Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i VWT Lifestyle

As the owner of any VW Camper will tell you, headroom is pretty restricted – unless it comes with an elevating-roof or pop-top. You soon get used to adopting the ‘Camper stoop’, but after a few nights that starts to feel a little tiresome… Of course, this problem wasn’t restricted solely to Campers – even the drivers of regular delivery Vans could benefit from a higher roof line on occasion. That’s why Volkswagen introduced the M222 option to its Transporter range. The correct factory designation was ‘Grossraum Kastenwagen’, or quite literally ‘Big space van’, a name which hints at M222’s major advantage over the stock Transporter. The increased roof height appealed principally to companies operating within the clothing and dry-cleaning industries, where there was a need to transport dresses and…

If you want to hang out with like-minded people and talk VWs we’re spoilt for choice in the VW scene. There are more shows than you can shake a stick at and you could travel the land spending weekend after weekend in fields chock full of Beetles, Buses and assorted Volkswagens. What you see here is a selection that were confirmed at the time of going to press. If we’ve missed a show that you help organise, please drop us a line and we’ll be sure to include it in our monthly events page. See you out there. FEBRUARY 15 – 16 February Dub Freeze Stafford County Showground, ST18 0BD www.dubfreeze.co.uk MARCH 14 March UK Cruise to Ninove Folkestone (UK) to Ninove (Belgium) facebook.com/ukcruisetoninove 15 March Freddy Files Ninove (Belgium)…

If you’ve not heard of the Malaxa, you’re not alone - few people have. But it was similar in concept to the Volkswagen Beetle, albeit with none of the success.. The intention behind the Malaxa was to create a Romanian people’s car and give the country’s industry something else to concentrate on with the war over and military production halted. Its name came from Nicolae Malaxa, an engineer and industrialist, who financed it and had members of his Nicolae Malaxa Studies Society design it. That said, it was hardly attractive, with a rotund front and rear punctuated by an angular-looking cabin. The panels were a mishmash of steel, wood and aluminium, over a tubular steel skeleton. It had been knocked together in a hurry and it showed, with the middle…

Of course, if you were a kid, you had rather more pressing concerns than who had won the war and who was governing the country. Such as the first of a new series of railway books, published just days after VE Day. The Three Railway Engines was written by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and began what would popularly become known as the Thomas the Tank Engine series. Not that cheeky little steam engine Thomas actually featured in the first one - he wouldn’t trundle along until the second publication, in 1946. But Edward, Gordon, Henry and the Fat Controller did pop up as part of the fleet on the fictional island of Sodor. The books continued until 1972, after which the Reverend’s son, Christopher, wrote more to take the total…

SPLIT SCREEN BUS BUNDLE Kick 2020 off in style with a host of cool trinkets for your Split Screen Bus. This fab little bundle from Autowares contains a pair of their air box vent covers, a pair of quarter light latch locks (in black, brown or natural leather), any country ID badge from their range, a pair of large Stimpy flying horse stickers and an Auto Wares logo sticker. The price is £35 plus shipping, which is £10 cheaper than buying them all separately. Thanks Autowares. www.autowares.co.uk T3 electric windows Heritage Parts Centre tipped us the wink about a product they have due in this February – electric window regulators for Type 25s. They’ll be putting together a conversion kit when they arrive for those who want to upgrade from…

PICTURE HUNTER Hi C&B, my name is lance and I now own the Type 25 White Star that you featured in your April 2014 issue. The reason for contacting you is the previous owner, Pauline Thomas was devastated when she had to sell this vehicle and I was wondering that if you still had the original article somewhere. If possible, would you be prepared to email it to me so that I could have it framed as a gift for her? As the Bus has now changed I thought it would be a nice sentiment for her to have a reminder of the vehicle she loved, when it still looked as it did in her ownership. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Regards, Lance San Jacques Hi…

VW’s are niche things aren’t they? To the outside world they all appear the same - just a box with a Volkswagen badge - but if you know, you know. You know? Once you’ve bought a couple you inevitably develop a preference for one particular flavour. It could be Karmann Ghias, Beetles, or Buses. If it’s Buses, you end up being a Split, Bay or Type 25 guy (or girl). And that’s as it should be, because I’ve never believed anyone who says they like everything. I mean, if you say you enjoy all music, it means you don’t really enjoy any music! You need to be passionate about what you like, or you need to find something else that actually does stoke up the fire. Take Paul Slaney for…

