Innholdsfortegnelse for November-16 i VWT Lifestyle

FLAMING HELL Having only just featured Mark Flint’s Hi-Top Safare we were taken aback to see it had been destroyed in a fire and Mark badly hurt in the process. The email that came in said, “A heart-felt GoFundMe appeal has been set up for a 37-year-old VW enthusiast from Colchester who is recovering in hospital after his beloved VW Camper and Beetle were burnt to a cinder in a freak accident last week. Mark is receiving treatment at a specialist burns unit in Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for 27% burns, after flames engulfed both vehicles, a neighbour’s car, damaged his mother’s home and set him alight. The accident happened on the evening of the 15 August, just days before an eight-page spread dedicated to Camper came out in Camper&Bus…

1990 Autosleeper Trooper, Darren Warren Only recently, Darren Warren bought his Autosleeper from a family member a who’d owned it for about a year. So far, it has only covered 76,000 miles. Darren believes that it has been on the receiving end of some resto work, mainly paintwork rectification, but the most remarkable aspect, is that it remains generally incredibly clean and tidy. Its previous owners have looked after the Bus exceptionally well and it certainly isn’t your average used and abused example. “I’ve looked at plenty of Type 25s and I’ve never come across another as clean as this,” says Darren. “I’ve been through the whole vehicle with a fine-tooth comb and everything works and no doubt having been Waxoiled, has helped to preserve the bodywork. The engine is…

It was in the pages of Camper&Bus, that Simon first spotted a Champagne Edition Bay. It was the one owned and built by Ian Harris at VW Kampers in Sussex. At the time, we featured it Ian’s Bus was for sale, but just as Simon decided he had to have it, someone pipped him to the post and scooped the Bus up from under him. So, it was back to the drawing board, but the trouble was, Simon had now decided he really wanted a Champagne Edition and no lesser Microbus would do. Luckily for Simon he didn’t have to wait long for another Bus to pop up on his radar, this time on the website of Little Blue Bay (www.thelittlebluebay.co.uk). When Simon called up and spoke to Libby about…

There’s no doubt Paul England from Taunton in Somerset has stamped his mark on this Type 25. Paul has owned the 31 year-old Camper for eight years now; it became his in 2008 when he handed over the grand sum of £2,300. He was onto a winner from day one, as he bought it from his good friend, Simon Peacock and knew it wasn’t a basket case. We doubt he’d be able to repeat this feat today, as the Type 25, like all VW Transporters, have risen in value somewhat since he bought this one. Paul arguably got this 1985 Autohomes Komet at exactly the right time. It was 23 years since it was converted by Autohomes (UK) Ltd, in Poole, Dorset and had dropped in price considerably from the…

Lisa had always wanted to visit Italy. See the Dome in Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the romantic canals of Venice. “What if we went in our Camper?” Oops, did I just say that out aloud? But it was too late, Lisa had heard me and so the plan was hatched! I got on Google maps and started planning a route. Enough miles per day to get us down to Florence but not too many to not enjoy the trip. I worked out that we could do it in two weeks, with stops on the way at places we wanted to go. I also planned it around Lisa’s birthday in June, with a weekend stopover in Monaco. Yes, around the world famous Formula 1 race track and through…

SHOW INFO When: Friday 29 - Sunday 31 July 2016 Where: Eastnor Castle, Ledbury Cost: £39 for a weekend camping ticket, children go free Great for: A lovely family-friendly atmosphere, dog show, live music, soapbox racing and loads of great VWs and trade Next years dates: Friday 28 - Sunday 30 July 2017 Now in its third year, the Camper&Bus Show at Eastnor Castle feels like it’s been a part of the show calendar for much longer than it actually has. It’s already developed a vibe entirely of its own that keeps drawing visitors back to it, and that vibe is most definitely chilled. Okay, so you might think we’re biased, what with it being our own show and all, but everyone we spoke to agreed with this sentiment, and…

It’s because of the seats! It’s all because of the seats! We wouldn’t normally open a feature by answering the most obvious question so emphatically, but on this occasion we think it’s absolutely necessary. You see, the colours of this ’63 Split are so striking that you’d probably scan through these carefully crafted words to try and find what they are anyway, so we’re going to save you the bother. It was also pretty much the first question we put to the owner of this Bus, Max Abbott, when we first discussed his feature, except we made the fatal, yet entirely excusable error of misidentifying the colour. Max said, “Whatever you do, don’t call it pink, especially in front of Mrs. Abbott! It was my wife, Elenie who chose the…

Some of its more unsavoury traits aside, the internet is a wonderous thing. After all, it has allowed countless VW fans to buy vehicles and parts from all over the globe. Thousands of air-cooled VWs that would otherwise have remained abandoned in the quiet back waters of America have been dragged to safety, advertised on the interweb and then shipped across the sea to us lot in Blighty, and beyond. The internet has also made the job of putting a VW magazine together so much easier, as rather than having to find every vehicle we feature for ourselves at shows, we can also spot them on the web, on sites like Instagram, which is precisely where we first clapped eyes on Alex Loquen’s 13-window Deluxe and then kept tabs on…

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 Call me a miserable old fossil if you wish, but increasingly, I find myself gazing around VW shows and questioning how it is that so many people think they know better than VW. After all, Volkswagen invested billions of Deutsche Marks into designing and developing the Type 2 and yet you bunch of Herberts (if I may use the vernacular of youth) insist on doing things your own way. Lowering suspension, modifying your engines far beyond their intended operating limits, and so on and sadly, so forth. What, I wonder, did you…

There are loads of companies selling different versions of the iconic Porsche Fuchs wheel, but the set I ponied up for to go on my latest Bay are considered to be the best replicas available; they’re Flat 4 versions bought from www.coolairvw.co.uk. Flat 4 offer them in either fully polished or fully chromed finishes, but they don’t offer them with the period correct factory detailing, more’s the pity. Rather than fork out on having someone else detail them, I’d rather detail them myself. Most people will tell you that detailing Fuchs is a swine of a job, which is why most paint shops won’t do it, or will charge you a hefty whack for the privilige. In reality it’s actually fairly easy, provided you take your time and have a…