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FOUR SQUARE SWEET TREAT WALNUT WHIP SHARK BAIT

Red Redemption Hot Chocolate Divine Inspiration Quint-Essential

Bellow Yellow!
Chromatic Camper
BERKELEY ROAD TO
VW SHOW BIARRITZ £3.95 ISSUE 70 www.vwbusmagazine.com
Castle Craic Surf’s up
Professional VW Camper Conversions

where the
adventure begins

Interior Conversions
Van-XS offer a range of internal
upgrades from a Kombi Conversion,
through to our full campervan
conversions.

Exterior Conversions
Van-XS offer a range of external
upgrades from a rear spoiler, through
to our full styling package.

It’s Your Choice

At Van-XS we bring together our
three core pillars – Trust, Quality &
Affordability. We understand you want
to have a choice. Fancy something
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Unit 16, Hillcrest Business Park,

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Phone: 01384 456030

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Web: www.van-xs.com
 WELCOME

H
ello everyone, I hope
you are all well? Firstly,
the votes are in and
congratulations should
go to Rockin Vans, whose
splendid two-tone camper
won our Bus Of The Year
competition and now takes pride
of place, as this month’s centre
page spread. Secondly, it’s time
to start looking at the show
calendar and booking shows we
want to attend. A few friends
and I have already visited, or
should I say worked at a show
in January. If you haven’t heard
of it, it’s called Camper Mart NEXT
and its run by the same people ISSUE 71
who run Camper Jam, namely ON SALE
WE DNESDAY,
our colleagues at Jazz Events. MAR 14TH
There were lots of discussions
before this year’s show as we popular. Next on the list for me with the seventh being for Best Cover:
wanted to make a few changes. is Dubfreeze. I will be popping other VW. If you want to enter Andrew Thompson
The first was to put on a huge in for a few hours to have a please email David at editor@ Contributors:
display of vehicles, in the end walk around and catch up with volkswagencamper.co.uk David Eccles
we had over sixty-five vehicles friends. After that for me it’s Good luck! Steve ‘autoholic’
Edwards
in the display halls. We had a Vanwest, a big one for various Andrew Thompson
great variety of vehicles from reasons. If you haven’t bought Simon Cooke
some very early Splits right up your tickets yet, I suggest you do, Dave Warren
to a brand new T6. Something we have lots more things planned Adam Howard
else different this year, were the for this year. Talking of shows, Anne Rogers
workshops, demonstrations and believe it or not the Show & Shine
Q&A sessions held throughout for this year’s Camper Jam is now
the day. This saw Alan talking open, if you want to enter, my
to various experts on and advice would be to move swiftly, editor@vwbusmagazine.com Printed by Precision Colour Printing Ltd

around the stage, the experts
were giving advice and getting
various questions thrown at
them, this proved to be very
places are limited and they fill twitter.com/VWBusMag
up fast, particularly in the T5 facebook.com/VWBusMagazine
class. There are seven classes,
instagram.com/VWBusMag
one for each Transporter type,

This month I have mostly been...

Did you come to Camper Mart last month? If not I fear you missed the odd interview conducted by yours truly thrown in, it was an absolute
out! There were more traders than ever in the main hall, more blast. A big thank you to the traders, workshoppers and displayers and
entertainments laid on for the family and many more amazing display of course, to you the visitors. Don’t miss next year!
buses than ever before. With workshops and demonstrations and even Alan

Jazz Publishing, The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester CH4 9AJ
Tel: 01244 881888 www.jazzpublishing.co.uk info@jazzpublishing.co.uk www.vwbusmagazine.com

EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER ADVERTISING SALES

James Northcott Justine Hart Wendy Lennon  01244 886023
MANAGING DIRECTOR
editor@vwbusmagazine.com justine@jazzpublishing.co.uk wendy.lennon@jazzpublishing.co.uk
Stuart Mears
ASSISTANT EDITOR EVENTS DIRECTOR ACCOUNTS & ADMIN MANAGER stuart@jazzpublishing.co.uk
Alan Hayward Shelley Bond  01244 881888 Emma McCrindle 01244 886009 DISTRIBUTION Susan Saunders
alan.hayward@vwbusmagazine.com shelley@jazzevents.co.uk emma@jazzevents.co.uk Tel: 0207 4294073
susan.saunders@seymour.co.uk
DESIGNER ADVERTISING MANAGER ADMINISTRATION
Kirsty Dalton Mark McCarthy  01244 886022 Jan Schofield 01244 886019
kirsty@jazzpublishing.co.uk mark@jazzpublishing.co.uk jan@jazzpublishing.co.uk

The views expressed in this magazine by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. All articles are written in good faith and are based on information provided by owners. Whilst
every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all material, the contributors, magazine and the publishers cannot accept liability for loss resulting from error, mis-statement, inaccuracy,
or omission contained herein. Reproduction of any matter printed or depicted in VWBUS T4&5+ magazine is prohibited without prior permission. Some words, names, and designations are
trademarked and are the property of the trademark holder and have only been used for identification purposes only.
Having trouble finding VW BUS T4&5+ in your newsagent? Please contact our distribution company for your nearest outlet Tel: 0207 4294073
© Jazz Publishing ISSN 2047-3141

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 CONTENTS

84
Buses 56
14 Bellow Yellow!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, we should probably just shut up
and let you turn to page 14

26 Divine Inspiration
It’s usually the old man’s van that gets featured in these pages, but for
Davinia Richardson it’s different.

36 Who Knows Where Next

72
Is it time to pack in your day job, build the van of your dreams and hit
the road?

56 The (Candy) Apple of My Eye

36
From a passion that started in the late 90s, Andrew Hines knew that the
VW scene was his way of life.

72 Sweet Like Chocolate

You may not recognise Russell Venvil’s name, but if you were on the car
scene in the 90s you would definitely have seen his work.

84 Carcharodon Carcharias
This is Adam Parker’s T4, he’s new to vans, but his first attempt has
made something of a splash.

26

6 VWBUS T4&5+
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 84

Columns
94 Autoholic’s Kitchen
Steve but with an Italian twist

96 From the Big Bus

Alan’s winter schedule

98 Rear view
David’s fireside chat

62 66

Regulars Features
22 Berkeley VW Show
80 Simon
8 News checks out the show in the grounds
The latest news from the VW van scene. of Berkeley Castle

10 Bus Kit 22 44 The Road To Biarritz

Be tempted by some more cool bus goodies. Adam Howard packed his boards and
ventured south
52 How To
Fitting a Sump Guard to a T4 54 Campsite Review
Anne checks out The Cud Life
52 Peep Show
Your page, your buses, keep sending them in. 62 Dub Club
Simon again this time he pops in to his
80 Shop Tour local club in Gloucestershire
Stiches + Steel show us round
66 Dubs In The Middle
92 Bus Trader TURN TO PAGE 12 FOR Simon once more, he went to Evesham last
Buy and sell buses and parts for FREE. MORE INFORMATION May to take in the show and a wedding

VWBUS T4&5+
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 NEWS

Roundup
The latest T4 and T5 news from around the world

Bus Of The Year 2017

2017 was another bumper year for buses. This made
our choices for Bus Of The Year even harder than
normal. We selected our top ten buses in issue 68,
the last issue of 2017. Then we turned the choice of
ultimate winner over to you. Well, you’ve had your
say. The winner and Bus Of The Year is Rockin Van’s
stunning two tone camper. Congratulations, to the
Rockin Vans crew! Special mention should go to Rich
T17 Table
Fast bus ranking for 2017
Horton’s T4 which came a very close second.

Every year we offer a year’s subscription to VW Bus magazine for the Slidepods Update
owner of the bus that tops the T17 time sheets. For the uninitiated, T17 is Slidepods continue to go from strength to strength. For
a group of like-minded loons who race their VW Transporters down the 2018, they have just taken delivery of a new, state of the
drag strip. Full membership and considerable kudos is given to those who art CNC machine, which can only help to improve their
complete the task in under seventeen seconds, hence the name. This year, already legendary build quality. See www.slidepods.
once again Andi Riley in his awesome Audi RS4 engined T5 topped the co.uk for details on their services and products.
table. Congratulations Andi! T17 aficionados will note that Andi moved
the goalposts with a faster time than last year and that the man behind T17,
James Hardacre, only just scraped into the top ten! If you want to know
more, search for T17Club on Facebook or visit www.t17.club. Good luck
for 2018, now who’s going to catch Andi?

1. Andi Riley 6. Paul Walklate

T5 Petrol with an Audi RS4 Quattro T5 the details of which are
engine and running gear - 12.23 shrouded in mystery - 16.03344

2. Steve Mattravers 7. Andrew Munt

T3 Petrol with a 1.8T 20v engine T4 Diesel with a modified
and Garrett GT28 Turbo - 14.7920 OEM 2.5 engine - 16.0621

3. Shawn Lewis 8. Adrian ‘Mole’ Coomber

T5 Diesel with an OEM but much T4 Petrol with a 1.8t
modified1.9 engine - 15.1903 engine - 16.4958

4. Mark Stephenson 9. Doug Chivers VW’s New Scrappage Deal

T4 Petrol with a 1.8t
engine - 15.2245
5. Ben Norman
T4 Petrol Quattro engine with a
KKK24 turbo - 15.51
T4 Petrol with a 1.8t
engine - 16.6996
10. James Hardacre
T4 Diesel with a modified OEM
2.5TDI engine16.7064
We haven’t really worked out if we approve of this,
but VW is offering incentives of up to £2,000 on top
of existing retail offers for you to trade in and scrap
pre-2010 pre-Euro 5 diesel vans, against the purchase
of a new petrol or diesel-powered van. If it isn’t a
Transporter fair enough, if it is, then we’d assume it
would generally be worth more than that anyway…

8 VWBUS T4&5+
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 ShowGuide
17 – 18 FEBRUARY
DubFreeze
Bingley Hall, Stafford
www.dubfreeze.co.uk

04 MARCH
Spring Dub
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
www.springdub.co.uk

10 – 11 MARCH
UK Cruise to Ninove
Folkestone (UK) to Ninove (Belgium)
Check Facebook for details

11 MARCH
Freddyfiles: The Thing fling
Ninove, Belgium
Check Facebook for details

Retro Offer 11 MARCH

Ultimate Dubs
Exclusive for VW Bus Readers! The International Centre, Telford

H
aving returned from a thoroughly www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk
enjoyable (albeit exhausting)
show, Camper Mart at the 16 – 18 MARCH
International Centre, Telford, Dub Aid
Buzz and Marion of Retro Tourers are Earls Barton, Northampton
feeling really excited about 2018. As a way www.dubaid.co.uk
of saying thanks to all the fantastic people
they met at the show, they are offering a 29 MARCH - 01 APRIL
special discount to the readers of VW Bus CamperFest
Magazine of 5% off the price of any order could have one transformed into a mobile Chester Racecourse, Chester
placed before the end of March.  Tattoo parlour having been inspired by www.camperfest.co.uk
The 5% discount can be off the total price Tattoo Freeze?! They even have a high spec
for a motorhome build, which is usually 12 plate chassis cab in stock at the moment, 06 – 08 APRIL
£27,500 + the price of the chassis cab - saving complete with air con and electric windows. Elemental VW Show
you £1,375. Motorhomes can be from 2 Just get in touch via the website www. Crouch Valley Showground, Essex
to 6 berth and are designed around your retrotourer.co.uk or message them on www.elementalvw.org.uk
personal requirements. Or you can save on Facebook, quoting the discount code
the price of a Retro Tourer caravan or even SPRINGVWBUS. 08 APRIL
a Commercial Trading Tourer. Maybe it is Remember orders must be placed by the Clubs Unite at the Beach
your dream to serve doughnuts out of your end of March and require a deposit of £1,000
own custom-built VW at festivals, or you to secure your build slot.
Brean Beach,
Check Facebook
cebook
CELLED
ach, Somerse
Somerset
C A Nfor
fo details

APRIL 22
GTI Spring Festival
Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire

S+S Update www.vwaction.com/gtispring

APRIL 27 - 29
A New Chapter Big Bang

I
n this month’s shop tour on page Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire
78 we look at, amongst other www.big-bang.co.uk
things, Stitches + Steel’s new
conversion, which has been
described as “less of a conversion,
more of a contemporary moving
space”. Well, just before we went to
press they got in touch to tell us about
their new tester programme. “We’re
excited to be in a position to begin
our tester programme,” they told
us. “We’re offering the conversion For full listings visit
at a considerably discounted price WWW.VWSHOWS.COM
to a range of testers who will hopefully push the conversion in its current guise to the limits over Please check details/ dates with organisers
the coming year, ultimately contributing to a better, more useful space. We have utilised the before setting off!
Volkswagen T5 + T6 chassis platform for the conversion and have plotted both long and short IF YOU KNOW OF ANY AMENDMENTS OR
wheelbase, along with tailgate and barn door variants, this covers all transporters from 2004 OF A SHOW NOT LISTED PLEASE EMAIL:
onwards. If you want to know more, or receive their free conversion ‘lookbook pack’ visit www. alan.hayward@vwbusmagazine.com
stitchesandsteel.com or get in touch via theconversion@stitchesandsteel.com SO THAT UPDATES CAN BE MADE
FOR THE NEXT ISSUE.

