Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 74 i VWt

I.D. Buzz Cargo concept VOLKSWAGEN RECENTLY announced development plans for the I.D. Buzz Cargo, an all-electric, Panel Van version of the I.D. Buzz Microbus concept. Don’t get too excited yet, the I.D. Buzz Cargo is still a way off (the current expected launch date is 2021/’22), but rumours are this may appear for sale before the Microbus version. Besides, it gives you some time to start saving your hard-earned cash in the meantime! According to Volkswagen, the I.D. Buzz Cargo will have a range of up to 340 miles per charge, with a large solar roof panel that can extend the daily range by an additional nine miles. More importantly, recharge time (to around 80 per cent capacity) is said to be just 15 minutes. The Van will be fully…

I bought this plain, Northern Ireland-registered Van nearly three years ago now, with the intention of using it to transport my mountain bikes around, and possibly undertaking a couple of cheeky mods. Over that time I decided I wasn’t happy with the Sportline 18s it already had on it so went down the usual Range Rover wheels route and wound the V-Maxx coilovers down a bit more. However, I soon got very bored, so facelifted the Van after sourcing genuine VW parts. I then decided I still wasn’t happy with the ride height, so looked at what options were out there on a sensible budget. After buying a HP Drivetech set up from fellow Lowdown Transporter member, Dan Hoy, we set about fitting those, with the help of a couple…

“it surely is a pretty insane driving package” There’s something about a Van like this that sets your spine tingling. That’s not taking anything away from stock demo vehicles, or Vans that are built on a tighter budget, it’s just there’s so much going on with Lee Prior’s ’04 T5 that it’s hard not to be blown away by it. And it’s not just the visual modifications you can see either, the engine mods on Lee’s Van are truly out of the ordinary, too. Even more impressive then when you hear Lee built the Van himself, outside in all weathers on his driveway, over an 18-month period. Starting in 2015, Lee purchased a stock 2004 T28 T5, with absolutely no intention of keeping it that way. With a background in…

NOVEMBER 4 Slough Swapmeet *New venue* Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot Rd, Bracknell RG12 9SE www.sloughswapmeet.co.uk 4 Ultimate Stance The Telford International Centre, Telford, TF3 4JH www.ultimate-stance.co.uk 25 Flat Four Hangout Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 5QS www.facebook.com/events/249989609049128/ DECEMBER 2 Heritage Santa Cruise – Christmas Charity Convoy Leaving VW Heritage HQ at 1pm sharp, arriving at Tadworth shortly after 2pm Tadworth Court, Tadworth KT20 5RU www.facebook.com/events/272591206888819 2019 JANUARY 27 VolksWorld Spares Day South of England Event Centre, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TH www.volksworldshows.com MARCH 23-24 VolksWorld Show 2019 Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ www.volksworldshows.com RUN A SHOW? Why not tell us about it? EMAIL: paul.knight@kelseymedia.co.uk…

Edition 38 is considered one of the coolest VW shows on the calendar, with high quality vehicles attending from all over the UK, as well as Europe, and some pretty serious builds show up. I rocked up late on Friday and was greeted by Mick Bell and the team and one hell of an atmosphere. The average age at this show is a lot younger than most of the other VW events I attend, and the party was certainly in full swing. So, as the saying goes, ‘when in Rome…’ With that, I cracked open a beer and waved goodbye to the previous working week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all crazy, there is general camping and a quiet camping area for those that bring little ones, or just…

Skippy’s white, 2006 Crafter might appear to be just an ultra-clean Van on 9in banded steels and all terrain tyres, but it’s concealing something a bit special on the inside. “We thought we’d push the boundaries when it came to the interior,” explains Skippy. “A lot of Crafters have a modern caravan-orientated layout inside, with up-to-date fixtures and fittings, hot and cold running water and showers etc. But we wanted something a little different. “I suppose you could describe the interior of the Crafter as a bit steam punk, a bit old school, though some people have likened it to a pub, or a gentlemen’s club.” And we can see why. Distressed diamond stitch oxblood seats (which convert to a full-size bed), Karndean wood-effect laminate floor, rust effect paint, plenty…

When it comes to building a T5 project, it’s fair to say there’s more than one way to skin a cat when deciding which direction to take when faced with a stock Van, or ‘blank canvas’ if you prefer. We love the fact the Transporter scene has so many facets and styles, ranging from mild to pretty damn wild. Some people are into tuning, others air ride and slamming and then there are the guys with custom paint and accessories. However, Tom Crocombe’s taste is very much on the subtle end of the scale. Tom prefers neat touches that you might miss at first over blindingly obvious mods such as huge alloy wheels or bright paint. Walking around Busfest last month, we joked it would be possible to go way…

