Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i VWT Lifestyle

We fell in love with the retro look of the Onja from Swedish brand Primus when we included it in our August 2020 issue stove review. That’s why we awarded it a golden gong for being the ‘Most Stylish’ of the products we looked at. The thing is, it’s all very well being impressed by a nice press photo and a lot of guff about how good it is but we’re a cynical lot at C&B and wanted to try it in a real world situation with a starving family eager to be fed. That’s why I got on the blower to ask if we could put it to the test and see if it performed as well as it looked. And obligingly, Primus sent one out – just in…

I’m Shaun and in May 2020 during the initial pandemic lockdown I decided to take a year out and travel. Four months later, I bought a left-hand drive VW T4, converted it into a basic camper van and devised a plan that by July 30, I would have the van ready, with all my worldly possessions packed up, and a ferry booked. My journey would take me to France, then Italy, down to Malta, then back to the Alps to spend winter in a Ski resort, then the rest of Europe would follow in 2021, easy peasy. Or so I thought! My van and I had many challenges including breakdowns at the port and on a toll road, camping in a traveller site by mistake, and even people attempting to…

Owner info Name: Ian Cushway Job: Editor Car: 2006 T5 Multivan, Polo, Passat Work this month: Rescuing a T25 What have I done? That’s what I asked myself as I helped negotiate what’s surely got to be the most dilapidated looking T25 ever onto the back of a trailer. I’ve only myself to blame, though, and finally rescuing this Escorial green 1.6D Club Joker marks the end of a year-long quest – a journey that’s involved numerous unanswered messages, encounters with rude French vendors and probably what most people would called an ‘obsession’ to make it mine. On the hunt Let me provide a quick roadmap of how I got into this situation. Since selling my T25 California in 2007 to help fund a move to Brittany (it paid the…

Alan Fisher worked in print. When he lost his job in Surrey, he used the redundancy money to buy a nearly new ’71 Dormobile to get to his new role on a London newspaper. He used this Crossover Bay as his daily driver for the rest of his life, even through the Great Storm of 1987. His son Steve, who now owns it says: “He drove back through the hurricane and couldn’t believe the devastation he’d seen, but the Bus had the ground clearance to get him safely home. I went with him when I was eight years old to pick it up when he bought it, we enjoyed many family holidays in it and he even drove it on the day that he passed away, aged 83.” With the…

It’s funny how easy it is to go from liking and admiring someone, to actively avoiding. Too much of anything can be a bad thing, not that some people seem to realise this. Take, for argument’s sake, Jamie Oliver and you might see what I mean. What started as a fun and fresh cookery series almost threatened to dominate our TV screens, high streets and bookshop shelves at one point and, when it began to get a bit boorish and preachy, we suspect lots of people switched off. If you’re in the VW scene and noted his ‘struggles’ with the purple 23-Window Bus on his series exploring Italy, then you probably switched off at that point, too. The bottom line is, when you ask too much of what amounts to…

What’s the best VW Camper? That’s a question that gets asked a lot in these parts. And surprise, surprise – despite all our time spent in the field, literally, there’s no definitive answer. What’s right for one person is totally wrong for another – and even if you think you know what you want, chances are you’ll change your mind when you start looking. Indeed, we often hear stories of people promising themselves to go modern with their next Camper, only to buy a lovely Split Screen Bus instead. Likewise, others set out to buy the quintessential bright orange Bay with flowery curtains and end up with a gun metal metallic Crafter. Like it or not, being an emotional purchase logic rarely has anything to do with our Camper buying…

Part of the joy of air-cooled Volkswagen ownership is that it’s so easy, indeed even de rigeuer, to customise them – whether you’re just individualising something with period and aftermarket add-ons, or radically modifying a machine with a completely different body. However, it’s usually Beetles that come in for the most extreme revamps; while many have worked their magic on Transporters, they generally get to keep their original bodies at least. The larger canvas of the Type 2, by contrast to the more compact, lighter Type 1, has meant that Bus and Camper chassis with different bodies are fewer and farther between. Even the infamous Brubaker Box, the compact and distinctive-looking Minivan of the 1970s dreamt up by Curtis Brubaker, used a Beetle as a basis for its rather eccentric…