VWBUS T4&5+
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 PRODUCTS

BusKit
All the latest add-ons and products for you and your van.

Quick En-Suite
Civilise Your Swamper Or Surfbus
New from Tuff-Trek the Quick Pitch en-suite mounts on a roof
rack, in a canvas bag or aluminium box (pictured). Open the carrier
and simply fold out the canvas sides to your shower, toilet or
changing room, all done in around eight seconds!
Cost: From £375
TUFF-TREK
www.tuff-trek.com

Camping Box
Instant Removable Conversion
The QUQUQ Camping box can turn your Transporter
or Caddy into a camper, in a moment, with no drilling or
fitting required. Lift it in and you have a folding bed, a pull-
out kitchen with a two-burner stove, a 20 litre tank, a sink
and storage space.
Cost: From £2,370
SOUTH COAST CAMPER CONVERSIONS
www.southcoastcamperconversions.co.uk

10 VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com
 Barbecue Revolution
Fan-tastic cooking
This charcoal barbecue produces no smoke and can
be ready for use in an exceptionally short time (under
five minutes). This is all made possible by a removable,
rechargeable and powerful fan motor. The outside
remains cool whilst you’re cooking and when you get
home you can bung the whole thing in the dishwasher!
Portable Hook -Up Cost: £89.99 but you can get an extra 5% discount if you
enter the code VWBusmagazine5% at the checkout
Flexible Solution
BCB ADVENTURE
The Voltaic Roll Away provides fifteen metres of roll away cable allowing
www.bcbadventure.com
you the freedom to position your mains electric wherever you want. Offering
three sockets and two USB ports, along with an LED light.
Cost: £85
VANGO
www.vango.co.uk

Double Sleeper
Vango Aurora Vario
Designed to convert from a three-season to a two-season
sleeping bag by simply zipping one layer away, it’s perfect
for space conscious campers, combining luxurious soft to
touch fabrics with a superior brushed polyester shell. And
as it’s a double you get to cuddle the other half too!
Camper Cooled Cost: £125
VANGO
Evapolar Table-Top Air Cooler www.vango.co.uk
Revolutionise the way you can cool your Transporter when camped. Simply
fill the compact unit with water, plug into a USB socket. The cooler draws
air over an internal water reservoir, cooling the air as it travels through
the device. What’s more, because of its simplicity, the table-top cooler only
requires 10 - 12w of electricity.
BusKit
Got a fantastic product or something fresh on the
Cost: £239.99
market? Then let us know all about it by email at:
GRASSROUTES LEISURE alan.hayward@vwbusmagazine.com.
www.grassroutesleisure.co.uk

VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com 11
 O
SA R 1
VE
VE 5%
FROM £9.99

IT 'S E AS Y T O
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Bus feature

Bellow Yellow!
A picture is worth a thousand words…
Andrew Thompson

14 VWBUS T4&5+
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 VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com 15
Bus feature
L
uckily for us, we have
multiple images and over
a thousand words too, so
hopefully you will get to
know Dave Deacon and his
van a little better over the next few
pages. If the name rings a bell or
even the style of van looks familiar
that could be down to Dave having
a history of getting his VWs in
magazines. This will be his third
van to get a feature.
As you can see, he doesn't do
things by half measures!
To take a quick trip down
memory lane, the last van of Dave’s
which was in VWBus was the
‘Green Machine’ from the cover of
issue 11 back in 2013! A Kawasaki
Green T4, set up perfectly for his
young family. Well a few years
16 VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com
It wouldn’t be a Deacon build
if there wasn’t hydro dipping…
on and that family has grown, as
has the love for VWs. Dave’s last
van, another green T5 was sold to
help pay for his wedding. After
the wedding, there was still some
money left over, so he decided
to get another project. This was
around two years ago now, the van
he procured was a basic work van,
the previous owner had actually
bought it off his company to sell.
Being an old work van, it wasn’t
in the best of condition when Dave
acquired it. However, he was
happy, “I was chuffed because it
was a facelift van, I’ve never had
Audi TT seats
anything that new before. It had
full VW history, because it was
from a business. When I first saw
it, it still had sign writing on it.
After a mop, it already looked so
much better! But all that didn’t
really matter, because I knew it
was going to get changed anyway.”
Within a few days of ownership,
the van was at the body shop being
stripped down and getting ready
for it’s make over. To take it from
a boring works van to a fun family
camper. “The colour was picked
by the kids, they picked the colour
of the last van as well. This one is
 “The van is used for the ‘Daddy
Camp Out’ every four – six weeks a
group of friends go away camping
with all of our kids, they love it!”
VW Sulpher Yellow. It’s had a full
respray, we replaced the doors,
fitted the Sportline front end and
a JPL splitter. New Audi style
headlights complete and update
the look of the front end.” Whilst
we are talking about the exterior
Dave has lowered the van on a
set of Gaz coil-overs, it’s around
a 100mm drop thanks to the hub
mod on the front and nothing
but the spring on the back (so no
adjusters, and no rubber pads on
the bump stops etc). As for the
wheels I don't think I’ve come
across a set of these wheels before
on a van, but both the style and
colour work well on Dave’s van.
They are 20” AXE's with 10mm
spacers on the back, to give it a
20" AXE's
slightly staggered stance and to fill
the rear arches more.
Under the bonnet it’s been
remapped from the original 102bhp
up to 187bhp with a K&N filter,
hard pipes for the intercooler and
a full stainless exhaust with DPF
delete it looks and sounds great,
and goes well!
The whole purpose of this van
is so that the whole family can
get away together – “It’s a mobile
family memory centre, every four
to six weeks we get away for the
Daddy camp out with my brother
and a couple of mates. We’ve all got
kids of similar ages, the kids all get
on really well, the camp sites we go
to are really safe, the kids can run
off freely and enjoy themselves –
VWBUS T4&5+
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Bus feature
Signature dipping
“I wouldn’t cook in my bed
at home, so why would
I do it in my van?”
it’s brilliant!” With that said, there
is five of them including the dog, so
space is important in the van! “My
friend Tom at the Bristol Camper
Company did all the first steps
on the interior. I was then offered
sponsorship from Cavallino
Campers on the units, which is
why there are big Cavallino decals
on the side of the van. When you
pull out the bed it turns into a
king size bed, for us it was more
important to have more sleeping
space than having ‘traditional’
style storage units. There is no
18 VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com
sink or burner, the van is to sleep
in, it’s not a kitchen - I wouldn’t
cook a bacon sandwich in my bed
at home, so why would I do it in
my van? There is normally a few
of us when we go away, so we all
cook together outside. We try to
keep things minimal, a couple of
plastic boxes with stuff will go
in and a cool box, that’s it.” In
the back of the van is a leisure
battery and a 26” TV, and there
are USB ports under the bed for
charging up the gadgets. You
may have spotted the US style
Bus details
What did the van start
as? Panel Van
Colour? Sulpher Yellow
LWB/SWB LWB
BHP? 187bhp
Wheels type and size?
20” AXE with 10mm
spacers on the rear
Tyres? 255/35/20
Lowered? Around 100mm
with a few modifications
to get it there
Why is this bus special?
“It’s our mobile family
memory centre, we
spend time away in it,
the four of us, in fact all
five including the dog!
It’s always great fun, the
kids love it and going on
the Daddy Camp Out, it’s
great to see them smile
so much and for it to last
for weeks.”
 Personal plates
“It’s a mobile family
memory making centre”
number plates inside, each plate
has a different family members
initials on it, they look cool and
add to the personal touches which
makes this van unique to Dave
and his family. The front seats
are from an Audi TT and the
passenger one is on a swivel, this
helps with creating more space in
the back of the van, as it gives an
extra seat in the back. Of course,
it wouldn’t be a build from Dave if
it didn’t have any hydro dipping!
Sarah and Ken from Worle Autos
painted the dash and door cards,
the hydro dipped pattern has then
been added on top of the paint so
the colours underneath still come
through the design.
It’s great to see a van that can
stand its ground on the show field
one weekend, then the following
weekend have the whole family
jump in, including the dog for
some time away. If anyone is
worried about the practicality of
their van after lowering it, I think
this is a great example of how
lowered van on larger wheels
can still be used practically.
Dave is also a detailer in fact he
was at the recent Camper Mart
event giving demonstrations on
the fine art of detailing. If you
missed the show and you want
to have a good look around this
van, pick up some tricks on
how to keep your van in tip-top
condition and have it looking its
best all the time, be sure to see
him on the Dub Wax stand at
Vanwest in May. See you there!
Dave
And we’d like to thank…
Thanks to Ben at Advanced Automotive for fitting the coil-overs
The Old Dub Shop in Bristol for getting it extra low
Ben Fortescue for building the sub box and helping install the ICE
Cavallino Campers for all the interior units
Nick at Gorilla Tints for the windows and wheels
Chris Godwin for painting yet another van for me!
Bristol Campers for sound deadening, insulation and carpeting the
whole van.
Mike at MTP Exhuasts
Dave at Mobile Eco Tuning for the remap, EGR and DPF delete
And lastly Dubwax for keeping me stocked up on products to keep
the van in tip top condition
VWBUS T4&5+
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 Friendly & fun, a family VW bus event for all types

O N S A L E N O W
TICKETS
6-8 July 2018

For more information call 01244 881895

Shows
Berkeley VW Show
The Berkley VW Show held on 24th September last
year has long been a scene favourite
T
he show takes places in
the village of Berkeley, in
Gloucestershire, just off the
M5, in the fields below the
famous haunted Berkeley
Castle. The castle is used as a location
for many film and TV series. In the
weeks before the 2017 show it was
the setting for scenes starring Rowan
Atkinson as Jonny English, as the
comedy super spy returns in the
latest version of Jonny English.
The forecast for last year’s
show was good and thankfully it
turned out to be accurate. Entry
to the show cost a mere £6, unless
you were under 16 in which case
it was free. The show featured a
different layout for the VWs which
made taking photos of the displays
and keeping the castle in the
background harder than last year
- but maybe that’s just a problem
For some reason this show seems to
attract a lot of VWs that I don’t see
anywhere else on the show circuit
22 VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com
Simon Cooke
for photographers like me? The
show isn’t just for VWs though,
titled the Berkeley VW Show plus
Vintage and Retro Fair, you can
find vehicles from the vintage,
resto and classic sectors too. As
well as the Retro Fair, obviously
As usual you had the traders
and food and drink down one
end, together with live music from
Sid & The Scatterbrains, with
the Show and Shine and Club
Displays, both VW and general
vintage/retro/classics at the other
end of the field, sadly there were
less classics this year than in the
past. Alongside these were the
fun fair and kids Go Kart rides.
For those who wanted to be a
bit more adventurous than just a
cheese burger, there was an exotic
AT THE SHOW
meat bar, this wasn’t what I was
thinking! – We dread to think, Jimmer “We have been coming to this show for about six years; when
we first came I think we had one of the first T5 conversions
here,” said Ami from Moore’s Campers - well known for all their
step by step tech features in VW Bus. “This year it’s the first
show for our new rental T5 campers and we are just about to
go on tour with them. I love this show, it’s nice and local and
we love seeing all our old customers again,” she added.
 VWBUS T4&5+
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 The castle is used as a location for
many film and TV series
It was a just a place to buy your
camel, rattle snake and kangaroo
burgers. It was also good to see
some seating - (chairs and straw
bales) something sadly lacking at
the majority of shows; it’s fine if you
can relax in your van, or have seats
outside it, but not so fine if you are on
foot and you don’t consider the wet
grass to be a great seating option.
With this show being the local
event for the Gloucester T4/T5
Owners Club you’d expect to see a
good turn out from the local boys and
girls of the club and you’d be right
- they certainly had an impressive
line-up. For more information on this
club turn to page 62.
I’ve noticed this before at the show
and possibly even mentioned it – but
for some reason this show seems to
attract a lot of VWs that I don’t see
anywhere else on the show circuit
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and for a totally unexplained reason a
large portion of those seem to be T3s.
There’s no good reason that I can see,
although it does make a nice change.
This year there also seemed to be a
large amount of VW Karmann Ghias
- again for no obvious reason. Of
course there are also a good selection
of Splits and Bays, and other assorted
VAG cars along with a whole host of
T4s, T5s and T6s; Shane Curry’s Golf
won Best in Show. Vale Dub Klub
picked up the award for Best Club
Display. The Best Spit was owned
by Barry Richard with the Best Bay AT THE SHOW
being Rich Spraggon’s fine example.
Lance is the proud owner of a 2002 T4 which
When it came to the water-cooled had been converted by Spektrum Interiors.
vans results it was Tracy Wheeler “I’ve been to this show three times and it’s
who won Best T5 with John Power always evolving,” said Lance. “This year there
taking the T4 honours. are more traders, but less classic vehicles,
which is a shame as they were a nice trip
This year the show will be held on down memory lane. It’s a nice relaxed show.”
Sunday September 23rd, keep an eye
on Facebook for details.
Bus feature

spiration
Divine In
It’s usually the old m a n’s va n th at gets featured
h ard son it's different
ut for Dav in ia Ric
in these pages, b
” Edwards
Steve “autoholic