We all know the importance of carrying out a proper examination of a vehicle before buying it, but how many of us actually do it? The thrill of finding that vehicle you’ve been looking for, a quick test drive and, more often than not, you hand over the cash. Which is why I am still furious at myself for recently spending big money on my low mileage 2006 T5, only to discover soon after that the flaming air conditioning doesn’t work.Yes, that’s right – that sophisticated, dual-zone Climatronic is blowing warm air, not cold. “diagnosing [A/C] faults can end up being an expensive and time-consuming affair” I’d been clinging to the vague hope that it was simply a case of low refrigerant but alas, despite the system being almost empty,…

A banker and an occupational therapist walk into an oak-framed Dutch barn. No, it’s not the start of a terrible joke – I mean, I assume it would be terrible, but at the time of writing there’s still no punch line. This is in fact the beginning of a day in the life of DubMotion Campers. Although to be accurate you’d need to throw an ex- in front of each of those occupations, so really the joke’s on those of us who remain embroiled in the rat race of life. Meanwhile, Steve and Chloe Bailiss have moved ever further from anything to do with rats or races with each Camper conversion they build from their family home in beautiful north Norfolk. As parents to Halle, now nine years old, and…

Being the social media surfer I am, I notice a lot of trends, a lot of fads, and a lot of one-minute wonders. You know, those pictures of cars that supposedly ‘break the internet, or are heralded ‘game changers’ by a group of people who spend a nanosecond looking at them, hit the like button and then move on to the next latest rage. But every now and then I come across something that really catches my eye. Something that makes my finger hover, rather than swipe, and something I need to know more about. It can be a little bit of creativity, a touch of ingenuity or something so simple it’s pure genius. Whatever it is, it’s worth a second look. However, is it cool to then go ahead…

“a rolling ’shell destined for the scrapyard” If I tell you that you’ve probably never read a story like this in VWt before then two things are for sure: one, your expectations will soar. Two, I’ll get dead nervous and fluff my lines. So instead, let’s just say that what you’re about to learn is nothing short of a motoring miracle in today’s day and age. Spoiler alert: I’m going to tell you in one short sentence exactly what you’re looking at, and then we’ll spend the next couple of pages together figuring out just how on earth it was achieved. Nine months ago, this T4 was a rolling ’shell destined for the scrapyard, but countless man hours and just £2,500 later (including purchase price) here it is: a VWt…

We bought this Van in June of 2017 as a standard, knocked about 2.5TDi ex-AA Van, still with beacons and all the AA wiring. The appeal was the five-cylinder engine, the lack of rust and a reasonably low mileage (116k). The first job was a full service, including new cam belt and pump belt, plus a freshen up of the braking system. “we didn’t want the harsh ride associated with very low profile tyres on larger diameter rims” As a car body repairer, the plan was always to give it a makeover and, after weeks of looking at various colours, we chose VW Teal Blue, as used on the 2016 VW Up! I took a week off work to sort out the various dents, weld up the holes that had…

“the canoe… holds an impressive influence on the direction our Van travels” Steering wheel, pedals and gear lever. Each, of course, the exclusive responsibility of the driver. Such restricted territorial rights do not, alas, extend to the onboard tape player. And so, with ABBA’s Dancing Queen blasting from the slightly tinny factory speakers, we swoop across the stunning Örebro bridge, the Baltic Sea stretched out to either side, silver and sparkling under the almost perpetual summer sun. We have arrived at last in Sweden, a country we try to visit at least once a year, every year. Setting out from our home in northern Devon, just about every journey we undertake in the Van will be fixed on a particular river, lake or stretch of sheltered coastline, the eventual destination…

If you’ve yet to attend the mighty Busfest, it’s difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of this gathering. The event regularly attracts in excess of 25,000 visitors, and as many as 8,000 vehicles, together with around 300 traders peddling their wares on the huge Three Counties Showground site. With trade stalls sprawling as far as the eye can see, plus many more located inside the large show halls, this is the place to pick up a deal, or to compare and contrast parts and goodies for your Van project. “There really is something for everyone – Splits to T6s, slammers to Swampers, show cars to rat rides” We chatted with a whole host of Van fans, and the majority were looking at interior conversions and components to gather ideas and…

“a refreshing change from the typical open field gatherings” Grill-n-Chill started as a pretty basic VW weekender held in a farmer’s field in Kent some seven years ago. I’m sure the guys behind it won’t mind me saying it was a humble start, with little in the way of creature comforts. However, it was immediately obvious the team behind the meet were dedicated, friendly and keen to make it work. As a result, the event went from strength to strength, soon becoming a full-blown, family-friendly weekender, which attracts visitors from across the UK. So, when it was announced that the 2018 meet would be a single-day affair, we weren’t the only ones to wonder how things were going to pan out, or how we’d cope without one of our favourite…