Where from: www.retronicsonline.com How much: £12.99 We love gadgets but sometimes things get so sophisticated they become more of a pain than a panacea. That’s why we fell in love with this simple voltage tester from Retronics because there’s no awkward switches, dials or poor quality probes. In fact, it’s a deliberately simple piece of kit that’s hand made from quality components, easy to hold and features an insulated brass probe. The RVT is built to last and works on 6v, 12v and 24v vehicles and the strong integral clip means one hand is free – so there’s no more trying to hold two probes as well the wire / item you are testing. Oh, and there’s no skimping on the length of wire; it’s one metre of strong silicon-covered…

JUNE Simply VW Date: 19 June 2021 Location: Beaulieu, New Forest, Hants SO42 7ZN Contact: www.beaulieu.co.uk Players Classic Date: 19-20 June 2021 Location: Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester P018 OPX Contact: www.players-show.com JULY Camper Jam 21 Date: 02-04 July 2021 Location: Weston Park, Shropshire TF11 8LE Contact: www.camperjam.com Goodwood Festival of Speed Date: 8-11 July 2021 Location: Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester PO18 OPX Contact: www.goodwood.com Cumbria VAG Date: 10-11 July 2021 Location: Westmorland County Showground, Cumbria LA7 7NH Contact: www.cumbriavag.co.uk T3 Bus Meet Date: 16-18 July 2021 Location: Hill Arm Marina, Stratford Rd, Wootton Wawen, Henley-in-Arden, West Mids B95 6DE Contact: t3busmeet.com Bug Jam 34 Date: 23-25 July 2021 Location: Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough NN29 7XA Contact: www.bugjam.co.uk AUGUST Tatton Park VW Show Date: 1 Aug 2021 Location: Tatton Park, Knutsford,…

“Deep down, everyone wants a Camper,” exclaims Kenny Green. It’s a bold statement, but he’s right. After all, who doesn’t secretly or otherwise covet the idea of hitting the road on a Bus adventure? And Covid-19 has fuelled that desire. Kenny is the boss at Ecowagon and he and his team of eight are flat out right now carrying out campervan conversions from his state-of-the-art Redruth workshop, so he should know. “They’re practical things, the perfect tool,” says Kenny. “And they’re so versatile, you can do just about anything in them. And not just for camping; lots of our customers use them as day vans – they are the ideal lifestyle vehicle. You can pitch up anywhere in one, even on a driveway if you want to stay overnight at…

The Kemperink business can be traced back as far as 1890 and began trading in the town of Harbrinkoek (near Almelo), Holland. Interestingly, Kemperink was not always a coachbuilders (Karrosserie), and was actually involved in various businesses, including interior trimming. But, circa 1931, the business began to specialise in HGV conversions and coachbuilt bodies for various vehicles. Fast-forward to the 1960s and the business released the Kemperink VW conversion, which was based on a stock single-cab truck, albeit with an extra 900mm added to the chassis. The wiring loom was extended, then a custom, lightweight alloy body with a glass fibre roof cap was fitted. There were some variations, and special order bodies were placed by some businesses, but in general, they look pretty much along the lines of the…

OCTO stands for Orange County Transporter Organization and, in late January 2021, its annual winter meet was given the green light to take place in early February. Welcome news, but it gave the club precious little time to promote and advertise the gathering, hence numbers were down on the 342 Splits that registered for the October 2020 meet. Still, 234 pre-’68 Buses is one place is still an impressive achievement, especially as the quality of vehicles in attendance was so high. Perhaps more importantly, though, the social aspect was something to cherish and enjoy after such a long and painful break. This one-day event is unlike the typical UK or European meet as there is no camping and, consequently, people start queuing at the gates to the Long Beach Veteran’s…