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 VWBUS T4&5+
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 Bus feature
Assembly time
D
avinia, known more often
as Vinny, is the driving
force behind this one,
the one with the desire to
get into adventures. She
has always dreamed of owning a
camper can and heading off to the
horizon. She used to go camping
under canvas with her parents, but
always looked enviously at camper
vans and their cool set-ups. She had
some money saved and was about to
be properly grown up and purchase
a property to let, with her sister,
Jaz. But when the deal fell through,
Vinny thought it was a sign and that
life was too short. So, she decided to
take her money, fulfil her dream and
spend her cash even more wisely,
she invested it in this T4.
After looking at a few day van
conversions locally, she felt she
hadn’t seen a van that suited her.
28 VWBUS T4&5+
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This former plasterer’s van was
located in Birmingham, once there
Bus details
What did the van
Vinny wasted little time crawling start as? Panel
underneath to ensure that all was
Colour? Matte
well with the potential purchase walnut and Blue
and finding that it was, the deal was LWB/SWB SWB
done. The van, a 2001 SWB 1.9, had BHP? 68
been cream and was immediately
Wheels type and
christened Layton Bakewell, due to size? Mercedes
the registration number and colour Benz Vito Steels
but you’ll have to ask Vinny for 16”
the full explanation. First on the Tyres? 205/65/16
agenda was to fit some windows Lowered? No
to this former work horse. It was Why is this bus
sent to Vanhaus, who have recently special? It has
completed a move to Stafford and fulfilled a dream
and puts a smile
whose details you can find on on my face every
Facebook. They cut the centre panels time I drive it.
and added both sides, the offside
window has a sliding section. Vinny
had been doing a lot of research and
had spotted a van on Pinterest that
had been finished with a silk effect
 She had some money saved
and was about to be properly
grown up, but decided to
take her money and spend it
even more wisely in a T4
to the paint and that was something
that really took her fancy. She
looked at a multitude of colour
swatches before deciding on the
matte walnut you see here. Initially
the roof was to remain in the original
cream with the wheels painted to
match. But after seeing a Citroen
C3 in a “gorgeous blue”, she knew
that was the accent colour for her.
BPS Garage Services in Uttoxeter
took care of the colour change and
added an agent, to ensure the blue
paint had the matching matte finish.
When Vinny originally bought
the van, it had a set of alloy wheels
fitted, but they had seen better
days, so she decided to change to a
set of sixteen-inch steels that had
been destined for a Mercedes Benz
Vito. Not however, before BPS had
added a few coats of the specially
mixed blue paint though. Vinny
liked the banded look, but after
much thought decided to stay with
the standard width, as this van has
been designed to be used and it is
fast becoming her daily driver. She
has a VW Fox too, but that doesn’t
quite bring the smile to her face in
the same way as the van, so it’s a
distinct possibility that it might get
moved on.
The interior needed to be
functional too, so the search began
for a suitable convertor who could
realise Vinny’s ideas. Once she
had made up her mind as to what
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Bus feature
16" Vito steels
Vinny had been doing a lot of research and
had spotted a van on Pinterest that had
been finished with a silk effect to the paint
that might be. The traditional rock
and roll bed with seat belts wasn’t
necessary, as it’s just Vinny, her
fella Kez and their pet pooch Foley
that will use the van. She decided on
an L-shaped arrangement, with a
bed that could be constructed much
like the ones in a caravan. That way
she got plenty of room for her, Kaz
and Foley to stretch out, plus when
in seating mode there is more than
enough room to sit comfortably.
She also added a swivel base to
her front double seat, which she
installed herself. She had all the seats
re-trimmed to match the exterior,
AMA Transporters in Walsall were
commissioned to take care of all
the interior work and Stuart and
his team easily managed to realise
Vinny's ideas. You might remember
the company built a cool white T5
multi-van that was featured on the
cover of Issue 26 All the trimming
was carried out in a sumptuously
soft, two tone vinyl with blue
stitching, while the rear was custom
built to suit Vinny’s requirements.
The van was fully insulated and
ply lined with the usual Veltrim
in place on the side walls and roof.
Some handy LED lights were added
 This former plasterer’s van
was located in Birmingham,
once there Vinny wasted little
time crawling underneath
it to ensure all was well
in the roof along with a VW logo
that features some LEDs that Vinny
found on eBay. There weren’t the
only lighting tweaks, outside the
rear badge has some hidden LEDs
that operate as an additional brake
light, very clever. Back inside
AMA constructed some collapsible
supports for the bed that neatly
stow under it, but can also be used
around the campfire as small tables,
a useful multi-functional addition. Of
course, it’s always advisable to have
a practice run assembling of your
structure, preferably prior to any
impending photo shoots. However,
this advice may be ignored if you’re
happy to amuse your friendly
neighbourhood photographer. AMA
also constructed a run of furniture
in a Driftwood coloured laminate
that features an Earthen Bark
worktop, sink and burner combo
and a Waeco fridge. They added
cupboard doors and drawers in their
usual layout, but at Vinny’s request
installed a Tambour roller door and
a neat cubbyhole above the fridge.
There is a leisure battery on board
which supplies the power, but a 240
volt hook up has not been added
on purpose, as the plan is to try
and stay away from campsites and
concentrate on wild camping.
The whole point of the van for
Vinny was to fulfil her camping
dreams with Kez and Foley, they are
planning on a few local getaways
to get themselves used to it and, to
make sure they have everything
they need. Before heading up to
Davinia
Scotland to navigate the North And I’d like to thank…
Coast 500 and then who knows Vanhaus – www.vanhaus.co.uk
where. All we know is that wherever BPS Garage Services – www.bpsgarage.co.uk
they get to, it’ll be Vinny’s divine AMA Transporters – www.ama-transporters.co.uk
inspiration that got them there.
VWBUS T4&5+
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HOW TO

Fitting A Sump Guard

Do you use protection? Whether you are sump scraping or swamping, you
might want to consider getting some protection down there for your bits
Andrew Thompson

You will need:

Swamper
Spanners or sockets
for M10 and M8 bolts
and an extra pair of
hands is useful

Slammed
Add blocks of wood,
a selection of jacks
and axel stands to
the above.

Cost:
At the time of writing
T4 £146
T5 £123
Prices do fluctuate
due to exchange
rates.
For a discount from
the supplier use the
code VW10 at the
checkout

Where from?
Supplier
Company: Sump-
Guard.co.uk
Address: 2
Str. Kossuth Lajos
nr. 52
535600
1
Odorheiu Secuiesc
Harghita,
Romania
Website www.Sump-
Guard.co.uk

Fitter
The Old Dub Shop
Unit 1 Crosslanes
Farm
Crosslanes
Pill
Bristol
Avon
BS20 0JJ
Website: www.
theolddubshop.co.uk When you really slam a T4 the
Phone: 01275 373655 main issue particularly with
the 2.5 version is the gearbox
mount. That’s the part which
Difficulty sits lowest to the ground. The
rating gearbox mount is cast alloy, so
rather than slowly wearing away,
one hit in the right place and it
will smash in to a million pieces.
I know this from experience, once
EASY as I pulled out of a slip road on to
the motorway, the gearbox mount
caught a cat’s eye. It smashed
and sent pieces of metal
flying out everywhere! After
investigating the damage, it was
clear that a new box was needed,
there was very little left of the
mount. After calling round a few
places it was also clear that this
was going to be rather expensive.
The inside was good and the best
option was to get a second-hand
casing and swap over the internals
– a job too big for myself and one
that cost me the best part of £1000!
The next issue was the fact that I
would face the exact same problem
again if I didn’t get some protection
in place. Botond Vass from www.
Sump-Guard.co.uk hooked me
up with one of their sump guards
for the T4 (they also make sump
guards for pretty much any vehicle
on the road! Use the code VW10
for a discount at check out.)
I headed to The Old Dub
Shop in Bristol, renowned for
slamming both air-cooled and
water pumping dubs (they are
responsible for the majority of
T4’s on Hydraulic suspension).
A guard like this is an item that
gets fitted to every vehicle that
goes through their doors, so they
seemed like the people to see.
So, whether you are struggling
to get over speed bumps in
Tesco’s car park, or rocks
whilst green laning, I would
strongly suggest getting some
protection, especially when the
guard is around a tenth of the
price of the repair bill I had!

32 VWBUS T4&5+
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STEP ONE 3
The sump guard comes with everything you need and is
well packaged to stop it from getting damaged (although
that isn’t really necessary – if you check the photos later on!
STEP TWO
Everything you need including instructions
STEP THREE
This is what we are trying to avoid the gearbox has been
worn flat (note the bolt /half a bolt!) and the gearbox mount
that has also been smashed
STEP FOUR
Attach sides to sump guard
STEP FIVE
There are already nuts welded into place so the is no way to
make any mistakes!
4
STEP SIX
Spencer’s top tip, “always use lube! Chances are nothing has
gone in this hole on the chassis rail for a long time and it’s
going to be filled with cob webs, dirt and all sorts. Give it a
good clean to ensure you can screw the bolt straight in.”
STEP SEVEN
Get that extra pair hands to help guide the sump guard into
place, it’s a big old guard and although it is doable on your
own with some supports, it’s much easier with an extra pair
of hands.
STEP EIGHT
The sump guard bolts into factory points on the chassis, as
previously mentioned you just need to make sure they are
clean so the bolts go in, first time!

5 6

7
8

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 HOW TO
9 10 11

12 14

13

15

STEP NINE
Screw in the bolts at the rear of the guard to the sub-frame
STEP TEN
Now that the sump guard is in place, you can go round tightening up the
bolts
STEP ELEVEN
Get the van back on the ground and asses clearance
STEP TWELVE
As you can see the guard sits a little low if you drive a slammed van.
However, after a couple of days of use, a lot of scraping and a few
knocks, the sump guard was no longer sitting so low!

Six months later, it’s time to see how this guard is getting on.
Remember that its only 2mm thick and when it was first put on
the van, there was only a couple of mm clearance under it. It’s
been used and abused, when there was an option to drive down
a cambered country road it was taken, speed bumps were hit
harder, we wanted to put this to the test and see how it would
withstand ‘real’ use.
16
STEP THIRTEEN
It’s looking worn, but not worn through
STEP FOURTEEN
We took the sump guard off the van so we could assess the damage
properly
STEP FIFTEEN
Heavy damage but still going strong
STEP SIXTEEN
It’s done a great job, and as we put it back on I would highly recommend
getting one!

34 VWBUS T4&5+
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Please mention VW BUS T4&5+ Magazine when responding to adverts.
Bus feature

Who Knows
Where Next…
Is it time to pack in your day job, build the
van of your dreams and hit the road? If you
ask Hannah Jenkins and Oliver Whittaker,
the answer will be a resounding yes!
Andrew Thompson

O
n February 18, 2018
our couple will
celebrate a year on
Instagram. Now you
might think that it’s
a strange thing to do, but it’s the
date of their first post online as
@whoknowswherenext and it
marks the start of a life changing
journey. A simple collage showing
the old builder’s van floor, the floor
removed revealing ten years of dirt
and then finally the finished result
of a hard day’s work. With the floor
now sparkling and ready to turn
into their new home. At this point
our couple were still in full time
employment, they had good jobs
as engineers, a nice home and were
living the dream, right? Well not
quite, or at least not their dream…
You see Hannah and Oliver have
always had a love for travelling and
hobbies such as hiking, kayaking,
photography and cooking, but
traditionally, at least some of those
were restricted by work. Something
of a renaissance man Oliver also
designs watches, check out @
pivotwatches also on Instagram,

The camper was built

on the pavement outside
their home in Clifton!

