20 multicolour LED lights in the shape of mini Split Buses. Hang them off your tree, or your awning or in your Bus all year round. The lights are three meters long and can be used outside providing they are kept out of rain and moisture. Powered by three AA batteries that you’ll have to buy yourself, they’re £25 from www.heritagepartscentre.com Golden grilles Headlight grilles are the perfect way to protect your lenses from stone chips, and add a touch of sporting bling to a VW, but why not really spoil your better half this yule with a pair of AAC’s gold plated mesh grilles? They cost £115 a pair.…

So it’s the annual summer trip to mother in laws to Slovenia. I have been making this trip for the last 17 years but this year I wanted it to be more of a road trip in my VW LT Westfalia Florida and see a few more of the European countries. Preparation on the Bus was done including changing the fuel tank,new clutch,wheel bearings and a full service, all two days before leaving, thanks to Brickwerks for having the parts in stock. Also, thanks to Steve and Martin at Welford Garage for the use of the garage space. Stopping at Dover the night before catching a 9.25am ferry didn’t go as planned. We ended up being an hour and a half late because of the traffic in Dover but luckily…

Held at the beautiful Quex Park in Kent, not far from Margate, this event is the perfect family weekender, and then some. Steve ‘Mudman’ Brooker and his team go over and above to make everyone feel welcome, and there are none of those hi-vis jackets that look like they’d rather be anywhere but stood in a field full of VWs you see at other shows. This is where the Quex crew thrive and it’s clear everyone involved is a true VW enthusiast and wants to be there. Also, there’s so much well-maintained space for clubs and Campers that nobody is penned in, or stuck in a rutted field. We heard numerous positive comments about not just the cleanliness of the toilets, but the number of ‘boxes’ on site. That might…

COMING SOON Hi Camper&Bus, I love the mag and read it cover to cover. There’s always lots of interesting vehicles for inspiration as I finish off my Early Bay, but no pun intended, one bug is that when you report on shows you often don’t say where they take place or when. A case in point in the December ‘19 issue and Beach Dubbin’. It looks like great fun and could extend to a longer break. But where and when is it? Could you please add this info to future reports? BTW, my Bus is nearly back from the dead after about four years of work, lots of trials and tribulations and finally finding reliable, good, people to finish it. If you’re interested let me know and I’ll provide more…

’91 Syncro 4x4, Joss Wickson Joss Wickson’s Syncro 4x4 was an ex-Yorkshire Water Board Van, then run by an electrical company and he’s owned it for almost four years. “We completed a whole lot of work down at Doug’s VW Works, at Angmering in West Sussex,” says Joss. “In fact it was down there for nearly a year. As we took it to pieces, it got worse and worse as prior to my ownership, it must have led a very hard life. Even now the bodywork isn’t the best, but I don’t really care about that right now, because it gets scratched and bumped around. We have photos of the restoration work that took place at Doug’s, which included the suspension and chassis rails, which were a real mess, so…

The build up to this year’s Bristol Volksfest, held just South of Bristol (BS41 9AG) began at least two weeks before the event, with lighting, roadways and even bars being fabricated as the ever-present organisers Ade, Pete and Jonno determined to make this show better than every other BVF that had gone before it. However, in the days leading up to the event, the area was hit by a deluge of rain, two months worth in fact in as many days! It was all hands on deck to ensure that the show went ahead, and with a steady flow of people arriving from the Thursday evening it became a task to simply get in to the site. With help from the organisers, stewards and members of the VeeDub family, visitors…