Air Monkeys Magazine Issue 10

Powderpuff Racing Volksblast Kamei Golf Autobahn Show 1966 Beetle 1967 Squareback Bulli Brigade Homer Resurrection

SEE YOU THERE

M a ga zi n e The Air Monkeys Crew: Joe Eynon • Editor • Feature Writer • Photographer Samantha Eynon • Deputy Editor • Feature Writer • Photographer/ Illustrator Edd Thorpe • Techincal Focus Editor • Feature Writer Scott Savage • Photographer John Hilton • Layouts Richard Thorpe • Proof Reader • Feature Writer Ed Kellas • Feature Writer Nikola Woodhall • Photographer Danny Bullock (Bullymeister) • Photographer Martin Cox • Photographer Scott Mitchell all work subject to copyright laws

Winter is always such a difficult time to publish a car magazine. Most peoples rides are tucked away in storage for the entire period that we are trying to write about them. There are hardly any car shows or club meets plus when you do plan a photo-shoot, like we did, the shoot location floods and becomes unusable!

Chip up, stiff upper lip and all that! We soldier through and by the time this magazine reaches your screens we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Dubfreeze this year had a bumper turnout. We reckon this is because you had spent one to many weekends locked in your garages and just needed to escape.

Dubfreeze was there for you, and there in style! Read all about that in a future issue.

By Air Monkeys standards we’ve had a crazy winter.

We have become a real business. Air Monkeys Ltd was founded in late 2012 and we now have shareholders.

We have some great supporters already that help fund the magazine but if you would like to help then get in touch. There are loads of ways you can do this.

Our website also went live just before Christmas and has been very popular. We can now do more than ever under the Air Monkeys brand. With a webshop, blog, show previews and music streaming from our Earworm page we can now give our readers so much more.

2014 is going to massive for Air Monkeys and we want you to be involved. We are sponsoring Fueled Socitey and are involved in promoting Apex Festival. We even have a big spring competition that you can enter to win tickets to Apex plus a photo shoot, a lap in a race car and much more.

Head to www.airmonkeys.co.uk for all the details.

Thank you for all your support.

Joe Eynon Editor

Contributors: Joss Ashley, Danny Booth, Ness Burrows, Raf Carerra, Jason Cooper, Jessica Edwards, Dan Emery, Ewan Evans, Michael Flynn,Neil Forster, Susy Gilford-Herbert, Kat Hawke, Darren Herring, Michael Leeche, Alex Mills, Daniel Porter, Steve Prior, Rothfink, Pete Salter, Dan Smith, Teerayoot Thaingern, Geof K Wilson,

What’s inside?

1962 Beetle

Regular Features Feature Vehicles Spanked!

Cool Sh*t Tasty Tees Technical Focus Earworm Show Reports

Squareback in OZ

Kamei Golf

DTA BBQ

Powderpuff Racing

words by Joe Eynon pictures by Joss Ashley and Samantha Eynon

Show Report | DTA BBQ

W

e have covered the DTA BBQ a few times now in the magazine so I will keep it brief.

The people behind the show invite anyone who owns an air-cooled VW to come along a enjoy some fine grub and have a chin wag with one and all.

Even though the DTA crew all own superslammed VW’s, if you own an air-cooled ride then

you’re welcome to attend.

The day flies by as everyone is having a great time. It sits neatly at the end of the show season in the UK so people use it as an excuse to come and say farewell to friends old and new until the season opens its gates again, normally in March for the Volksworld Show. The whole day is about seeing some amazing cars and meeting up with

Show Report | DTA BBQ your friends.

The standard of cars at this years meet was unbelievable. There was so many cars that I wanted to take home.

Thanks to the DTA boys and girls for putting on such a great event.

Show Report | DTA BBQ

Show Report | DTA BBQ

/aircooledeventslimited aircooledevents.com

Photos ©Bullymeister

Air cooled only camping | Air cooled traders | Club displays Round 1 of ‘Battle of the Bays’ | Vintage bike racing | Live DJs | Catering and much more!

For tickets and further information,

visit www.aircooledevents.com

facebook/aircooledeventslimited

Feature|Kamei Golf

Words: Joe Eynon and Michael Flynn Pictures: Ewan Evans. (Hillclimb photos by Steve Prior)

Feature|Kamei Golf

Feature|Kamei Golf

Feature|Kamei Golf

Feature|Kamei Golf

Batman Shelving Unit Check out this awesome Batman Shelving unit, ready to adorn your man cave! It may not be the most practicle shape, but just look at it!

Made by Fahmi Sani, who lives in Malaysia, and sold through his Etsy shop. They are handmade, and made to order, from MDF and aluminium sheeting. Prices start from ÂŁ150 plus p&p Search FictionFurniture on www. etsy.com

Mason Shaker We love, love, love this cocktail shaker! Created by W&P Design, a design and manufacturing firm founded by two best friends, Josh and Eric.

Based in Brooklyn NY, the shaker combines their passions for vintage Americana, southern sensibility, and New York industrialism, and pays tribute to both bygone American eras and modern usability, while staying true to their Southern roots.

We can confirm that, as well as looking awesome, it makes a mean cocktail! www.masonshaker.com

Regular | Cool Sh*t

Logmaker A great little gadget, that helps you make fire, and we like fire!

The Logmaker enables you to recycle up to 30% of your burnable household waste.

You can use paper, cardboard, sawdust, twigs, tea bags basically anything that will burn!

It’s small, lightweight and easy to use, making it easy to store or take away with you. Maybe one for those long camping trips. www.logmaker.org.uk

Natural Log Skateboards Natural Log Skateboards began as a hobby, but quickly grew into something else. The boards are individually handcrafted in San Diego, California, by craftsmen who are passionate about skateboarding.

They wanted a sustainable skateboard that was high performance, hand crafted locally in California, and classically designed after the vintage skateboards of the 1970’s. They couldn’t find any boards that met these standards, so they made their own, and we’re glad they did! www.naturallogskate.com

Air Monkeys Snap back Shameless self-promotion alert!

We got some embroidered snap back caps made by the brilliant company Awesome Merch.

If you’re a snap back collector and an Air Monkeys fan, then why not add this one to your collection!

Available through our website, www.airmonkeys.co.uk

Camper vans, ex-pats & Spanish hounds A book about road trips, campervans and stray dogs.

It tells the story of Tania, Sam and their rescue dog, Lyela, as they journey in their VW camper through Spain. On the way they rescue Pedro, a dog they come across at the side of the road, who is in a poor state of health.

The book is definitely one for dog lovers, as Tania sheds light on the welfare of dogs in Spain.

There are a number of case studies and photos of all aspects of the rescue world, showing just how much can be done with the will and motivation.

Available through Amazon.

Regular | Cool Sh*t

Hövding Bicycle Helmets Yup, what you can see in the pictures below are bicycle helmets, no seriously, they are helmets.