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Bus feature

One morning, hidden in a valley in Bus details

What did the van
Liechtenstein, we woke to find we had start as? Panel
Van

been sharing our bed with a mouse! Colour? White

LWB/SWB SWB
BHP? 84
to see some of his designs. wonky” At times the van build Wheels type and
It was time to start their next looked more like a builder’s van size? Standard
adventure. I mentioned their nice it used to be, rather than the VW Alloys
home earlier, well it’s wasn’t the camper van it became. Filled with Tyres?
perfect place to build a camper timber and tools, whilst creating 215/65/16
van. At the time, the couple were their rolling home, on the street Lowered? No
living in Clifton, a beautiful part outside their home. Now when Why is this bus
of Bristol, full of Victorian and they say “no plans”, I think they special? “This
van will always
Georgian townhouses, with are referring to flat pack plans, be our first
fairly narrow roads and a lack of rather than just winging it. Our conversion, a
parking… But this all added to the couple are engineers and there are design challenge
we tackled
charm and home built feel of their some very detailed floor layouts together, and
campervan “it was a practical mess, plans with lots of dimensions a home that
everything was handmade, no taken, all to create the most took us around
Europe for a full
plans, no furniture, just making it practical living space possible. six months.”
up as we go, everything perfectly A living space so practical they
bespoke to us and ever so slightly have spent the last six months

38 VWBUS T4&5+
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 Oliver and Hannah have
spent the last six months
living full time in their T5,
traveling around Europe
living in it around Europe!
"There was no real secret way
of making money on the road for
us. We saved up £4K each, built
the conversion on weekends,
then quit our jobs and left for
Europe! In Portugal, we got some
amazing travel tips from a fellow
Vanlifer! We shared some food
and wine with the Portuguese
couple, squeezing all four of us
round our table in the van! We
spent many nights tuning our
layout to incorporate all our needs
and all our stuff.” What I love
about this, is that it was their
first build! I’ve ripped out my
interior several times for different
layouts making improvements
and that’s for the odd weekend
away here and there. Oliver and
Hannah have spent six months
in it straight after finishing the
build! “We tried to use recycled
materials where possible and
the main framing was made
from timber planks and marine
plywood. We used lightweight
wood and as little structure as
possible, to keep the weight low.”
As you can see the van is a
twin slider – not a particularly
popular model for most van
owner/convertors. However,
as proven here, the twin slider
has great advantages, both from
a storage and access to hard to
reach areas point of view. The
most impressive design feature
for me is the pull-out burner,
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Bus feature
enabling Oliver and Hannah
to cook outside! A very clever
and practical design feature, of
which there are many on this
build. For example, the table is
actually the cupboard door, which
doubles up as the table top. The
supports for the table are also
cleverly sloted away in the frame
of the unit below and you would
never notice they are there.
So apart from looking gorgeous,
the van has an impressive spec.
A double bed downstairs, the
L-shaped sofa in the day, turns
into a bed at night and upstairs in
the pop top, there is also another
double. A twin burner gas hob
with plumbed in Camping Gaz
supply, some LED lights on
remote. The fold down table as
previously mentioned, multiple
storage drawers and chests, some
low voltage plugs and a high
voltage hook up. Homemade black
out blinds, sink with water tank
and a powered cool box, plus some
home furnishings and comforts
complete the interior build.
“We love driving the van, the
way it handles and the fact we can
turn around and see our home
cruising down the motorway. We
are able to take the van on long
trips, short trips, even afternoon
trips and have everything we need
from a home in the back of the
vehicle. We love peering out of the
windows at a new location every
day and taking the van wherever
the mood takes us. Now that we
have been away for six months,
 The van gave us a happy
medium of a (small) roof over
our heads, while still opening
our doors into nature every day
it’s hard to choose which stories to
share. But some places stand out;
hiking the Dolomites mountain
range in Italy, relaxing on the
Croatian islands, exploring the
Algarve coastline out of season,
kayaking around the northern
Italian lakes and visiting cities
like Ghent and Strasbourg.” One
morning, hidden in a valley in
Liechtenstein, we woke to find
we had been sharing our bed with
a mouse! As it ran around our
feet we quickly jumped out of the
van. After a long mouse hunt, we
never actually found it, so who
knows where the stowaway is
now! It was certainly our most
active start to a morning…”
After following Oliver and
Hannah’s travels for the past six
months on social media I was
excited to find out what their plans
were next, now that they were back
home in the UK, "We’re working
on a Vanlife book that will have
loads of info on how to build and
travel in a self-converted van!
We’re also moving to Australia
shortly, we think well be taking
on a new van build out there,
which means we’ll have to sell
this van in the UK. It’s going
to be difficult to part with it,
but we’re excited to start a new
build and try some new designs.
We’ve been dreaming of an
older VW with 4WD for those
Australian outback tracks!”
That sounds incredible, with
the van becoming available
soon, maybe it’s time to take the
Oliver & Hannah
leap and carry on the European
travels in this T5 – to keep up to
date with Oliver and Hannah’s
travels and their book be sure to And I’d like to thank…
follow @WhoKnowsWhereNext All the people we’ve met along the way.
on social media!
VWBUS T4&5+
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 Lifestyle
To Biarritz
Best mates and fellow surfers Adam
Howard and Andy Bell made a plan and
decided to head for Biarritz in their VW T4s.
Adam, a freelance photographer and writer
tells the story Adam Howard
P
rior to the trip both vans
were given a thorough
once over including
fresh oil changes and
new filters etc. As we
ticked off the last few items on our
respective packing list’s, spare
surf leash, fins and extra boxes
of surf wax we loaded our trusty
VW vans and knew the adventure
was on. We decided to have a
stopover in Hossegor in south
west France for the Quicksilver
Pro 2017 surf competition. It’s a
road trip that had long been on
our radar; you know, France in
the autumn, more sunshine and
warmer temperatures than the
shores of the UK at that time of
year, the open road and the promise
of new places and surf spots to
be discovered and hopefully
ridden, around every corner.
44 VWBUS T4&5+
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The Road
Time for a cuppa
With Andy coming from the south
west of England, whilst I come
from the south east, the first leg
of the journey needed to include
a practical meeting up point and
having previously booked the ferry
that was to sail from Portsmouth
to St Malo, it made sense for
us to both head to Portsmouth
independently and catch up there.
We sailed with Brittany Ferries
that same evening at 20:30. Having
decided beforehand to book a twin
berth en-suite cabin on-board,
we agreed that grabbing a few
zzz’s on the twelve-hour crossing,
made a whole lot of sense. Waking
refreshed and ready to hit the
French roads just after breakfast
the next morning was a good
way for this road trip to begin. By
deciding to sail to St Malo instead
of to Calais saved us an additional

Adam and Andy en route south
337km of driving once in France.
Leaving the port of St Malo with
a steady cruise south along the
smooth, uncrowded and non-
potholed D137 highway, on the
first leg of that morning’s drive
we bypassed the larger towns
of Rennes and Nantes, before
turning south west and heading
out towards the coast. We took a
short break in St-Gilles-Croix-de-
Vie, a pleasant town 264km from
St Malo. The vans were cruising
happily, the weather already warm
and we got our first glimpse of the
ocean with the promise of things
to come. Consulting the map, we
decided to push an additional
35km south, to a surf spot at Les
Dunes not far from the larger town
of Les Sables d’ Olonne. Here we
found a mellow wave by French
standards, but at head height a
fun one for sure and just what
was called for after a good drive
on the first morning in France.
Our goal was Biarritz with a stop
at the Quicksilver Pro, but this was
to be a road trip to remember, sure
we could have belted all the way
down the ‘Peage’, but why rush
The vans were cruising
happily, the weather already
warm and we got our first
glimpse of the ocean
right? “It’s the journey, not the
arrival that matters” at least that’s
according to TS Eliot and I can see
the sense in that.
Not far from Les Dunes was a
great place to free-camp and the
surf was so good we had to get back
in for a sunset session. With the
sky turning deep crimson and gold
and the sets rolling in, I rode those
walls until it was too dark to see
and on my last wave I let out a hoot
of pleasure as I took a moment to
appreciate how fortunate I was to
just be there right then.
The next morning it’s back on
the road and of course always
heading south, we leave the region
of Vendee and head for a town
called Mimizan, 111km south of
Bordeaux and 445km from Les
Dunes where we began today,
Forest Aire at Contis Plage
Overhead at the Pro
after a peaceful, surf stoked sleep.
After stopping off at the E.Leclerc
Hypermarche in Mimizan and
topping up on groceries for a few
days, we find an Aire de Camping
at a place called Contis Plage and
decide to stay a couple of nights
here, alongside other camper vans
from all over Europe. We have
electric hook-up to re-charge the
leisure batteries, fresh running
water and clean showers and
toilets. As an additional bonus it is
just a ten minute walk to a cracking
beach break, that on inspection is
showing overhead surf. It’s time to
rest up here, strum a few chords on
the guitar’s and share a couple of
glasses of Merlot, as after a superb
surf we watch the sun set through
the pine trees that surround our
camp in the forest.
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 Travel
Thoroughly rested it was time to
head for the QuickSilver Pro in
Hossegor and our chance to see
some of the world’s best surfers in
contest conditions. An early start,
saw us break camp at our forest
Aire and head back out on the road.
97km later we arrive in the town
of Hossegor. Our first impressions
were of a very neat and pleasant
looking place, it was breakfast
time so there were no maddening
crowds. Instead just small knots
of people here and there in cafés,
sipping coffee and chatting. As we
drove through the town and neared
the surf contest site, the traffic
and crowds thickened and finding
parking spaces for our vans was
the first priority. To see some of the
Sun setting near Les Dune
46 VWBUS T4&5+
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“It’s the journey, not the
arrival that matters” at least
that’s what TS Eliot wrote
best surfers on the planet, at least as
far as contests and the World Tour
goes, to see crowds of fans, smiling,
happy, just enjoying the moment
and to be amongst it all, to take in
the atmosphere of the whole thing
was so worth it. It’s an experience,
we’re so glad we made the effort to
see it and if you’ve never been, go!
You won’t be disappointed.
After our visit to the QuickSilver
Pro and another night free camped
in the forest, this time near
Pathway to the surf, Biarritz
Capbreton, we awoke the next
morning and drove the remaining
40km to Biarritz. What a superb
place it is, with tranquil gardens
and memorials to past losses of
life during the World Wars, the
Aquarium de Biarritz with its
art deco style exterior and the
delightful stone bridges that lead
out to small island outcrops that
once on them afford views back to
the town itself. Great local shops,
cafés and in the evening, bars Biarritz at dawn

Speed, power and passion
Sunset at La Tranche-sur-Mer
Contis Plage
Andy free camping in Biarritz
Adam’s T4 near Les Dunes
A fair few other ‘surf’
vans also found this little
slice of perfection
overlooking the ocean, where the
locals gather and chat over a glass
of wine or a bottle of beer or two.
Picturesque streets and a civilised
culture where you can afford to
let time slow, relax and just enjoy
being ‘here now’.
Being autumn the temperatures
are still hot during the daytime
and cool and pleasant at night.
Free-camping here in Biarritz
was a real result and after finding
a superb spot to park the vans
overlooking the sea, we ended up
staying for four nights. We were
parked amongst a host of other T4’s
and T5’s here. We could just slide
open the side doors on our vans
and take in the ocean scene, with
the main town a kilometre or two
in the distance. Likewise a fair few
other ‘surf’ vans also found this
little slice of perfection and with a
mixture of nationalities present,
the atmosphere at all times was
respectful and courteous. Good
surf was to be had here and with
toilets not far away and showers
at various points along the beach, it
proved to be a great place to stay and
enjoy for a few days.
All to quickly our time in Biarritz
was up and it was time to have to
head back north and ultimately
the UK. After the excellent forest
Aires and other free-camp spots
we had used on our way south,
we decided to use the same
places on the return journey.
Throughout our road trip the
vans performed flawlessly we
surfed at least once a day and
on most occasions twice.
All in all France in the autumn
and the road to Biarritz is a trip we
would not only repeat in a heartbeat,
but would highly recommend to
anyone that has a T4, T5 or T6 and
wants to just get out and explore…
The Facts
Kilometres travelled = 1458
Fuel economy = 600 miles to a tank, 12
gallons in tank = 47mpg
Average speed = 60mph
Duration of trip = 14 days
Ferry Crossing = Portsmouth – St. Malo (12hrs)
VWBUS T4&5+
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 BUS OF THE YEAR
Congratulations to Rockin Vans, whose stunning two-tone T6
camper won this year’s Bus Of The Year competition! The bus was
originally featured in issue 66 and beat off all comers to secure
the coveted prize. In honour of their success, we are awarding
them this month’s centre spread. Well done to all at Rockin Vans!
 READER’S RIDES

PeepShow
Whether it’s a show winner or daily driver, share with us why you love your bus.

