Innehållsförteckning för Issue 156 från VWt

IT’S SHOWTIME I am gearing up big time for The VolksWorld Show at Ardingly on 23rd March. It’s going to be brilliant. While it’s traditionally an event for air-cooled VWs, we’ll be putting on a special display of modern water-cooled Transporters in the VWt Paddock on the Summer Lawn this year. And here’s the exciting bit – for 2025 we’re partnering up with the UK’s leading, award-winning van hire, sales and accessory specialist Campervantastic who will be putting on a special display of their own vehicles, including their fully kitted out T6.1 as well as the spanking new Transporter courtesy of SMG (Tonbridge). In other news, we’ve just had it confirmed too that Chris Davidson, the owner of the awesome T6.1 adorning the front cover, will be at the show…

Tidy T4s are painfully thin on the ground these days. So given the one under the spotlight here is the 2.8-litre VR6, not the usual 1.9, 2.4 or 2.5 oil burner, and it’s boasting most of its original metal, owner Gary Porter’s the lucky custodian of quite a rarity. A taxi driver by day from Folkestone, Gary’s been into Volkswagens for years and has owned a bevvy of air-cooled classics, including a ’66 show-winning Cal Look Beetle that was running a 2.0-litre dry sump Porsche 914 engine out back. “My whole family are into the VW scene and have been since the 1980s,” he explains, “we’ve been going to VW shows in the UK and across Europe for decades”. Indeed, it was one such family member that put him on…

I didn’t particularly mind the appearance of the satin silver side steps that were fitted to my van when I got it. However, and this could be an age thing, I found it a little awkward climbing in and out of the cab due to their extra width. Not only that but one was sporting an ugly scuff and – as I only discovered when both were removed – they weren’t even a matching pair. Sidebars are popular because they give the visual effect that a van’s been lowered so it’s a reasonably quick and inexpensive way to make your Transporter look nicer. Eventually, I’d like to give my Caravelle a mild swamper look so having scoured the various online catalogues decided on a set of OEM style round profile…

When you think about the geography of Great Britain and how it relates to the evolution of the music scene, there are a few places that instantly spring to mind. Liverpool, of course, for forever altering the course of rock ‘n’ roll by birthing The Beatles. Manchester, for cresting the baggy wave through the nineties and ultimately thrusting Oasis into posterity. London, for… well, that’s an entire mag feature in itself. But perhaps not many people would put Chesterfield at the top of their list of influential musical towns. It mightn’t even edge into your top hundred. However, this Derbyshire market town has made more of an impact than you might think on modern songsmithery. Aside from the Chesterfield Symphony Orchestra (which has been delighting audiences with its divine strings…

FIAMMA F43VAN Side mounted wind-out awnings are great; they offer essential shade from the hot sun (when it’s out!) and because they wind neatly away when not in use, they take seconds to erect and don’t eat up valuable luggage space inside your van. Fiamma have always been the go-to people when buying and the great news for Transporter owners is that there’s now a winch awning that’s specifically designed for campervans. The F43van features a compact and innovative design that perfectly matches the shape and aesthetics of campers, both with and without pop-tops, and it boasts a raft of clever features. There’s a magnetic catch which is concealed in the cover, its maximum leg height of 220cm ensures easy access when it’s up and there’s even the provision to…

When I first saw the interior of Andy Wilkes’ smart Iridium Grey T6 I would’ve said without hesitation that it had been sent away for a professional build, but I would have been wrong. Well, sort of – you’ll see what I mean later. But the bottom line is that everything inside this van has been built by Andy, with some help and input from his wife, Jodie. And yes, while he’s the first to admit it’s been one hell of a big learning curve, we think you’ll agree the end result looks absolutely stunning. The T6 isn’t Andy’s first VW camper. He bought it to replace his previous T5 which he’d owned for around eight years. That van had a rock ‘n’ roll bed with a traditional side kitchen…

EMMA COLE, 2000 T4 1.9 Hi VWt, I’m Emma, I am 48 years old with pink hair and a striking van you can’t miss. I have owned vans since 2015 and immediately became part of the van scene. I’ve met a whole load of great people over the years – including my current partner who has a T5! We love going to the shows and take both our vans as it’s our main hobby. I bought my T4 in 2019 and it was grey and Swampered when I got it. It was known as the ‘Beast’ as it had a big bull bar, roof rack and spare wheel on the back. However, in 2024 I decided to completely transform it to reflect my personality and make it stand out more…

What’s needed ❱❱ PLASTIC PRY BAR TOOLS ❱❱ SMALL TORX SCREWDRIVERS (T6H AND T8H) ❱❱ SMALL FLATHEAD SCREWDRIVER OR BIT ❱❱ QUARTER INCH TORX DRIVE RATCHET WITH T20 BIT ❱❱ GLASSES WIPES / SPRAY TO CLEAN SCREEN The sixth generation Transporter (2016-2022) all seem to suffer from an annoying issue with their touch-screen multimedia system. It is common for the screen to partially fail with only certain segments of the screen being active. While this might not affect the on/off and volume functions which are, thankfully, on separate rotary knobs, it can prevent you selecting radio stations or being able to change the audio source rendering the multimedia system pretty useless. Some VW dealers are charging a fee of up to £150 to simply diagnose this fault (the screen’s dead,…

MARCH 23rd VOLKSWORLD SHOW South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex Classicsworld.co.uk Get to display your modern Transporter in the exclusive VWt Paddock on the Summer Lawn at Ardingly. Click on the link below and upload your details and some images to apply. Get my van on display – visit: https://www5.shocklogic.com/sl/9119248 APRIL 5th – 6th DUBSHED Eikon Centre, Lisburn, Northern Ireland Gtini.com 17th – 21 CAMPERFEST Roodee Racecourse, Chester Camperfest.co.uk 18th – 20th CARRY ON CAMPOUT South of England Showground, RH17 6TH Carryoncampout.co.uk 25th – 27th ALIVE & KICKIN Haughley Park, Suffolk Aliveandvdubbing.co.uk 25th – 27th DUBBED OUT SPRING CAMPOUT Hooton Lodge Farm, Rotherham Dubbedoutfestival.co.uk MAY 4th STANFORD HALL Lutterworth, Leics Stanfordhallvw.com 9th – 11th VANWEST Taunton Racecourse Vanwest.co.uk 16th – 18th 75 JAHRE BULLI TREFFEN Salzburgring, Austria Vw-nutzfahzeuge.at 22nd…