Hövding began in Sweden in 2005, when the two founders, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, were studying Industrial Design at the University of Lund. The project was initally a master’s thesis, which was to see if it would be possible to create a bicycle helmet that people would want to wear, without being forced to.

The result of their thesis was the concept of an airbag helmet. They got attention straight away, being awarded the Innovationsbron’s Ideas Grant. This enabled the pair to make the concept a reality. Then in 2006 Hövding won it’s second investment, when they won the Venture Cup, which is a competition for business plans. With this cash injection Hövding Sweden AB was founded.

Basically the helmet is an airbag. When involved in an accident the helmet inflates from the collar.

If you are dubious head to the website for more information on this innovative product, including videos of the product in action. They really are very impressive! www.hovding.com

If you want your product to be featured contact: samantha.eynon@airmonkeys.co.uk

A round up of the best products for your VW Titan T1 1952-1965 4" Narrowed King & Link Pin Beam Selling like hot cakes through Limebug, these Titan Engineering Type 1 king and link pin beams are 4" narrower than stock and can be fitted with no body modification required. Testament to this is fitment can be found on John Massey’s ’54 Oval, which now runs this setup along with an Empi dropped spindle and disc brake kit, in order to create a subtle yet purposeful ‘tuck’.

These beams are hand made in the UK, and are built to a fantastic quality with some serious weld porn on the Cold Drawn Steel tubing to 10mm laser cut end-plates. The CNC-cut body and shock mounts ensure an accurate fit every time and are a further ode to the quality of these beams.

The Dog Leg shock tower support helps the shock absorber angle to be maintained, even under a hard slam, to ensure they work at their optimum. These beams feature a unique grease cavity system, keeping those leaves turning freely under shock-loading, accompanied with high quality derlin bushes. These beams should offer a decent ride quality at all ride heights as they allow the leaves to rotate freely, without getting snagged, which can be a problem on cheaper, nylon bushes.

Optional to the setup is a unique, narrowed steering stop, this can be particularly useful (if not lifesaving) as this should stop the wheel and tyre coming into contact with the inner arches, something I’m convinced would flip a car over at higher motorway speeds should the worst happen and you get a blow-out…

An all-round great option if you’re looking to keep your original beam safe, and fit a narrowed, adjustable replacement, or even to take things one step further, these are available without adjusters in order to take air ride setups (also available through Limebug!) There are a range of options available, including a Ball-Joint style beam for later model cars, and even catering for the Type 2 crowd. These are available in either Left or Right hand drive, in a range of widths, from Stock, 2” narrowed and 4”narrowed, as seen on John’s Oval.

Limebug also supply track rods for your required set up at an extra cost of £105 for either M12 or M14 fittings (early or late tie rods – pre and post 67 Beetle) The steering stop is available at an extra of £18.50, and can all be finished up in a choice of powder coatings such as gloss or satin black at £45 extra, or a chrome effect powder coat with additional clear coat lacquer at a cost of £90. You can of course have yours supplied in ‘raw’ finish, in as-welded condition for no extra cost; to paint in your own finish as John did, painting his grey.

Regular | Tech Focus Fitting a beam can be a very involved process, and is vital that it is done correctly or serious danger to yourselves and other road users is a very real risk. Unless you are completely competent at performing this task I would getting your local air-cooled specialist to carry out the swap. This can be done with the body on, and involves removing the wheels, trailing arms and beginning to remove the 4 main bolts which hold it to the frame head. These could well be very rusty and difficult to remove – be sure not to shear these off by using plenty of penetrating fluid such as WD40 and allowing it to soak for a period of time. It might be beneficial to actually begin removal be turning the bolts and eighth turn CLOCKWISE (tightening) to overcome the additional friction caused by corrosion. Don’t forgot those camber shims between the bottom beam rails and frame head for re-fitting!

Limebug are proud to offer any setup or finish, ideal for your needs, and can be contacted with any queries through their website Limebug.net. Due to their unique nature, there can be up to a 3 week lead time on production.

CSP Offset Sump Plate Bundle from Machine7.

After the off-season slumber, it may be a good time to treat your air-cooled engine in your bug or bus to this great bundle from Machine7.

The kit contains everything you are likely to need for your oil change, bar the oil itself, including Strainer, Gaskets, replacement Studs and Nuts, plus a CSP offset sump plate, and VDO sump plug oil temperature sender. This is an ideal time to upgrade your cockpit to feature all important oil information, or simply tidy up your current setup.

Manufactured from aluminium, these low-pressure cast sump plates offer a number of improvements over the stock items.

The heavy duty construction will help avoid warping and oil leaks, with the rear face featuring a raised lip as found on the O.E plates to create a good seal, additional oil cooling fins align with your engine case fins, offering additional heat sink properties. Unlike the original sump plates, the sump plug hole is offset, angled and inset, perfect for use with a VDO sump sender. The sender sits clear of the oil strainer, and also tucks up nicely in the sump plate. Those of you with lowered vehicle will know that the VDO sender can be a little vulnerable, problem solved.

Suitable for all 1200-1600cc T1 engines from 1970 onwards. Available online at Machine7.com for a special price of £61.10 instead of a total of £73.55 normal price – saving you £12.45.

Regular | Tech Focus Hazet Tool Box As well as perusing the latest and greatest in the world of new products, it’s often overlooked how fantastic genuine original products can really be.

So here we bring you the much coveted Hazet spare wheel tool box. Designed to fit within the centre of the original steel wheel under the bonnet of your 57-62 Beetle; this fantastic example, owned by Steve Parsons, is complete and immaculate – a very rare find indeed!

The ingenuity that goes into these kits is fascinating, for example the wheel brace is semi telescopic, in that the socket head is designed to slide part way up the shaft to fit within the circular box, yet upon use can be extended, and rotated to lock into position 90 degrees to the shaft to create a good deal of leverage for removing wheel nuts. A common item that goes missing is the original screwdriver – so look out for these if you’re looking to complete your collection. This fantastic example is actually up for sale by Steve Parsons of the RSVP club, for £850. I challenge you to find a better example for that money!

Feature|1966 Beetle

Words: Joe Eynon Pictures: Scott Savage

Feature|1966 Beetle

W

hen searching for future feature cars for Air Monkeys Magazine we can do various things. We mostly search the internet or the show fields at car shows.

People love showing their car off and getting compliments from fellow car nuts. We were at a show recently and I was having a quick walk around the main hall. I wasn’t looking for a feature car but I walked around the corners and I found this beetle. It just oozes cool! The car was just sitting at the end of a row of watercooled

VW’s and just screamed awesomeness at you. Was it the sharp contrast between the clean lines of the Golf’s, Polo’s and Lupo’s? I’m not sure. I left a little note on his windscreen and hoped the owner would get back to us.

A few hours later we were on our stand at the show and a group of quiet lads approached us. Unsure if they had come to the right stand they asked if we had left a message on the

windscreen of a red Beetle.