Green’s White
My van started life as a bread delivery van in Preston. It’s a 1.9,
short wheelbase ex-panel van with 98K Miles on the clock.
I’ve owned it for about three years and in that time, it’s had a
full body re-spray in the correct Grauweiss (white) colour. It’s
lowered by 60mm, has a quad stainless-steel exhaust and all the
windows are black limo tint.
A classic looking 70’s style upholstery with colour changing
lighting are to be found inside. I used to own a 73 bay, just goes to
show you never lose the VW bug. My T4 is mainly used to attend
shows with my brother and mates.
Stuart Green

Anna’s Pit Stop

I spent my childhood years
running around the family
run garage behind my dad and
grandpa with a boiler-suit on and
a spanner in my hand
After university, I found myself
running Duke of Edinburgh
expeditions and spending tens
of nights sleeping in a tent.
An upgrade was in order so I
bought myself a T5 camper. It
had been converted, but didn’t
have a pop top roof so I roped in
my dad to help install the roof. I
loved the three days hard graft
in the workshop and decided
to buy a VW transporter to
convert as a project in my spare
time. This was the start of my
business Pitstop Campers in
South Lanarkshire (www.
pitstopcampers.co.uk) and we’ve
come a long way since then.
We will be bringing you more on
Anna’s Pitstop Campers in a future
issue - Alan
Anna Anderson

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 Darby and Roam
I have a 1995 T4 in glorious white.  Not the easiest
of vans to keep spotless during the winter I must
admit.  I have owned this particular van since April
last year.  I’ve had some great trips to Devon and
Dorset and all along the south coast since I’ve had
her. Anyway, today the weather was good so I
thought I would give her a wash and polish so that
she is good to go whenever I want to get out and
about.  I thought she looked so good in the sun that
I took a few snaps and sent them to you. The only
thing I really want to change are the front seats for
two in black leather, that is a project for warmer
days though.
Mat Darby

Dawson’s Chic
Jezebel would love to be in
your magazine again. She last
appeared in issue 16 and we’ve
come a long way since then.  We
live in God’s county, beautiful
Northumberland. We are a family
that fancies a different way of
life, so we bought a VW van in
late October 2011 and decided to
have a go at doing a conversion. 
Ready for the summer of 2012,
we even did some shows that
year, before it was finished.  Now
we have it where we want, with
heating and all the mod cons.  We
love her like one of our family.

Show
I had to put a double seat in for
my son’s friends, to come to the
festivals with us. We love our
little camper and can’t wait for
the 2018 season to start. GET YOUR BU

Yours
S FEATURE
D Send a brief description about your Bus (130 words max) and three high-res pictures
Rob Dawson
to: alan.hayward@vwbusmagazine.com with the subject ‘Reader’s Rides’.

VWBUS T4&5+
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 CAMPSITE REVIEW

The Cud Life

Anne Rogers

I first heard about The Cud Life via the VW Camper Chicks group on Facebook

A
t the time, I was used over winter when the grass Campsite
planning a trip which field and facilities block is closed
involved a reunion in (Nov-Mar). The site is a Camping
Details
The Cud Life
Shropshire of people & Caravan Club site, and only
Spruisty Hall Farm
I’d not seen for thirty ever has a maximum of fifteen
Ripon Road
years, followed by a photo shoot pitches occupied, unless the entire
in Yorkshire. So, when I saw the site is booked out for an event. Killinghall
details of The Cud Life, which The facilities block is neat, clean Harrogate
is just outside Harrogate, it was and warm. Toilets and showers HG3 2AU
an easy decision to stay there. are unisex, with good sized solidly Tel: 01423 565855
The Cud Life Campsite is a grass enclosed shower cubicles with Web: www.
thecudlife.co.uk
site on a working farm run by plenty of room for drying and
Email: contact@
Dave and Tanya Umpleby. Tanya dressing as well as showering thecudlife.co.uk
was super helpful even before I and therefore very little risk of Tariffs: £20 per
arrived and came to greet me before an awkward 'dressed-only-in-a- night for one van/
I’d even stepped out of the van. towel' meeting! Water is hot and motorhome with
EHU for up to
The site has fifteen grass pitches plentiful, and there’s a radio in the two adults. This
with EHU and there are lovely building for early morning ‘ablution includes awnings
views across the sloping valley. tunes’. At the front of the block and dogs. Dogs
must be on the
The pitches are positioned around is a washing up sink and a large booking form
the edges of the site, with plenty of fridge freezer, with an honesty because they
space for relaxing or for children box for eggs, bacon, and milk. only allow a
limited number
to play. There’s also a large central If your soul rejoices at the idea due to the farm
fire pit which is usually lit on a of early morning bacon and eggs, location. There
Saturday night. As well as grass but sinks when you realise you are extra charges
for children and
pitches, there are two hardstanding have no frying pan on board fear additional adults.
pitches at the edge of the car park, not, this is the site for you. Tanya

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 The site is surrounded by
fields, peacefully located away
from busy traffic – though
you may find curious cows
collecting by the fence nearby
also runs a superb coffee shop
with a cook shop of the type you
could easily spend hours and
plenty of cash in, on things for
the van or your home kitchen.
(Open Thursday - Saturday.) The
coffee and cake from the coffee
shop are highly recommended!
The site is surrounded by fields,
peacefully located away from
busy traffic – though you may
find curious cows collecting by
the fence nearby. There’s a bus
into Harrogate from the bottom
of the drive, or you can walk there
within around thirty minutes. The
site is a good spot for a walking base
and I’m told it’s well located for
visiting cyclists too, since Yorkshire
became a key cycling county with
the arrival of the Tour de Yorkshire
in 2015. For me, the hills are far
too steep for riding up on a bike!
I arrived to a warm welcome
and left feeling like a friend.
I certainly give this site a five
star recommendation and
plan to be back in 2018.
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Bus feature

) Apple of My Eye
The (Candy
rted in the late 90s, Andrew
at sta
From a passion th W s cene w as his way of life
the V
Hines knew that
Dave Warren

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Bus feature
I
f we could turn back the clock
and head to 1996, we would
find exactly when Andrew was
bitten by the VW bug. It was
after attending the mecca for
drag racing classic VWs, Santa Pod.
Soon after his first visit, Andrew
became the proud owner of his first
VW, a thirteen-window type one.
This led to the purchase of his first
T4, that 1996 1.9 was to serve him
well, right up until last year. When
it made way for a very standard
2002 2.5 TDI panel van in Cobalt
blue. The previous owner had cut
the windows in, but this was the
only modification. The van was
clean, dry and rust free, and the
transformation began shortly after.  sub were added as were Caravelle
It started with the paint, the
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outside received a treatment of
a three-stage candy apple red, a
custom paint job with paint from the
House of Kolor, skillfully applied
by Kryptonite Kolours. Underneath
the attention to detail continued,
with every inch covered in Raptor
paint, the wheel arches received
special treatment. The coatings
continued inside, on the dash board
and door cards, the door pillars,
even down to all control knobs,
every inch was hydro-dipped.
When your cruising in an
incredibly cool van, you need a
cool sound system. A double din
stereo head unit running a six-
speaker system and under seat
door cards with speaker pods. We
 It’s almost like its taking
you on a journey, rather
than the other way round
all know that driving a cool van is
enhanced by listening to a cool vibe.
With excellent forward planning
Andrew had, when the dashboard
was refurbished, included a switch
that allowed him to swap the power
source between main and leisure
battery, so as to keep the condition of
the batteries in good order.  with a silver head lining. The units
Staying in the front, the cab the
seats where recovered in a complex,
if pleasing design - red Bentley
diamond stitch centres with grey
perforated fillets, and white outer
and backs. Both captain seats are
fitted to swivel bases, which when
camped up, add to the luxury,
rear facing seats for socializing is
a must. The trim continued into
the rear, with the rock and roll bed
receiving the same treatment, which
contributes to the slick, cohesive
design. The original steering wheel
was retained, but it was recovered in
leather and slightly thickened with
added thumb rests for that added
smooth driving control, all finished
off with a little touch of hydro-
dipping for the centre. It was fully
sound proofed and insulated prior
to being carpet lined in smoke grey
are Evo Design’s 5.4 curved unit,
with overhead locker and LED light
shelf, incorporating a top loading
Webasto fridge and Smev sink unit. A
split charge leisure battery electrical
system, with 240volt hook up
including a smart charge facility and a
leisure battery monitor which ensures
the high-tech system runs smoothly.
There are LED lights and sockets
throughout. Sleeping arrangements
are provided by a 3/4 rock and
roll Smart bed, with removable
head rests and a front access full
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Bus feature

You can’t beat that feeling Bus details

What did the van

of packing the van up start as? Panel

van

and just driving Colour? Candy

apple red
LWB/SWB SWB
width draw. The units fitted where lenses, all the help the van to be BHP? 135BHP
actually designed for a T5, they seen on those dark misty mornings Wheels type and
are slightly wider than the T4 kits and nights, as well as looking good. size? 18” Ispiri
and the concern was whether they For stopping, some serious rubber Tyres? Goodyear
would work together in the slightly was added, with Goodyear F1s F1 230/40/18
narrower T4, after endless measuring fitted to the fully customised Ispiri Lowered? -70 mm
and liaising with Jon at Evo Design eighteen-inch wheels that replaced Why is this bus
special? Because
and Mike at Smart Beds. One of the the original steels. To enhance the of the amount of
benefits of using these kits is that van further it was treated to a touch time that I spent
they allow you to switch from a free- of lowering, with -70mm Sachs in my man cave
standing fridge behind the driver’s Super Touring HD shocks and creating it and
also the amount of
seat, to a top loading one further back.  adjustable Blue Bird coil-overs. Heko hours that all the
Let’s look at the work done on the wind and bonnet deflectors and various companies
exterior. DRL devil eye R8 headlights, stainless-steel side steps complete have put in to it.
fog lights and custom rear fog light the look. OK let’s hit some more

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 It’s pretty much just out of
conversion, so the journey for
this one is just about to start…
figures and spec on this incredible
van. The original BHP went from
88 to 135BHP with an intercooler
fitted, PP 0.5 injectors, teamed up
with a sweet-sounding Vintage
Volkshaus stainless steel exhaust
and a fully customised re-map.
So, after taking in all the incredible
modifications going on with this
van we asked Andrew what the
best thing he had done to the van
“Probably the paint work - its candy
apple red all the way for me” The
paint work is amazing, so if you
do see this van at one of this year’s
coming shows make sure you take a
closer a closer look and have a word
with the man behind the styling that
went into this project. Continuing on
with the conversation I asked what
about the best experience with the
journey of this van so far “Without
a doubt it is the incredible people
and companies that I have met
during the conversion of the van.
The standard of workmanship at
every stage from everyone that has
contributed has been faith restoring”
So the worst experience was also
the funniest, “looking at all the
dashboard parts after they had all
been hydro-dipped and wondering
where the hell does that bit go”.
We also asked Andrew what the
thinking was behind buying this
van? His reply is one that many of us
subscribe to "I just can’t live without
a van”. Looking at the attention to
detail put into this van, you can see
why anyone would be happy to live
with this one. Another question
What do you like about owning your
van? "The freedom and adventure
it can bring into your life, from epic
road trips through the mountains
of Wales, to just chilling on the
beaches of Cornwall. It’s almost like
it's taking you on a journey, rather
than the other way around...... You
can’t beat that feeling of packing
the van up and just driving …"
Andrew
At the time of the shoot the van And I’d like to thank…
was just fresh out of conversion. It In no particular order:
will take Andrew and his family on Kryptonite Kolours for the paintwork, Aqua graphics , VW trim shop ,
Van doc, Travel volts , Evo Design, Project Power aka “good friend Rake”,
many new adventures and as he tells Vintage Volkshaus, Vanology, Pristine wheels, Scotty’s Van Centre
us “This one it is just about to start”
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Dub Club

T4 &T5 Owners Gloucestershire

This is my first club feature, so it would be very rude not to start with
my local Facebook club – the T4 &T5 Owners Gloucestershire
Simon Cooke

T
he group was formed
in 2010 by Jon Beaver
and Sam Swift, who had
both recently invested
in T4s. Jon thinks it was
probably one of the first VW clubs
on Facebook for T4/5s - of course
there are many more now.
Over the past couple of years
I’ve lost count of how many vans
from the club I have featured
in VW Bus and VW Camper
and Commercial magazine - Jon
and I tried to come up with a
number, but we gave up and
settled on lots; it’s handy to have
such a range of quality VWs on
my doorstep. Since its inception
the admin team have been
joined by several others: Jason
Powick, Grant Turner, Adam
Richardson, Shelly & Stephen
Hill and Ross Eakers. The club
meets at the Aviator Pub right
next to Gloucester/Staverton
Airport on the last Sunday of
the month. They also have an
evening meeting at another
pub on the 2nd Wednesday of
the month during the summer
months. At the airport, there
is plenty of space to park, with
hard standing and grass available
and of course, the pub does a
wide range of food and drink!
Jon thinks that the club’s first
ever meeting attracted around
twenty-five vans, the average
now is more like forty-five,
depending on weather and what