There are so many shows held throughout the year that we simply don’t have enough time to visit them all, or have enough space to get them in the mag in timely manner. Some people in publishing suggest there’s no value to running show reports, but I for one would disagree. When I was starting out in the VW scene, show reports were my guide for the next year. In the pre-internet days I didn’t know if a show would be of interest unless I actually visited it myself or read about it in a magazine. Also, I’d find myself coming back to a tiny picture of a car that inspired me to own something similar and I’m sure there are many of you who feel the same way. Oh,…

Established in 2004, VanWurks specialise in the design and manufacture of high quality interiors, rock ’n’ roll beds and accessories for classic air-cooled campers up to 1990. Their pre-built interiors are available for delivery throughout Europe and can be easily installed by those with just basic DIY skills. If you prefer, VanWurks offer a complete interior conversion service from their Oldham based workshop offering many other additional services such as headlining, seat trimming, car alarms, audio and electrical installs to name a few.…

Here’s a question for you. Which one thing invariably ends up costing you the most when restoring an old vehicle? Is it the paint? Rust repair maybe? Or what about a major mechanical overhaul? No, it’s none of the above (but at the same time it’s also all of the above) because the answer is actually sentiment. Sentiment will cost you an arm and a leg, guaranteed. If you allow yourself to become sentimentally attached to any classic car you’ll find yourself spending way more on restoring it than you would if you sold it and bought a better starting point to begin with. But as we all know, it doesn’t work that way with old Volkswagens does it? Once you allow something as charming as an old Bay Window…

’58 Split Screen, Scott Nicholson Scott Nicholson’s ’58 Split was in a high state of restoration, when he bought it from Staffordshire several years ago and since then he’s pretty much finished it off. Back then, it was fitted with a narrowed beam and was heavily lowered, which has been replaced in favour of a stock beam for a 1958 year Split, to lift it back up again. “I’ve also fitted a set of new Wolfsburg West reproduction steel wheels, that I’ve had painted in Palm Green and Sand Green to match the exterior paintwork,” he explains. “Ken’s Customs fitted a new headlining, using a beige West of England wool material. The Split’s previous owner was a cabinet maker and was responsible for fitting out the rest of the interior.”…

There is an abundance of Instagram accounts advocating and documenting ‘Vanlife.’ From professional bloggers and photographers with drones, posting inspirational pictures of idyllic places, to students on gap years with tight budgets in basic Bus conversions - all sharing ideas, destinations for wild camping, how to and product reviews. The enthusiasm is infectious and the daydreams of being somewhere else when its cold and wet whilst you’re at work quickly become plans when you have a Camper parked outside. Conversations that start with: “We could be in the south of France in 12 hours” soon become itineraries, well at least they do with me. However, work got in the way and departure dates came and went, but that’s how it is when you are self- employed. But always the thought…

Newton Commercial is known throughout the classic car scene for producing some of the very best automotive interior trim kits available. Currently employing some 60 staff members, this family-run business combines the latest machinery and technology with traditional skilled machinists and experienced coachtrimmers to offer a range of unique hand-finished products. Carpet kits, seat covers, formed mats, door cards, sun visors and even a range of complete seats trimmed to your individual specifications – there really isn’t much that they can’t do to help restore your interior. However, before we dive into the tour, let’s take a trip back in time and see how it all began… The apprentice While the business opened its doors 40 years ago, Richard Newton’s introduction to the automotive industry dates back to 1962 when…

By 1945, it was clear that, after six years of international conflict, Germany was heading for defeat in World War Two. The Western Allies had landed in France in June 1944 and were pressing onwards towards the Fatherland, while Russia’s Red Army was advancing from the east. The Third Reich, intended to last a thousand years, had mere months left. And it didn’t seem that Volkswagen had much of a future either. The pre-war plans for a vast factory of six million square feet, with an accompanying sprawling town to house huge numbers of workers, hadn’t come to fruition. While what had been completed of the plant covered 2,690,000 feet, residential Wolfsburg - still known by by the unwieldy and somewhat sinister Nazi-bestowed name of Stadt des Kraft durch Freude-Wagens…