When we had introduced ourselves and met the owner of the slammed bug, Dan Emery, he couldn’t believe it. He just asked, “Why?”.

Our answer was simple. “We think it’s awesome!”, I replied.

“We’d would love it to grace our pages”. We exchanged contacts and to cut a long story short, you now have a feature to enjoy on a slammed 60’s Beetle which has more personal touches than most others out there.

As we mentioned, the car belongs to Dan Emery. Dan is from Stoke-on-Trent where he works as a Valeter. I hope his customers do not see this car though as I imagine most of them would not understand.

It’s a good job we do then!

Dan is a serial Volkswagen addict with a long and extensive car history to be proud of, although this is his first air-cooled vehicle. In the past Dan has owned 5 Mk1 Golf’s, a Mk1 Caddy, 2 Mk2 Golf’s, 2 Corrado’s, 5 Mk3 Golfs, 4 6n Polo’s, 3 Mk4 Golfs, 1

<Our answer was simple. “We think it’s awesome!”>

Bora, 1 Passat, 1 Seat Ibiza and 1 Seat Leon.

Plus he might have forgotten some at that.

He got his hands on his first air-cooled VW from a guy in Skegness and has done all the work on the car himself.

With plenty of experience in modifying cars, he set to work slamming the Bug with a narrowed and adjustable front beam and rear adjustable swing plates. The banded rear wheels given the car a more demanding stance when on the floor.

The car started its life in 1966 when it was in Belgium as a LHD car. Somewhere in its life it was brought into the UK and converted to RHD. Some rust repairs have been made around the windows and the paint has been lacquered to protect the patina that is covering the car.

Powered by a 1200 lump in the back this car is all about slow cruises and who can argue with that!

The best thing about this car though is the accessories. The car is covered in stickers and trinkets including a rubber duck!

After years of swapping and changing his water-cooled cars fairly often, he finally thinks he has found a keeper. With plenty of plans being made for the Beetle this car will keep him out of mischief for a while!

Feature|1966 Beetle

Feature|1966 Beetle

Feature| 15 window Split

words: Edd Thorpe pictures: Scott “Donnyburger” Mitchell

Feature| 15 window Split

Feature| 15 window Split

Feature| 15 window Split

words: Edd Thorpe pictures: Nikola Woodhall

Show Report| Autobahn show

I

t’s always a brave move to put on a new show. In my time at Air Monkeys so far I have only ever seen one completely new show hit the calendar, and it has gone on to become a firm fixture in the diaries of show goers. However to change round a show, rebrand it and change its purpose is a whole other subject!

<every show has got to have its beginnings> As a rule people don’t like change. It brings out the sweatiness in the palms, the shortness of breath and twitchiness akin only to a disturbance in the force.

So, it was when news of the heralded Dubfreeze 2 changing it’s stripes into a new all-German automotive extravaganza to be rebranded as The Autobahn Show we sat up and took notice. Hard.

We were very, very lucky in scoring a stand, the first proper indoor stand we’ve had to date and put a lot of effort into making a good quality display to really put across the Air Monkeys mantra.

Hopefully we saw one or two of you lovely people reading this now, we personally found it great to put some names to faces of people in touch with us right from the start, as well as talking to faces new, potentially lining up some fantastic future features, too! In fact Dan Emery’s Beetle was at this very show, and can be seen within this issue!

Different to any other show based at the Staffordshire Agricultural Showground, the cars really were the stars, with exhibitions within the main hall itself too besides a dedicated show and shine hall in its usual spot. The hope was very much to attract the gems of the German motor car industry, with classic Mercedes, BMWs and even Porsches out in full force among the air and water-cooled dubs. Hmmm. The BMW 2002 that was there was lovely. Yep, one. That was a real shame really not to see more of the cars we had hoped to see, but every show has got to have its beginnings, so hopefully based on the strength of this inaugural show, next years (if it goes ahead – more on that later) should be even bigger and better.

It’s always a tough call putting a show on so late in the season, and the closing shows traditionally draw the least footfall, as people have tucked their cars up for the winter and just aren’t buying the parts at this time of year what with St Nicholas’ visit due within the next pay cheque..!

We, however, were non-stop at the show, with a range of merch such as our T-Shirts and sweaters (available at www. airmonkeys.co.uk by the way) as well as taking donations for stickers and handing out flyers. Trinkets aplenty adorned our massive stand, with cool boxes, vintage rugs, floor lamps and deck chairs providing stark contrast to the iMac and flat screen T.V, which ran slide shows and magazine demos throughout the day.

We managed to squeeze Joe

and Sam’s Bay, Martin’s ’66 and my ’67 Beetle into our stand area which made a really nice layout, as well as putting across our variety of dubs in the Air Monkeys fleet.

<they say life is what you make of it> Among the vast halls, the favourite traders such as Custom and Commercial, Alan

H. Schofield and Mega Bug could be found among smaller, independent traders and stall holders. From all accounts these trade stands were fairly busy throughout the day but adamant that they had turned more business at other shows based there such as Dubfreeze.

This seems the right point to mention that in the postshow social media gossip that is inevitable nowadays the subject of such money came

Show Report| Autobahn show

about. This left the show organisers with an honest question of whether they should do the same again next year, or whether the show would go ahead at all. It would be a crying shame to see this show disappear, and we propose to support it perhaps more than ever next year!

<It would be a crying shame to see this show disappear>

It seems that this ÂŁ10 entry bug bear to the Stafford show is still a thorn in its side, with complaints of lack of trade stalls, interesting cars and everything in between.

<the cars really were the stars> The entry fee is, has and always will be set

by Stafford showground themselves and cannot be altered; otherwise we simply wouldn’t have the venue if they didn’t sustain their business. As for the car and trade stand complaints, well I challenge them with a response to enter their own car, since clearly their own is much better than the current crop. Challenge accepted?

We stepped up to the plate and put on a show stand to really show off what we’re all about, why not your club do the same?

They say life is what you make of it, and I propose just that.

<Challenge accepted?>

Show Report| Autobahn show

words: Edd Thorpe pictures: Geof K Wilson

Automortal

T-SHIRTS

Pin-Striping Sign Writing and

Nottingham/Derby/East Midlands

WHEEL POLISHING and more WWW.AUTOMORTAL.COM

Feature| 1962 Beetle

Thai:/ (lit) A Long Neck. (interpretation) To have extravagant tastes.

Words: Joe Eynon Pictures: Teerayoot Thaingern/Picking Street and Rock Man

Feature| 1962 Beetle

I

was sitting in front of my computer, supposed to be doing Air Monkeys work, and looking at cool cars from far off lands when I came across this black Beetle. Unsure who owned it I did some digging and found who does. One problem though, it was in Thailand!