As the founder member, Jon

gets special dispensation to be
a member, because he doesn’t
actually fit the stated criteria

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Shows
that day clashes with show-wise,
although the club does have
over 1600 members, they are
actually scattered right across the
country, and not restricted to just
Gloucestershire, you don’t even
have to own a T4 or T5 either: “We
welcome anyone with a VW badge
on the front,” explains Jon. As the
founder member, Jon gets special
dispensation to be a member,
because he doesn’t actually fit
the stated criteria. You see he’s
not actually got a VW badge at
the front. It’s just a technicality
64 VWBUS T4&5+
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though as his T5 has a smoothed/ ever Rolling Road Dyno Shoot Out
de-badged Bad Boy bonnet! In - keep your eyes peeled for a report
terms of numbers it’s pretty evenly on this coming soon.
split between T4 and T5s - and Final comment from Jon? “We
there are also some Crafters, but have created a great family VW
Jon doesn’t think that a T6 has group and we always have such a
joined so far; there are also some good laugh whenever we meet up;
cars in the mix too. everybody is really friendly and
The club also gets some support we welcome anyone with a VW.”
and discounts from local traders Well, you can’t really ask for much
including Top Tint, Transporter more from a VW club, can you?
Tuning and Paintworks. Of
course, the group is not just
an active Facebook page and
a monthly meeting, there is so
much more to the club. That
naturally involves camping at
VW shows and meeting up for
cruises. Although the club does
travel around the country they
do tend to have better turnouts at
the more local shows, including
Dubfreeze, Berkeley Castle VW
Show and Vanwest. “I think at
Vanwest in 2017 we had almost
eighty vans and we took over a
large part of the family camping
field,” remembers Jon.Not content
with taking over camp sites at VW
shows up and down the country
the club recently hosted their first
Shows
Dubs in the Middle
It’s big and it’s in the middle of the UK -well sort of- and
it’s like no other VW show you have ever seen
W
hat do you hope
for and expect
from a VW Show?
Obviously, a good
selection of VWs
to get up close and personal with.
A variety of live entertainment,
to suit everybody. A wide range
of trade stands and food and
drink options and ideally some
decent weather - although to be
fair that’s out of the control of the
team running any show. Well you
certainly got all of that at Dubs
in the Middle which ran for four
days over the May Bank Holiday
weekend in a field in Evesham,
Worcestershire. You got all the
above and much, much more.
Where else would you get hot
showers, toilets which are clean
for the entire show, an on-site
beauty salon in a pink caravan for
the ladies, dog show, fire juggling,
indoor play area for kids on a
The show was a sell-out and people
started arriving on the Friday and
some didn’t leave until Monday
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Simon Cooke
double decker bus, a foam pit, an
on-site SWAT team, burlesque
dance lessons, and demonstrations,
and even a wedding! Yes I kid
you not, this show also featured a
wedding in the main marque on
the Sunday afternoon Natalie, the
show’s boss, decided it would be
the ideal venue for her wedding to
Jason - as if she didn’t have enough
to do on the same weekend - that
girl likes a challenge. It’s the only I
show I attend all year where I have
to print out an A4 sheet with a
timetable on it, to make sure I don’t
miss out on anything.
The show was a sell-out and
people started arriving on the
Friday and some didn’t leave until
Monday - in total over 4000 people AT THE SHOW
attended the event. There was
some rain - on the Friday - well it Sammy from Re-Born To Be Wild has featured at every DITM so
was a Bank Holiday weekend, and far. At each show she does a live day-by-day demonstration of
it was pretty windy on Saturday custom airbrush spray painting on part of a VW. She does admit
that working outdoors when you are spraying can be a challenge
(many awnings fell foul of this and - especially if it’s windy, like 2017! “This year it’s a trailer to match
a T4 I painted at the last show - the owner loves his Jack Daniels,”
said Sammy. “He gave me a couple of photos to choose from,
but his daughter and I over-ruled his choice and picked this one
instead.” The one-off design will take Sammy the best part of
the show to complete. “I really look forward to this show every
year - it’s a really good atmosphere and very friendly,” she said.
 VWBUS T4&5+
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Shows

It’s the only I show I attend all year
where I have to print out an A4
sheet with a timetable on it, to make
sure I don’t miss out on anything
I had to borrow extra rope to tie
my tent to a fence and my car). But
luckily enough Sunday was perfect
wedding weather - lucky for me as
I specialise in shooting cars, rather
than weddings.
There was a great selection of
VWs to look at, both in the show
and shine on Saturday, or in the
club displays on Sunday which
also included Beach Buggies
and motorbikes. Or you could
just have a look round in the
huge camping fields, where you
might spot weird and wonderful
things such as a Trabant - I’ve
only seen those before inside
a museum or behind the Iron
Curtain when I went to Hungary.
Dressing-up theme for Saturday
was Fairy-tale and there were
certainly lots of people around who
seemed to be in a world of their
own. Entertainment was split
across two tents - one for the live
bands and one for the one-man
entertainers, dance lessons and
kids and silent discos.
The event was used to raise
money for the local Sea Cadets and
at the time of writing this report,
with final accounts still to be
confirmed, it looked like they would
be receiving around £3000. TBC
Fancy joining in the fun this
year? The date has already been
confirmed for 25th-28th May.
You can track the event down on
Facebook, although to be honest
I’d be surprised if you have missed
all of their posts about the show,
because it’s probably the most
widely promoted VW show that
Facebook has even seen!
Maxine was chilling
out with her T4 Hi-Top
in the camping area.
“This is the first VW
I’ve owned and it took
several years to find
it - in the end I found
it just up the road
from me,” explained
Maxine. “I bought it in
April two years ago and
it was pretty much the
same as it is today,”
she continued. The
T4 is mainly used for
camping weekends
and the odd show
that she can squeeze
AT THE SHOW into her diary.
AT THE SHOW
David has just collected his prize for Best Bay when we grabbed a
word with him. “I’ve owned this Bay for twenty-four years; it was
bright orange when I bought it and it’s an automatic, so quite rare,”
he explained. He never intended it to be a show and shine winner
and in fact did originally use it for work. Since then he’s taken his Bay
all across Europe. “I live in London and there are no local shows, so I
have to pick and choose which ones I go to - I came here two years ago
and liked it and it’s even bigger and better than last time”.
VWBUS T4&5+
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 Southern Motor Group

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 Bus feature

et Like Chocolate
SweYou m ay no t recogn ise Russell Venvil’s
efi n ite
na
ly
m
h
e, but if you were on the
ave seen his work
0’s you wou ld d
car scene in the 9
” Edwards
Steve “autoholic

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Bus feature
A
fter doing a degree in
vehicle design and having
had a couple of other jobs
Russell ended up as the
Chief Designer at Kool
Art, the company who brought out
the vehicle cartoon caricatures a few
years back, okay maybe more than a
few…. They were hugely popular and
at one point they seemed to be just
about everywhere you looked, from
the high street to car shows. With
almost every marque represented
on everything from mugs to t-shirts.
Having spent seven years at Kool Art,
Russell was approached by a friend
who made him an offer he felt he
couldn’t refuse. He went to work at
Jubilee Conversions, a company that
adapts vehicles for disabled drivers.
The job took him to many cool places,
including Buckingham Palace where
he met The Queen and 10 Downing
Street where he was introduced to
18" Sickwheels Optimus
Bus Details Gordon Brown. In his spare time,
he was also making custom vinyl
What did the van
start as? Shuttle signs, until the demand for that
Colour? Toffee
outgrew his available time. So, he
Brown struck out on his own and set up
SWB/LWB? SWB Kapow Boom Graphics which was
BHP? 210 named after his love of 70’s pop
Wheel type and
art. He can wrap vehicles, produce
size? Sickwheels vehicle signs or even cover a wall in
Optimus 18’s your house, for more information
Tyres? 225/45/18 on all their products visit www.
front 245/45/18 kapowboomgraphics.co.uk.
rear Russell’s first car was a Vauxhall
Lowered? Oh yes! Astra which featured big alloy
Why is it special wheels and an even bigger stereo
to you? It’s a system, he’d lowered it and that
great drive, very
versatile and was the start of a trend that would
will come in very encompass all his vehicles. The next
useful in the couple of cars were a pair of 2CV’s
future. that he also dumped in the weeds!
Following that he went all Hot Rod
and got himself a Ford Popular that
had been fitted with the ubiquitous
Rover V8 engine. That was
followed by a couple of slammed
Volvo’s, a 240 and a 760 that had
metalflake paint and crushed velvet
interior. All this lowering malarkey
naturally led Russell into the world
of hydraulics and Lowriders. This
meant the 760 made way for a
Lincoln Towncar that had already
had that treatment. The Lincoln
was replaced by a Chrysler New
Yorker that had also been suitably
juiced, the Chrysler remains in
the Venvil garage to this day and
emerges on high days and holidays
to do what it does best, show off!
Russell had been driving a Land
Rover Discovery on 22’s as his daily
and he loved it, but by his own
admission he perhaps loved it just
a little too much. He wasn’t happy
to expose the car to the everyday
rigours of the road, which is not the
most ideal situation for a daily. It
was replaced with a Range Rover
 Of course, it had to be lowered
and Russell favoured the
static route for his T5, rather
than air or hydraulics
Vogue SE. which was fitted with
air suspension. He had been
looking at T5’s, but the Rangey
came up at a really good price
so he bought that instead. On
reflection, he regretted not taking
the plunge into the VW world at
that point. So, he made a list of
his requirements and started to
look about for a T5 that would tick
all the boxes. One thing he did
know was that he didn’t want a
camper to use as a daily. After a
few months, he spotted this 2010
2.0 Bi-turbo Shuttle that had once
seen service working for a Porsche
dealer. It had everything on it
that you could possible wish for,
cruise control, air conditioning,
six speed gearbox and a full set
of leather seats. The seats at the
very rear are foldable and one in
the middle row is removable. So
even though a full-time camper
wasn’t on the wish list, the ability
to sleep in the van was very much
a possibility, especially as he’s had
the foresight to add a full set of
Van-X premium curtains. That one
removable seat also means there's an
option to add a removeable kitchen
pod in the future, which would give
the best of all worlds. Russell was
ideally looking for something that
had a retro style to it, but needed a
modern vehicle with all the attendant
reliability that comes with it, so he
jumped at the chance to own this
Toffee Brown twin slider T5.
Of course, it had to be lowered and
Russell favoured the static route for
his T5, rather than air or hydraulics.
He switched the shock absorbers for
a set of Gaz Ultra Lows and had the
front hub modification done by Mark
Evans, a mobile VW mechanic. This
brought the van down by a massive
six inches and that, coupled with the
35 profile tyres he was using, meant
the van was a little too low! The front
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 Bus feature
After a few months he spotted
this 2010 2.0 Bi-turbo Shuttle
that had once seen service
working for a Porsche dealer
splitter that parted ways with the
van and the cracked windscreen
also bear testament to the rigours
that accompany the quest for those
elusive lows. Having to make the
ride a little more comfortable on
those eighteen-inch Sickwheels
Optimus rims, he’s now fitted a
full set of Falken 45 profile tyres
and reports no further issues. The
splitter didn’t make it back onto the
van though, it’s still too close to the
tarmac to stay attached. The love
‘em or hate ‘em rims are load rated
and have a staggered offset, they
are 8 1/2 J at the front and 9 1/2 J at
the rear. The neat gold coach lines
have been, as you’d expect, added by
Russell’s hand, as have the retro side
graphics in a very cool Porsche font.
Riding at this altitude and surfing
the net looking for ways to get the
van a few extra millimetres closer to
the ground, brought the Lowdown
Transporter group onto his radar,
he was immediately “sticker
certified” and also given the rare
honour of being allowed to produce
76 VWBUS T4&5+
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his own sticker as of course he’d
wanted one to match the colour of his
existing graphics. Russell also added
a matt black sunscreen to which
he’s included an LDT sticker that’s
Gold mobile on display
also in matt black and in most lights,
quite difficult to see. Oh, and if you’re
wondering about that big gold mobile
phone, it was an ironic present
from Russell’s wife Annette. It’s a
working phone and Russel liked it
so much it found a permanent home
in the van. Annette also got in on
the Dub action when she purchased
a new shape Beetle, this has not
entirely managed to escape Russell’s
tinkering as he has wrapped it, at her
request in a Cadbury’s purple vinyl.
When he bought the van, he
didn’t really need all the available
space, but now he and Annette are
expecting their first child together,
you can bet that all that space will
be filled up pretty quickly. There Russell
is already a Lowdown trailer, but And I’d like to thank:
how about a sticker certified baby The Lowdown crew for the assistance and Annette for
buggy? It’s not just a possibility, putting up with it all.
with Russell, it’s inevitable.
 SHOP TOUR
Stiches + Steel
A reasonably new company with a growing reputation for quality and style, we popped
in to see the people behind Stitches + Steel Alan Hayward Andrew Thompson and Oli Grogan
I
am told that there are two types
of surfer, those who like to surf
and those who need to surf.
You can tell them apart when
the surf is up on a cold and
wet Tuesday morning at 07:35am.
Those who like to surf will be
restlessly scanning Magic Seaweed
on their tablets over breakfast and
muttering. Those who need to surf
will have been on the dawn patrol
where the waves are pumping,
they’ll be wet and happy.
The reason for this digression is
simple, as Stitches and Steel head
honcho Oli Grogan told me, “A
surfer can’t work for someone else,
they have to be their own boss”.
Let’s not jump to far ahead with
the clichés though, Oli has served
his apprenticeship in business,
working in the surf, skate and sail
industries over a number of years.
He followed that up running his
own company that made and sold
brushes for cleaning the underside
of the hulls of boats afloat, it’s a long
78 VWBUS T4&5+
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and detailed story that need not
detain us here.
Today however Oli and his
partner Tor are ensconced in a
series of buildings that make up
Stitches + Steel’s headquarters,
these include an office, an immense
workshop (shared with a timber
construction company) and
a selection of random storage
containers in deepest rural Essex,
near Chelmsford. It must be said
you can’t hear the surf from here,
but plans are afoot to make the
company mobile and able to be run
from a laptop in a van on a beach
somewhere.
Oli’s part in the company
is obvious and his boundless
enthusiasm for the project is clear
once you‘ve spent any time in his
company. Tor is more understated
and I would suggest she brings
a little balance to the process. A
freelance interior designer, her
work is much in demand and
although she is scaling her work
back as S+S grows, she nonetheless
has clients on her books that
demand her skilled eye works on
their projects. Together they bring
a ‘less is more’, understated and
contemporary approach to the
project, this concept is apparent in
all their products.
The company has been in Oli’s
fertile mind for a number of years,
but officially came into being in
2015. Some beautifully crafted
aluminium awning rails, one a
simple ‘C profile that fixes into the
rain channel of a T5 or T6 roof, the
other a more complex shape that
rivals the similar Reimo product,
but at a much more reasonable £90
were among the first products. The
‘V1’ awning accompanied them, a
simple side attached sunshade style
awning. Investigating this product
further gives a better insight into
the company and its products.
Using his contacts from a previous
life, the canvas is sourced and
stitched by a sail manufacturer who
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 SHOP TOUR
It is what it looks and feels
like, stylish and practical,
over specced and durable, all
with a pinch of S+S coolness
normally makes sails for round the
world yachts. This means its way
over specced and beautifully made.
Another marine specialist Mafioli
makes the guy ropes, a company
that have been making ropes and
cords for the sailing industry since
1926, take it as read that they know
a thing or two about durability.
Then there are the poles, now these
beauties are made from ‘3K pre preg,
roll wrapped 100% carbon fibre”.
Now in honesty, I’ve little clue
what that really means, but what I
can tell you is they are beautifully
made by a company more normally
engaged in the aviation industry,
they are adjustable and look and feel
great. The kit comes in a bag with
S+S leather detailing and a YKK
zip (even I’ve heard of them). This
product is typical of the S+S ethos,
it is what it looks and feels like,
stylish and practical, over specced
and durable, all with a pinch of
S+S coolness. The leather branding
is a case in point, a few months
back, the manufacturers made a
small error and the items arrived
unbranded. Oli and Tor contacted
the customers who had ordered
them and explained, offering them
a discount. The customers to a man
80 VWBUS T4&5+
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(and woman) refused the offer,
choosing instead to wait until a new
branded batch was delivered. Also
in the awning range are a neat Barn
door awning and a Tailgate tent. By
the way you can buy the carbon
fibre poles separately if you just
want to add some S+S style to your
existing awning.
A reasonably new addition to
the portfolio is a neoprene, wet
suite style, seat cover, available
as a single or twin and as a set,
they’re waterproof and obviously
hardwearing and are perfect for
both types of surfer, the fit is
amazing. These compliment the eye on quality the other on the
already existing canvas seat covers environment.
manufactured by the same people One of the most exciting things
who make the awnings. Also on the on the go at the moment is the S+S
S+S product roster are a hammock, conversion that we featured in
a changing mat and a windbreak, issue 68. It has all their hallmarks,
this isn’t the definitive list I just beautify crafted from high-end
wanted to give you a feel for what materials, stylish and practical, with
they can offer. an elegant simplicity. Different?
Something Oli and Tor are keen Certainly, but like all their products,
to get across are their eco-friendly all the cooler for it.
credentials, Oli told us “We work
closely with Surfers Against Sewage
Stitches And Steel
helping with plastic pollution and Maldon Road
raising awareness, our products Birch, Essex
Email: info@stitchesandsteel.com
are sourced as ethically as possible Website: www.stitchesandsteel.com
too, we do truly try to keep one
Please mention VW BUS T4&5+ Magazine when responding to adverts.
Please mention VW BUS T4&5+ Magazine when responding to adverts.
Bus feature