Thank goodness for Google Translate or we would have never got this feature sorted, although the pictures speak for themselves. The cars in this article belong to two young Thai guys with a serious passion for cool. The black Beetle is owned by Teerayoot Thaingern but he calls himself Picking Street..His bug is a 1962 model which is slammed to the max with the removal of the torsion bar.

He works as a graphic designer for a health magazine but he must also put a good few hours in a week on the Beetle. His vehicle history includes Vespas and Custom Choppers so this car is a little different to what he is used to.

As soon as he bought the car he slammed it and then played a joke on his entire nation by placing skis on the Bug. Thailand is a country that never has any snow! He has now owned the car for 8 years.

Feature| 1962 Beetle

The banded steels really set this car apart though and provides it with the perfect stance.

<Maybe an Air Monkeys holiday needs to be planned!> The other Beetle is a 1965 car that belongs to Picking Streetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend, Rock Man. It is normal for Thai guys to adopt names like this so make it easier to introduce themselves to the western world.

Again this car is super slammed and sat on a set of Centrelines.

Together the cars make a perfect duo.

You can find more about these cars and the Thai VW scene if you go to facebook.com/Rustbugs This is the club that these guys belong to. Maybe Thailand is a country to keep an eye on.

Maybe an Air Monkeys holiday needs to be planned!

Feature| 1962 Beetle

Feature| 1962 Beetle

<Thailand is a country that never has any snow!>

neâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thing but as yo er ev â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t isn g in ok co o camp maybe its time es ch oa pr ap on as se another show er all, its got to be bett er ft A y. tr r he ot an to give it hether in a tent, W ? ht rig , er rg bu y gg then another so be all noodles to ve ha â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sn oe d it trailer, caravan or bus, a little thought ith W . nd ke ee w e th our and beans for amongst us happy. In y ss fu e th en ev ep it can ke routine of pre e pl sim a ed op el ev d house we have in ts and putting them bi h es fr e th of l al chopping does involve a little is Th g. tin or sp an tr r ge plastic boxes fo t time to have a frid ea gr a be n ca t bu n organisatio are just a few of e es Th . ay aw g in go clear out before our family favourites.

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Feature| With Love Bakery

Fitatta One of the best uses for odds and sods that you find in the fridge. This can be eaten hot or cold and takes almost no time at all if you have your bits pre chopped. Really you can use anything you fancy but this our basic that seems to work well, sometimes we add cheese, olives, spinach or left over roast veg. feel free to customise as you like.

1med potato diced 1small onion chopped 1med pepper chopped 1small courgette chopped 2 rashers of bacon (left over from breakfast) A handful of cherry tomatoes halved Heat a little oil in your pan, same one you used for your pancakes (saves on the washing up). Tip all your pre chopped bits n pieces into the pan and fry for 5min

is and potato d e n w o r b ion is ggs until your on ck your 3 e a r c ly p m si you it tender. Then ing and stir h t y r e v e f o n top p stiring and o st straight in o w o N ? easy right in or until m 4 r all together, e h t r u f cook for a ing you will ix leave it too m p e e k u t set, if yo eggs. We ea the top has d le b m a r sc d weir or between d end up with la sa f o it with a b eep ours either his should k T . d a e r b r e f butt the show n f o two slices o it u c ir c r r anothe you going fo shine.

er cure v o g n a H t c e The perf (Shakshuka)

n ditional baco a r t e h t s a make the ass you p u As easy to k ic k e h t with t can make u o Y . e sandwich bu im t p o e packing u ding on wh n e need to fac p e d e k li as you is essential. t a e h this as spicy le t t li ing but a you are feed range work o , d e R . d e r slic one will do n e 1large peppe e r g d e d a hat dre better but t d tomatoes e p p o h c f o 1tin sliced 1med onion tte dried flakes, r 1med courge o sh e r f r e, eithe Chilli to tast works even tobassco clove 1large garlic re feeling u o y if 2large eggs ( h c ful of spina 1 large hand healthy) everything g in p p o h c here pre up your little So this is w n e p O . y d n lly ha to your pan, in g comes in rea in h t y r e v nd tip e min before plastic box a f o le p u o c for a ing well. ir st d n a let this fry s e o tin of tomat r u o y while you g in n e d k ic ad h t d o bubble an ned to your e p p Leave this t a h t a e h ember w half make y b d try and rem e c u d e to ce it has r right down evening . On ix m e h t hole in in your eggs. a couple of k c a r c d n a face s to cook g g the pans sur e r u o y lp to he white right e h t Pop on a lid k o o c member to still be nice through. Re ld u o sh lk o y your b a fork a r g through but st ju e n nce its do bother with and oozy. O n e t f o â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t n o we d munal dining m o c and dive in. e c a r b m Sunday, e your side d n e f e dishes on a d s, er, at all cost and rememb x of the pan.

Feature| With Love Bakery

American s tyle Panca kes:

In our ho use easy to ma we love them. Quick ke you cou ld even ge and so while the t a lie in kids do it for you.

1large cup of self rais ing flour ( 1large cup pre bagged of milk (s ) oy or rice too) milk work 1large egg (replace th e egg wit ripe banana h half a for a vega n alternativ Its that sim e) ple your pan h , just mix it all toge ther while eat batter in s s up. fry large spoon fu mall batche s. We norm lls of the ours hot a ally serve nd smothe red in syru bacon but p with cris you can us py e what ev The kids li er you like ke to put . blueberries or to eat in the batt then cold er as a snack .

Massive thnks to The With Love independent bakery for writing these recepies for us and cooking the food!

Written by Jess Edwards/The With Love Independent Bakery.

Photos taken by Dan Smith

Feature| With Love Bakery

Hot cider S ausages

Right, its tim e to crack o pen pan out. This is great to sn a beer and get your big uggle up and camp fire an eat around t d keep you warm when he in. feel free the cold nig to use what ht sets ever roots yo around. u have kickin g 6 tasty sausa ges halved.

Meat or veg smoked tofu gie or even works for th a firm is 1large onion sliced 2large carrot s chopped 1large parsnip 3med potato es Half a bottle of Beer / Cider / Per youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just o ry (what ev pened) er Start by bro wning off y our sausages pouring in yo and onions t ur beer to h hen elp unstick a from the pa ll the good n. Chuck in bits all your vegg with water ie s a to cover. Now nd top up just forget a good 20min, bout it for a which should give you eno finish that b ugh time to ottle and ha ve a good c If you like hat and chil a slightly thic l out. ker sauce yo of your panc u could add ake flour at some this point bu down quite t it should b nicely. Eat p ubble iping hot on nice chunk o its own or w f bread to so ith a ak up all th e goo.

Pictures- Ness Burrows Words- Sam Eynon

N

ess Burrows became a VW fan after visiting Bug Jam with a few friends who owned beetles. She found she was drawn to the unique design of the VWs and also was massively drawn to the social scene. When she passed her test at the age of 19 she ignored her Dad’s chant of “let’s get down to the auctions

and get you a nice Fiesta or something”.