rodon Carcharias
Carcha rker’s T4, h e’s new to vans, but his
This is Adam Pa e s om ething of a splash
t has m a d
first attemp
” Edwards
Steve “autoholic

84 VWBUS T4&5+
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 VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com 85
Bus feature
I
t may be his first van, but it’s
safe to say that he’d ‘rather
say farewell and adieu to the
ladies of Spain’ than his bus.
Adam has been into VW’s for
a long time, his first was a 1982 1200
Mexican import Beetle, which was
followed by a myriad of cars and
bikes including an XR2, an AX GT
(which was faster than the Ford)
and a very nice Caddy van that
had been decked out as a camper.
He enjoys mountain biking and
metal detecting in his spare time,
so a van fits his life very well. Once
he’d decided that the Caddy was
a little on the snug side and that
he’d need a ‘bigger boat’, he started
looking for something suitable and
eventually landed this T4 for him
and his girlfriend Sam. Adam was
trawling Facebook groups whilst
86 VWBUS T4&5+
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Quint-essential graphics
on holiday in Fuerteventura, which
of course is ‘only an island if you
look at it from the water’ and has to
be one of the coolest places to look
for vans from. He spotted this 2003
2.5 TDI SWB former AA panel van
that was located in Bridlington,
the seller was also upsizing to a
larger vehicle. The van had been
subjected to a day van conversion
including a rock and roll bed and a
Adam was trawling Facebook
groups whilst on holiday
in Fuerteventura, which of
course is ‘only an island if you
look at it from the water’
re-spray, from the shade of stand-
out yellow the AA favour with to a
subtler grey from the Alfa Romeo
range. This spawned a creative idea
that involved his favourite film, I
assume you know the one? It had
also been lowered a little and had
the Wolfrace Eurosport Scorpio’s
fitted, they had been treated to a
little blacker powder coating than
Wolfrace had originally intended
 As he was starting with a
grey van he thought it bore a
striking resemblance, even
if only in colour alone, to the
big fish that loves the cello
and look all the better for it. As
all the panels were straight, the
van had a good service history
and the mileage was acceptable, a
little negotiating was done on the
price, it turned out the tide was
with him and the deal was sealed.
Adam, like a lot of people, has
joined a whole host of Facebook
pages, but found that when he
asked a few reasonable questions he
received more grief than he felt he
deserved. So, to solve this problem
for himself and indeed for others, he
felt the best way forward was to start
his own group where new T4 owners
could get the answer to their van
related questions, without the hassle
from his previous experience. The
page is called ‘New To The T4 Scene’
or ‘NT4S’ and will happily tell people
why the centre vents only blow cold
and the wing mirrors are different
shapes as many times as they are
asked. (If you were wondering the
centre vents are for fresh air, they
aren’t connected to the heating
system, while the mirrors are shaped
differently as VW spent millions to
cut down blind spots on the vehicle,
it all makes perfect sense). The
group, which has a membership of
over 3500, is working just as Adam
had hoped and as it has a “no-sales”
policy, the page isn’t overrun with
adverts. It’s just a place where
people can go to ask for and receive
advice on their new hobby in a
respectable and sensible manner.
It was whilst he was looking
through various Facebook pages
that Adam encountered the work of
one Luke Brabants. Luke is a very
well-known and respected graffiti
artist who has painted a host of vans,
some of which have graced these
very pages. He was starting with a
grey van, one that he thought bore
a striking resemblance, even if only
in colour, to the big fish that loves
the cello. So, he contacted Luke and
asked if it might be possible to turn
his shiny grey van into something
that resembled a Lord of the Sea.
The answer of course, was yes.
The van then went on a road trip
down to Luke’s south coast base
VWBUS T4&5+
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Bus feature
for its transformation, it stayed for
a week while the makeover took
place. In addition to the mottled
sharkskin paintjob, Luke added
some very nasty looking teeth
which he appropriately adorned
with blood splatters. You can
find all of Luke’s details and see
pictures of his previous work on
Facebook or on his website. Adam
commissioned South Coast Vinyls
(you can find them on Facebook
too) to produce a couple of graphics
in an original design. These were
inspired by the movie, but aren’t
official merchandise. On the inside
Adam dispensed with the rock and
roll bed as he wasn’t keen on the
layout and felt he could gain more
space by utilising an L-shaped sofa.
This also allows for much needed
18" Wolfrace Eurostar Scorpios
room when the bed is put out. Adam
stands at over six feet tall… The bed Bus details
and furniture installed was supplied What did the van
start as? Panel
by Van Project77. They are based in
Colour? Shark
Luton, but can be found on, you’ve Fin Grey
guessed it, Facebook. A single level LWB/SWB SWB
storage unit was purchased from
BHP? 160
them, this houses his combination
Wheels type and
Smev 9222 double burner and sink size? Wolfrace
combo and has a space for a fridge. Eurostar Scorpio
For that he chose a Dometic Silencio 18”
DS200 which has a 23-litre capacity, Tyres? 245/45/18
but only runs off 240-volt power. Lowered?
The problem of gaining this level of -60mm
voltage in a vehicle was overcome Why is this bus
by the installation of a 650-watt special? It takes
me all over the
inverter that is powered from a 140- country and the
amp hour AGM (Absorbent Glass theme is based
Mat) battery. AGM batteries were on my family’s
favourite film
developed for the military aircraft
where their lightness and reliability
 It seems that rather than
terrifying people as a Great
White would normally do,
this van gets people smiling,
showing their pearly whites
were in great demand, the batteries
are also maintenance free and can,
due to their spill proof design, be
mounted at high inclinations or at
90 degrees without fear of leakage.
They also charge up to five times
faster than regular items and have
a longer lifespan than their lead
based cousins. They should however
not be mounted in the engine bay
of a vehicle, as they do not like
temperatures of over 49 degrees
Centigrade. There’s also a TV
mounted on the wall so that when
you absolutely, positively, have to
see your favourite film again you
can plug in the coffee maker, reach
for your custom-made mug and
kick back against the appropriately
themed soft furnishings.
Other mechanical upgrades
include a full stainless-steel exhaust
from Jason Rix at PP Tuning, a set
of uprated injectors from Project
Power, an Allard EGR valve delete
pipe which helps by getting rid
of any potential problems with a
blocked or leaking Exhaust Gas
Recirculation or EGR valve, these
can suffer with a tar and sediment
build-up. It's all topped off with an
upgrade in brake horsepower to 160,
courtesy of a remap from Martin
Westwell at Pendle Performance,
As he travels around the country
pursuing his hobby of mountain
biking, Adam has noticed his vehicle
getting a lot of attention in traffic,
people have even slowed after
overtaking him just to get a photo as
they pass him again. It seems that Adam
rather than terrifying people as a And I’d like to thank…
Great White would normally do, this Luke Brabants - www.lukebrabants.com
van gets people smiling, showing Van Project77 – Find them on Facebook
their pearly whites as big as the ones PP Tuning – www.pptuning.co.uk
depicted on its flanks. Oh, and the Pendle Performance – www.pendleperformance.com
title? The Latin name for a Great And Sam for her patience and reluctantly coming camping.
White Shark of course!
VWBUS T4&5+
www.vwbusmagazine.com 89
 CLASSIFIEDS

STUNNING TECHNO BLUE CARAVELLE VOLKSWAGEN T4 VR6 61K MILES VW T5 CAMPERVAN 2011 1968CC VW CAMPER

£24,000 72000 2011

£6,995 155000 1999
Bristol 07770752318
E: cableforcejames@btopenworld.com
Very Straight Van Everything Original Inside
Ready for a conversion or not! FSH including
original purchase receipt 2 owners from new
2.5 TDI 102BHP 8 seats Tail Gate Techno
Blue S/S Twin Exhaust MOT’d On 22-11-2017
Major Service on 26-09-2017 Rear Discs
& Pads - Clutch Master Cylinder Replaced
23-03-2016 Cambelt Change 29-11-2016 @
150,472
£4,500 61000 1970
Manchester 07928581616
E: oliverclegg123@icloud.com
D90 wheels/recaro seats. Lined and
carpeted in back. van requires painting to
look mint. I have both sets of keys and it
has done 61000 genuine miles as proved
by mots. Only 4 left in the country and i
believe this is the only low mileage one. I
want £4500 or a swap for a MANUAL R32.
PRIVPlate is not included. Phone Simon for
more info: 07928581616
Stevenage 07967402138
E: mary.sabine71@gmail.com
60 plate T5, professional Danbury
conversion 3 yrs, pop top, diesel, grill and
hob, fridge and sink with running water,
rock and roll bed, freshwater tank, 240v £24,500 46800 2015
hook up, leisure battery and calor gas. LED Dousland 01822853854
interior lights and CD player with radio. E: mjse1@sky.com
MOT May 2018 with FSH. Fixed awning rail Popup roof, Newly fitted Tow-bar, Unused
plus awning available. Double swivel front newly fitted kitchen and table, Waeko
passenger seat. fridge, Rock and Roll Bed, Multi media
system. Sargent EC160 Power supply unit.