Within a month of throwing away her L-plates she bought her first bug and went on a road trip to Newquay with some of her friends. She was more than a little nervous at first, as she’d never driven on a motorway before. She had a

great journey there that took 7 hours, but the way home was not quite as fun, taking 2 days! She learnt her lesson of not picking a car based purely on looks the hard way.

She returned home via an AA tow truck and the bug had a replacement engine fitted!

Her next VW was a bay

Feature| 1965 Ghia

campervan that she picked up for about £1500, so she could travel around the country as a First-aider and Marshall for an off-road Motor-X club with all the home comforts.

loved the styling of the Ghia but up until recently it was well out of her price range, and she also didn’t have anywhere safe to store it, so when this situation changed she snapped one up.

However, she says that her current vehicle, a 1965 Karmann Ghia Coupe, is her ideal VW. Ness has always

She bought this beauty that she calls “Sunshine” in April 2013 from Paul Horton, who runs AirCooledAccessories.com

A friend of hers was at his place picking up some stuff for his bus and whilst chatting to him he showed him the Ghia. Paul mentioned that he wanted to sell due to space as he had his eye on an early Bay. Knowing Ness’s interest in Karmann Ghia’s her friend rang her up straightaway.

Paul sent her a photo of it and she was instantly smitten, but also extremely daunted at first about buying something that low. Nevertheless, a phone call, a visit, and while still beaming from ear-to-ear, the deal was done pretty much straightaway.

Since buying it she has spent about £1000 on technical things like brakes and seals, but she has plans this year to invest in getting the interior re-done, including the seats, headlining, carpet and door trims - pretty much the whole shebang!

When she bought the Ghia it had a clearance of about 1”, running with a Slamwerks 4” narrowed beam, swayaway adjusters and dropped spindles at the front. It looked awesome, but she wasn’t a fan of the near constant scraping, so she has raised it a bit to

Feature| 1965 Ghia

have 3” clearance, which is a bit more drivable round the UK’s terrible roads!

The car had a re-spray in the 80’s, and is Manila yellow and black, but apart from this and the lowering, it is pretty much as VW intended it, with

a completely stock engine, though it has a few shiny bits to compliment it nicely including chrome overriders, mesh headlight grills and stainless steel polished hubcaps.

Ness says that her motto is “Style over Speed”, and when

taking her 7 year old son out in the Ghia for the first time he asked why the top speed wasn’t as fast as modern cars, the reply was that it was so people could appreciate just how awesome it looked! What a great response!

Hopefully more people will get to see the type 34 this year on the show scene, as Ness bought it as a bit of an impulse buy last year, and didn’t really manage to get herself into gear (pun unintentional!) She describes

herself as a bit of a 50’s throwback, who is obsessed with rockabilly and rock ‘n roll, so last year she spent many weekends at Rock ‘n Roll weekenders like Hemsby. She is also a little deadly, having

a 2nd Dan Black belt in kick boxing, which she was training for last year, and took up many Sundays, however, this year she is raring to get back into the scene!

Words: Danny Booth and Joe Eynon Pictures: Rothfink/ Alex Mills

Feature| Italian Split

Feature| Italian Split

R

othfink Industries have once again been out finding some amazing cars.

We’re happy to publish their photos and showcase Danny Booth’s amazing custom single cab.

We had a chat with him to find out more about this amazing and unique looking dub.

AM- Your single cab looks rad, how did you come to own it?

DB- The Italian lhd 1963 splitscreen was found and brought by a guy in Birmingham and had it shipped to the UK as a project. It was in a really bad state and needed numerous panels welding, engine, really almost everything! When I saw the condition the vehicle was in, I just had to get it and put it all back together! I had it delivered to my barn in Colchester, Essex... but it came off the back of the truck in pieces!

AM- What got you interested in VW’s and have you owned other VW’s in the past?

DB- When I was 18, I had a 1967 beetle which got me started and then also had a 1303, then I caught the bug! Sorry about the pun!

Now I have finished the split, I’m going to drive and enjoy it and take it to as many shows as I

can, i.e. Santa pod.

Also, as I’m a pro wakeboarder and sponsored by Mystic, I shall be taking it to wake boarding events and demos, ie Wake Stock in Wales and Red Ball harbour reach in Liverpool.

I was so proud to have Rothfink come to sunny Clacton to do a shoot with Dipsy! The pictures are amazing and make all the hours of welding, sanding and painting worthwhile!

AM- It’s quite an unusual looking vehicle.

What has influenced you whilst building it?

DB- I have based the pickup on the style of a hot rod, with a 1970’s flair and a touch of rockabilly, hoping that it stands out for its individual customisation.

Never have I ever taken on a project like this and panic started to settle in. I spent a year visiting shows and taking advice from the net, in magazines and from friends and family... then it all started to make sense. The progress was pretty quick once I had prepped and ‘made good’ the exterior.

AM- What modifications have you done to the bus? (How low, engine, etc)

DB- The modifications I have done since then include: custom bike ink green paint with 6 shots of glitter and a 1970s style lacing on the

Feature| Italian Split

roof, a two-tone chequer bumper, fitted front and rear safaris, 1948 Chevy mono light on the roof, brand new wiring, a bespoke stainless steel r32 style exhaust, also trekker shovel head wide 5s with stainless beauty rings and caps, 3â&#x20AC;? drop spindles on a late bay beam allowing it to sit 4â&#x20AC;? off the ground.

The interior has stock seats reupholstered in black with green piping and black and white chequer door panels, scat shifter and some trinkets.

I have owned it for 5 years and got to register and drive it 2012, after putting in a 90 hp 1914cc with 40 dellortos, billet electric dizzy, engle cam and a scat crank.

I painted the split in l90d which was its original colour.

However, as you can see, I have done a little more paint and mods since then!

Feature| Italian Split AM- Any other projects on the go or in the pipline?

DB- Since I brought the splitscreen pickup, I have bought and restored several other VWs, including: a Karmann Beetle (1970 RHD), Karmann Ghia (1972), a ’75 Devon pop top T2,

and a Vw T5 camper (205 hp), a bay caravelle, a beach buggy, a Trekker and a T25 ‘Westy’, and the wife Charlotte has a new beetle diesel convertible... yes, as you can see, I love them!

I’m going to start on my new project, which is a rust free 67 Beetle. I’m planning to cut and chop it into a volks rod, so watch this space!

<However, as you can see, I have done a little more paint and mods since then!>

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words: Joe Eynon pictures: Danny Bullock (Bullymeister)

Show Report| RSVP BBQ

I

look forward to the RSVP every year. Always held in September by the river in Bidford-on-Avon it’s just the most chilled out and relaxing event on the calendar.

The RSVP club is a air-cooled VW club from Redditch. With a close knit feeling and a family love spread throughout the club they help each other churn out some of the best cars in the country.

We’ve managed to feature a fair few of them including Paul Pace’s 66, Colin Pace’s Fastback and Steve Parson’s 67 Beetle. We hope to bring you many more

in the future too as they always seem to bring the best out of the cars they buy.

<There was a bit of confusion once everything was cooked as it all looked the same! Whose was whose sausage!> The BBQ is no different. Like I’ve already mentioned it is held at the community funded picnic areas by the river. All that is required from you is a car

parking fee and a VW. It doesn’t even have to be air-cooled although the Air and Water don’t mix and park separately. The Four Seasons club attended again this year with some excellent late VW’s.

The quality of cars on display was unbelievable with a line up of slammed Split screen buses, some Rothfink cars including the Rust Bus, and people came from all over the country. There were cars from South Wales, Reading and Nottingham.

Show Report| RSVP BBQ

Bullymeister was on hand to get some great photos of people rolling into the field so if you went, have a word with him as he may have a great shot of your VW you could buy off him!

My favourite part of the BBQ is the food. Not because I’m a greedy pig but because of how it is organised. Basically it is a massive BBQ that everyone shares. This makes for a true community feel, something that gets lost at bigger events.

The BBQ was great fun even though there was a bit of confusion once everything was cooked as it all looked the same! Whose was whose sausage!

The RSVP Crew gave out some awards, as they do every year, for their favourite cars plus there was a public award.

There were also prizes from other companies that attended like Air-cooled Accessories which made the prizes spread further afield. Our favourties

had to be Rob Albert’s earlybay Dry Cleaning van and PJ Gibbons’ Split Bus.

<The quality of cars on display was unbelievable>

If you want to see more from the RSVP Crew they always have a great line up at The Volksworld Show. Go on say Hi to them, they don’t bite.

Show Report| RSVP BBQ

Show Report| RSVP BBQ

Music that has been doing the rounds at Air Monkeys HQ

Broken Bells After the Disco Peter Salter

Dangermouse (aka Brian Burton) and the Shins’ James Mercer are a duo that on paper, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to work. Mercer and his band are darlings of the indie scene whose folkpop has garnered a cult following over the last decade and a bit. Dangermouse, meanwhile, is a Los Angeles producer with a superstar client list longer than a Tarantino film, which includes U2 and The Black Keys. But there’s an age old adage about opposites attracting one another and Broken Bells’ follow up to their eponymous 2010 debut demonstrates that oddball collaborations can bear exceptionally tasty fruit.

For the most part, ‘After the Disco’ sounds very much like The Shins sporting big flared disco pants and a swinging gold medallion. Mercer’s familiarly gorgeous vocals and acoustic guitar are coupled with Burton-made soulful percussion and low-key synthesizers. It’s a record that will inevitably draw comparisons to the likes of Daft Punk, but in a year when the robotic French twosome have re-introduced the world to ‘post-disco’ (now you get the album title...), they’ve also flung the door wide open for Broken Bells’ to share a talent they’ve been honing for over four years, with a much wider audience, which is a great thing for all concerned.

Sounds Like: The Shins, Daft Punk Stand out Track: Holding on for Life Rating: 7/10

Regular | Earworm Less Than Jake See The Light Joe Eynon

I grew up listening to the punk rock offerings from Less Than Jake, Blink 182, Fenix TX and Yellowcard. They helped make me the man I am today.

It’s such a sad thing when a band you love fades away. Less Than Jake have done the exact opposite. This album sums up everything that is good about LTJ. With the melodic ska-core anthems hitting hard throughout the track it’s like your very own time-portal back to the late 90’s in your bedroom.

Chris DeMakes vocals are as strong as ever and the band seem as closely knit as ever.

Sounds like: Mad Caddies, Fenix TX Stand out track: The Troubles Rating: 9.5/10 Bombay Bicycle Club So long, see you tomorrow Samantha Eynon

This is the fourth offering from the four piece, hailing from London. They didn’t waste any time with their first three albums, releasing them all withn a three year time span. Within these three years their sound hopped about all over the place, seeing them dipping their toes into folk, pop-punk, math rock and indie. Each album had strong songs on, but seemed to run out of steam before the end. However, it feels like they’ve really hit their stride with this one.

Pairing Jack Steadman’s vunerable, croaky voice, with riffs and sweeping electronica.

Steadman says that the music on this album is like a return to the music he was making in his bedroom before forming Bombay Bicycle Club.

Perhaps this is why it seems like a much better fit. This can also be explained by the fact that it is the only album to be produced fully with a band member, with Steadman over seeing proceedings with the help of Mark Rankin.

The album takes influences from world music, especially evident on Luna and Feel, and as with many recent indie/pop albums (Fun. , Arctic Monkeys) there is also more than a nod to RnB stylings on songs like Home By Now. The album benefits greatly from guest vocals by Lucy Rose and Rae Morris. The female vocals seem to lift the songs beautifully.

Sounds like: Two Door Cinema Club, Foals, Local Natives Stand out Track: Luna Rating: 8/10

Hellogoodbye Everything is Debatable Samantha Eynon

Most people have probably forgotten about the existence of Hellogoodbye.

They are unfortunately most well known for their song Here (in your arms), an irritatingly catchy, but grating pop song.

Their second album, Would it Kill You?, marked a radical shift in sound for the band, and was full of indie-pop goodness.

This album seems to bring together the two different styles they have played with.

It is definitely more synth heavy than the previous offering, but has much more maturity and depth than Zombies! Aliens!

Vampires! Dinosaurs!

I can’t deny I was a little disappointed by the return of the heavily electronic sound, and I did have to give this album a few listens before I got past this. However, they do create some pop perfection on this album and they balance the organic and electronic perfectly.

Sounds like: The Hush Sound, The Format Stand out Track: Die Young, Die Dumb; Not Soon Rating: 7/10 Skindred Kill The Power Joe Eynon

I try my very hardest not to like Skindred.

I first saw them supporting Reel Big Fish in 2005. They hit the back wall of the old Carling Academy in Birmingham hard and filled the room with new Skindred converts.

When I say I try not to like them, it’s because they sum up all that is laking in creativity. The lyrics are like one big cliche wrapped up in cheese. They even look like a reggee rock band. Benji Webbe’s voice sounds straight out of Kingston, Jamaica, but he is from Newport, South Wales. Is it effected or is it created from influence?

I’m not sure but even though I have these thoughts about the band, I cannot help but nod my head and tap my toes to their infectious West-Indian infused rock.

I feel like I must apologise but this album is a great, although a little unoriginal, piece of ska-core.

Sounds like: Spineshank, Static-X, Black Tide Stand out track: Ninja Rating: 6.5/10

Regular | Earworm Warpaint Warpaint

Samantha Eynon

There is something very enticing about Warpaint. Their haunting vocals draw you in, like Sirens, but by the time you finish listening to the album you’re left feeling a little hollow.