VW T2 BAY WINDOW - LUDWIG LOVELY LOLA NEEDS A NEW HOME 1961 SPLIT SCREEN CAMPER T5 HIGHTOP LWB 4 BERTH CAMPER

£18,000 90000 1973

07801208160 Newcastle upon Tyne
E: paul.nixon@henryriley.co.uk
1973 van with pop-up roof and 2 full size
beds - rock and roll bed and also top
bunk. The bodywork on this camper is
exceptional and gets positive comments
from all who see it - floor and undercarriage
is very good, no rust whatsoever, it has
been preserved painted with oil-paint.
Leisure battery, fridge, gas hob and sink.
£16,995 58400 1971
Bury St Edmunds 07946150105
E: Sophialucette@hotmail.co.uk
VW 1971 T2 DORMOBILE CAMPER VAN WITH
MATCHING CARAVAN FULL YEAR MOT AND
RECENT SERVICE. 58,400 miles only Re-
Upholstery in cream vinyl with yellow piping
Built in Bluetooth, DVD Player, intergrated
Sat Nav New Engine When Restored New
Pop Top w fold out Bunk Beds Rock & roller
dbl bed 4 new Pirelli Tyres caravan: kitchen,
sink, 3more beds!
£40,000 8495 1961
Hitchin, Herts 07799445962
E: gazandwend@yahoo.com
1961 US Spec, restored and garaged (last
25 years) LHD split screen van , so many
new parts added, new engine parts,
8,500 miles on Gold engine, Barn door
steering wheel, new brakes, tyres, shocks,
bearings, steering box, reduction gear
bearings, please email for more info and
pictures, MOT until Dec’ 18, seated interior,
gazandwend@yahoo.com
£15,000 96000 2009
Washington 07727210790
E: bunty.hovv@ntlworld.com
T5 t32 lwb 2.5 tdi 130 2009. Time has come
to sell big Blanche. He is an ex wheelchair
nhs van but now has 2 single seats up front
with passenger swivel , 3/4 RnR bed in
rear with matching upholstery. Smev 2 ring
gas hob domestic sink both with glass lid.
Waceo fridge , leisure battery,hookup and
power management system. RCL EW EL AC.

RARE VW T2 CAMPER VW T5 4/5 BERTH JAS CAMPERVAN

£12,995 66000 1979
Theydon Bois 07931 550061
E: dawnsharongreen@hotmail.co.uk
VW Type 2 Camper “tin top” 1979 - rare 14
window This is the very rare “fleet liner”
model of the T2 produced only in Brazil
in the late 70’s. These fleet liners have
bay window but have barn doors and 14
Windows, including curved glass back
quarters which is very rare. MOT May18
Recon engine 2014, new clutch,exhaust,
petrol tank, Good condition
£23,000 88595 2011
Weston super Mare 01934 823033
E: info@jasconversions.co.uk
T5 84ps 2011 Van with New Full JAS
Conversion with Skyline pop top roof &
Rusty Lee M1 in vehicle tested bed. Fully
insulated & carpet lined. 12v & 240v
electrics. L shaped units in hacienda black
with solid wood burgundy trim. Smev
combined hob/sink & Waeco fridge freezer.
Curtains & speaker pod in rear. Double
passenger swivel plate.
Create a classified ad in VW Bus T4&5+,
completely FREE OF CHARGE!
Visit: www.vwbusmagazine.com/for-sale
and follow the instructions, selling your bus has never been so easy!
Or if you’d like a PREMIUM LISTING,
contact Wendy at:
wendy.lennon@jazzpublishing.co.uk.
The information in this section is provided without warranty of any kind. Anyone is allowed to list their vehicles for
sale on this website and no checks have taken place by us, you should always take care when buying a vehicle from
anyone.

92 VWBUS T4&5+
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 AUTOHOLIC’S KITCHEN

Phaeton Prosciutto Rolls

by Steve “autoholic” Edwards

After our doggie treats last month it’s back to human food
and some nice cheesy rolls you can enjoy anywhere

A
fter our little diversion
into canine cuisine
we return to our more
regular fare and some
tasty ham and cheese
roll ups. Ok so we’ve used fancy
prosciutto ham and mozzarella
cheese, but you could switch those
to the more regular varieties if you
prefer. This recipe uses a sun-dried
tomato pesto but if you prefer pine
nuts and the flavour of the classic
green pesto, then it would be an easy
switch. Of course, other dry cured
hams are available and could be
included instead of the prosciutto
that we’ve used here. You can enjoy
them cold, but they are beautiful
when they are fresh from the oven.
To enjoy them hot, when you arrive
at a campsite or a show you could
reheat them in a dry frying pan
or in tinfoil over an open fire!
Method:
Ingredients: 1. Preheat oven to 180 C, 360 F, Gas mark 4.
1 Shortcrust pastry sheet 2. Lay the pastry sheet out, evenly spread the pesto on it and
150g Grated mozzarella cheese place the prosciutto across the sheet.
1 Jar Sun-dried tomato pesto 3. Cover the ham with the mozzarella.
6 Slices prosciutto ham 4. Tightly roll the sheet up taking care not to tear the pastry.
1 Egg, beaten Using a sharp knife cut into pieces about 2 cm thick.
5. Place the cut pieces onto a greaseproof paper lined baking
Alternative ideas: sheet, wash with the beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes.
You could substitute the tomato 6. Remove from the oven and slide, while still on the
pesto for classic green pest and greaseproof paper onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for a
the prosciutto for the more regular few minutes, before removing from the paper with a suitable
sliced variety if you prefer. spatula.
7. Enjoy while still warm or cold.

Top Tips
Try and roll as tightly as possible, but if you
have some spillage don’t panic as the cheese
will bind everything when it melts. And as
always remember to clean as you go, nobody
likes a messy kitchen!

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Please mention VW BUS T4&5+ Magazine when responding to adverts.
 FROM THE BIG BUS
W
hen we went to
view it in Belgium
two and a bit years
ago, like the rest of
us she was seduced
by the luxury. It was a big chunk
of cash and we both agreed that
there would be no immediate and
extensive modification programme
like there had been on our previous
T4 camper. A process which like so
many others continued till the day it
was sold. Two years on and all I’ve
done to the Big Bus in that time is to
add an engine cover, the ‘essential’
Martini style stripes and logo and
some minor electrical additions
inside. The plan was to run it for
a couple of years, then see what
needed modification, after we’d
lived with it for a couple of seasons.
Shockingly, I have to report that
we have no major plans! OK, over
the winter there has been some
maintenance style work going on.
The Omnistore wind-out awning
has been replaced with a Fiamma
one. The Omnistore had stretched
the cables that operate the arms
and with no way of adjusting them
satisfactorily, replacement was the
only option. I’ve also had to replace
every single lock on the habitations
door and lockers. Three of them had
deteriorated and the plastics had
broken. I could have just replaced
those three, but then I would have
ended up with different keys for
different locks and anyway, I
figured if three have broken, the rest
will follow in due course. Next on
96 VWBUS T4&5+
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Winter Work
by Alan Hayward
When the Big Bus was first mooted, my wife, the
sainted Suzanne wasn’t entirely convinced
the list was the little mechanism on
the outside that holds the door open,
again the plastic had deteriorated.
I guess plastic fatigue is something
you have to live with, the bus has
lived outside for all of its ten years
and endured extreme temperatures,
from a frozen Alpine winter to a
hot Mediterranean summer.
Inside the bathroom vent needed
some new mesh and one of the
other roof vents required a new
catch. The other main issue was
the gas supply. The rubber hoses
have a ten-year life so they needed
replacing, plus I wanted to simplify
the delivery system. The existing
one had an automatic switching
system from one bottle to another.
Great in theory, but it can lead
to you running out of gas in both
bottles, as unless you check you are Twitter...
Follow Alan
unaware of the switch. The existing on Twitter
gas connecters were also heated (!) @alanVWbus
so they would keep the gas flowing to get a window
on his world
in extreme temperatures. It turns
out I didn’t need these anyway as I
had switched to a propane gas which
doesn’t freeze until -30c anyway. I
also wanted to get away from the
adaptors that I was using to convert
the system from the European system
to the English one. Why o why have
we got a different system to Europe?
This makes it impossible to change
bottles abroad and is a pointless
complication. With all the gubbins
ripped out and a new simple manual
system installed, I have much more
space in the gas locker and I reckon
I’m running about 10kg lighter too!
Next on the maintenance schedule
is to update the interior electrics
with more sockets and USBs and
I still need to sort out the exterior
skirt panels, I’m thinking wrapping
may be the way ahead there. After
that air-ride and a facelift, (I’m
pretty sure Suzanne never reads
to the end of my column…).
 REAR VIEW

Chasing Away the Winter Blues

Words: David Eccles

With warm surroundings, lots of stuff to buy and do,

and loads of lovely buses to admire, Camper Mart
was the perfect antidote to the winter blues

N
ormally I blat over to
Telford in my Beetle, but
this year I decided to go
in the T5 California. A
good decision! Setting out
at 6.45 am due to the new opening
time of 9am the heated seats came
into their own and I had a warm,
comfy and easy drive over; the high
driving position making motorway
driving so much easier as well.
The first thing to strike me this
year was the huge bus display across
two halls, with over fifty buses on
display to admire and be inspired
by. Whilst T5s predominated (with
stunning paint jobs and interiors),
there were also some gorgeous
early air-cooleds to appeal to
people like me and I spent a long
time wandering around the areas, Alan and David having a cosy chat on stage
renewing friendships and meeting
new people. By 10.30 am the place Upholstery Workshop gave hands way the media portray old buses as
was packed with plenty of buying on demos and lots of advice, Pendle Hippy Buses! (At this point Alan
going on in the busy trade area. Performance took you though the had to apologise to the audience
And as usual there was plenty for mysteries of remapping and tuning, for my Trump style language!)
families to do from Scalextric Racing the bus doctors busily handled As you will also see from
to Build a Robot sessions, as well as all sorts of queries and problems, this month’s mug shot I also
some breathtaking BMX demos. Dubwax showed how to do detailing got a new hat! Thanks to Denis
As well as a different layout and get that concours winning look, from Slambassador for the
with more focus on buses, new this and then there was that “Fireside present – it certainly is keeping
year was a planned series of talks, Chat”, with VWB editor Alan my head of thinning hair warm
workshops and live demonstrations, encouraging yours truly to share especially walking the dog at
held on or adjacent to a stage area experiences of living with a VW 7.30 on these cold mornings!
with seating for the audience. Bus for 40 years! Once I get started All the people I spoke to
Whilst a couple of the sessions it’s hard to shut me up, and I talked enjoyed their day and on a cold
had to be cancelled (as the people about travelling to India in a Split, January day we all enjoyed
booked cancelled last minute, moving from a classic to a modern meeting up, talking buses,
which was very disappointing) bus, my involvement with Camper buying (or blagging) stuff,
the ones that went ahead were and Commercial magazine and lots and relaxing in a warm, well-
much appreciated by people – the more including my pet hate: the appointed and posh venue!

David Eccles is
editor of VW Camper
& Commercial, which
covers the whole
VW bus scene. He
owned the same
1966 Devon camper
for 34 years, before
migrating to a new T5
California. You can
contact David on
editor@volkswagen
camper.co.uk.
Learning how to stitch and
sew with the Upholstery Workshop team

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