There are some great tracks on here, like the single Love is To Die, Keep it Healthy and Disco/Very, which has a hint of MIA to it. However, too many of the songs on this album seem to drift along without much form to them, promising much, but not quite delivering.

Sounds like: Portishead, Massive Attack, Now Now Stand out Track: Keep it Healthy Rating: 6/10 Against Me! Transgender Dysphoria Blues Samantha Eynon

This is a very important album for Against Me and escpecially their lead singer, Laura Jane Grace, formally Tom Gabel. Much has changed since the release of White Crosses in 2010. In 2012 Laura made the brave decision to tell his band mates that he was transgender. Since then they have had two new band members, after drummer, Jay Weinberg, and bassist, Andrew Seward, left.

The main thing bothering Against Me! fans after Grace’s announcement, was how would this affect her awesome voice, one of the stand out things about Against Me! was Grace’s snarl. Thankfully that is still there.

The album kicks in with a rousing drum beat, followed by Grace spitting out lyrics at you. Lyrics like ‘You want them to see you, like they see every other girl. They just see a faggot. They’ll hold their breath not to catch the sick.’

The album is filled with aggression, dispair, anger, confusion, anxiety, acceptance, and everthing in between. As the name would suggest, it is mostly about Grace’s journey and musings on her identity. It is a very honest album at times painfully so, but is full of Grace’s battle cries over catchy guitar riffs. It is interesting when they deviate from this structure, such as in the acoustic, Two Coffins, which if anything is more powerful because of this.

Sounds like: Green Day, The Gaslight Anthem, Dead to Me Stand out Track: Two Coffins Rating: 7/10

Mogwai Rave Tapes

Samantha Eynon

Rave Tapes is Mogwai’s 8th studio album, besides their soundtracks and remixes, and comes nearly 19 years after their formation. It is a beautiful, atmospheric album that is instrumental on the whole, with the addition of some vocals on Blues Hour, The Lord is Out of Control and Replelish.

Re-murdered is the most synth heavy of the tracks, and is reminiscent of Daft Punk’s Tron Soundtrack, but a bit on the darker side.

The album has lots of slow building tension, exploding with fireworks of drums, and hulking guitar riffs.

Sounds like: Explosions in The Sky, This Will Destroy You Stand out Track: No Medicine For Regret Rating: 7/10 Iron Chic The Constant One Samantha Eynon

Recently I have struggled to find an album that filled the punk shaped hole I had in my life, this one does the trick very nicely. It ticks all the boxes with me; explosive hooks, beats to pump your fist to, catchy lyrics you can shout along to.

A follow up from their 2010 offering, Not Like This . It’s not trying to do anything new, or be something it’s not, it just is. It’s refreshing to hear an album where you don’t get the feeling that the band were trying to be clever, or fit in with what’s popular. They just play the hell out some great emotive punk songs. Just what I needed!

Sounds like: Polar Bear Club, RVIVR, Elway Stand out Track: Sounds like a Pretty Brutal Murder Rating: 8/10

Regular | Earworm The Dead Shoot Black Box Recordings Joe Eynon

We don’t make a habit of reviewing unsigned bands in Earworm but every now and again we hear something that we just have to share with you.

The Dead Shoot are a band out of Leicester with some fine sounding bluesy rock tunes offerings.

This is their first E.P. and is a promising start for a small band. The release consists of 4 tracks and all have a sound of a much more mature band. Well worth checking out!

Sounds like: The Black Keys, Seasick Steve, Stand Out Track: Denim Blues Rating: 7/10

Air Monkey’s Classic Album Linkin Park Hybrid Theory Joe Eynon

Many of you have heard of Linkin Park and many of you like them but few of you understand the importance of their first album. It shook the world on its release in 2000 with big stadium filling anthems such as Crawling and In The End.

not exsist. It’s as simple as that.

With rock still suffering from 1994’s events involving a certain Mr Cobain and a shotgun it needed a seismic shift in a positive direction. Linkin Park saved modern rock. Infusing different new genres the band didn’t only produce a top album but shaped an entire generation. Scores of bands came about with a heavy influence from the Californian band. You can argue that without Linkin Park many bands would

I often struggle to place Linkin Park into a clasification due to their complexities. They have created their own world and sit high and proud on the thrown. This album was the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in the music world.

Sounds like: Deftones, Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, Fort Minor, Public Enemy Stand out track: In The End Rating: 10/10 We have also been listening to: Sherwood, Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang, Disclosure, Moderat

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Feature| Early Bay

d r e a m s d o c o m e

words: Joe Eynon pictures: Daniel Porter

t r u e

Feature| Early Bay

D

aniel Porter was just a normal guy who liked normal cars. He was into his hot hatches and if it had a turbo he was all over it! He had owned some cool motors before getting his mitts on this bus including Uno Turbos and RS Turbos.

Before getting this Early Bay he owned a Evo 5RS. You may love or hate these cars but the car he owned was a fine example of a Japanese show car and became very well known. You may be wondering how someone into fast, loud and turbo-charged cars could be interested in getting a VW bus. Well sorry to disappoint, the story isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as exciting as you may think.

Daniel had always wanted one, so had Francine, Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, so they bought one. They sold the Evo within a week of putting it up for sale and then the hunt began for a camper van. Initially wanting a splitscreen bus Daniel quickly realised that his Evo money was not going to stretch too far. So he looked at Baywindows and loved the styling of an early bay. Those small rear lights and perfect curves just appealed to him. He is not the only one!

After putting a wanted notice up on earlybay.com someone got in touch and showed him their 1969 South African model which they were selling. Daniel purchased the bus in 2012 and with it already being a very solid and straight bus started enjoying the vehicle straight away.

After being built in Kempton Park in S.A in 1969 it lived its life as a daily transporter until it was shipped to the U.K in 2010. Daniel and Francine love that they are continuing to use the bus in the way it always was used.

Full of people and there stuff! With 2 little girls, Holly and Faith, family holidays suddenly got a lot cooler!

The bus is lowered 6 inches at the front and 4 inches at the back with the original 14 inch steel wheels fitted. A reconditioned 1600 stock engine as been fitted and the Devon Moonraker interior inside is perfect for those family trips and VW festivals.

Daniel meet the guys from Paintscrapers at the Danson Festival and they have helped him so much in buying the bus and during the first year of ownership. With the first journey being from Manchester to Kent after he bought it, he needed all the help he could get! This bus really is the 5th member of the family.

Daniel would like to thank his family, James at Ve Dubs and Anton and all the Paintscrapers.

http://www.burtsboyzspeedshop.wix.com/burtsboyz

Our favourite vehicles from the past few months...

Regular | Spanked!

Regular | Spanked!

Regular | Spanked!

Regular | Spanked

Photo: Raf Carrera

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Show Report| Volksblast

Words: Raf Carrera and Joe Eynon Pictures: Raf Carrera/ Squeaky Thinger

M

any British shows lack one thing- great weather.

Last summer we were blessed with awesome sunshine but most years it’s always a bit of gamble.

Our stateside friend, Raf Carerra, was kind enough to review the Volksblast Show in Florida. One thing that can be sure, it was warm and sunny!

We asked Raf what he though of the show: The Volksblast Show is held on the famous Sunset Drive in Miami and is a weekend of sun, bbq’s and VW’s.

The weekend had many parties and some great cars in attendance from all over the USA. Sounds about perfect to me!

AM- What sort of day was it?

RC- It was a beautiful sunny day on Sunset Drive in Miami, Florida in the middle of winter - Feb 7-9, 2014 AM- What is the purpose of the show, except for the parties and VW’s?

Show Report| Volksblast

Show Report| Volksblast

RCIt’s a car show that raises money for the city of Miami.

Mainly for Habitat for Humanity in South Miami, the Center for Great Apes in Wachula Florida and has donated towards Cancer Research with the American Cancer society, and aided Haiti relief via University of Miami’s Outreach program.

AM- What entertainment is there?

RC- There was a live band, Fire Brigade, covering all kinds of awesome music and an old-school BMX show. There was also a swap meet.

AM- Vehicles worth a mention. Any debut cars?

RC- That was the best part, there were TONS of these cars including those from Yaril’s Customs AM- Where would you put it in your list of top shows?

RC- It was honestly the best aircooled show I’ve ever attended.

I’ve been to plenty in Northeast America but I’ve never seen such a concentration of truly beautiful cars.

AM- Any problems?

RC- Parking can be a challenge but easily solved by getting there early.

AM- Favorite thing there that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a car?

RC- Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only an awesome show but it is an excellent excuse to enjoy the South Florida weather in February.

Here is the event info. I only went to the show on Sunday but there was lots of other stuff going on. http://www. volksblast.com/ events-info.html If you are going to a show this year and would like to review it for Air Monkeys then please get in touch. We want to know your experiences and views on your trips.

Show Report| Volksblast

RestoRation & FabRication GeneRal RepaiR seRvice & Mot WoRk ModiFication & UpGRades inteRioRs & conveRsions paint & cUstoMisinG

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01635 276044

www.voodoovw.com

words: Ed Kellas pictures: Ed Kellas, Elaine Pidgeon, Neil Forster

W

e flew 9 hours, and convoyed for over 12 hours to get here. Why? Because Florida hangs onto the good weather and the last shows of the year,â&#x20AC;Ś. plus coupled with an offer of staying in a vintage Airstream, drinking moonshine, hitting the outlets hard plus getting spoilt by good old southern hospitality it was impossible to say no.

The Bulli show goers make a holiday of it. They

stay in the Fort De Soto campsite park from the Wednesday onwards; this place is amazing, totally secluded, beautifully clean and full of the archetypal palms that symbolize Florida.

<Note to self: cycle early cause it gets hot quick.>

Show Report| Bulli Brigade

The Volkswagen contingent relaxes and kicks back whilst enjoying the last days of summerâ&#x20AC;Ś in November. Remember this is Florida and winter is short. They know how to enjoy themselves as even before the show on the Friday night, there is a huge hang out at a local seafront bar where bands play and a car show appears in the car park. It is rammed!

Bulli Brigade is 15 minutes drive from the campsite, or a leisurely cruise on your vintage cycle along the path, which takes about 30 minutes. Note to self: cycle early cause it gets hot quick.

Steady streams of vehicles lead you to your destination, no need for signposts; just follow the beautiful scenery on wheels.

Show Report| Bulli Brigade the stalls with people selling their wares are vast. Car parts, vintage home wares and clothing and all manner of things in-between.

Bargain purchases were a number of vintage Americana threads, $5… such a bargain.

People drive up to 12 hours for this show and I could see why, the quality of the vehicles was stunning, with all tastes catered for. From super insane show finish to just dragged out of the swamp look. This year they had a splitscreen high-top display, getting 5 in a line was epic to see. I spent 3 hours walking around the cars drooling over each one, totally blown away.

<sipping that shine is definitely a must> The vibe is laid back and friendly, the parking is where you like, and

They have an alcohol ban on the beach area where the show takes place but people decant into travel mugs and stay away from a $300 fine.

The warm sun, good people, and sweet rides go very well with a cheeky cerveza or if you know a person out of state, sipping that shine is definitely a must.

The sunshine makes all the paint pop, the chrome is blinding, and you long to stay in the sunshine state and not make the journey home after the show.

We were one of the last groups of people to leave, I was sun burnt and hungry but to add perfection to my day I got to drive Chadd Magee’s Olive drab Splitscreen high-top back to the campsite. What a treat, a dream comes true and Chadd is truly the man!

It was so good down there we stayed for over a week. We’ll be back soon.

words: Darren Herring (edited by Richard Thorpe) photos: Darren Herring

Darren Herring from Freiburg, Germany, will head off from the city of Freiburg in the deepest Black Forest and head up to the UK via Luxembourg, Belgium and France in time for Kent VW Festival (Kent V-dub Fest) in the UK. “Pausing for the weekend, I will head off to the south coast of England and then make my way south over the Continent in time to meet my friend Mario for a weekend in the Swiss Alps, before parting ways where I will continue into northern Italy then the boat to Corsica, rounding off my trip there at the Corsica Flat 4 beach party and the drive via boat back to Freiburg.”

FRIDAY- THE FIRST LEG So after being up half the night trying to organize a ferry ticket, we got on the road. The sun was shining and we did not find any major traffic jams or dramas. The biggest problem was tired legs and a sore backside from all the hours in

the driving seat! I must have been mad to undertake so many miles/kilometers in one sitting, but I had a goal - get to the UK and get to the Kent VW Festival and say hi to Dee Parkinson and party for the weekend.

The weather was sunny and warm so maybe not the best for ‘aircooled’ driving, but the bus didn’t miss a beat. It was blowing a bit of oil, but I think I have solved that problem and after 1000km the tickover is all over the place so some fine tuning needed before the next leg of our journey. It was a relief to get to Calais knowing the Kent VW Festival was not far once we had crossed the water.

were in a far flung corner of the campsite, very quiet and I was wondering where everybody else was. (On Saturday I discovered a whole new world of camping on the other side of the festival) Saturday morning I woke to the pitter patter of rain on the bus roof, and discovered I had left all the camping kit, like chairs and stools, outside and were was soaked.

I managed to put together a warm breakfast to eat in the camper, and then it was off round the show in search of a pair of wellington boots.

KENT VW FESTIVAL So after crossing the channel we only had a very short drive to the second Kent VW Festival, after getting a bit muddled and driving on the wrong road out of Dover (there are only two main routes), we did a u-turn at the first motorway junction and were soon back on track and arrived just as the sun was setting over the showground.

I got to appreciate a stunning sunset, and after parking somewhere in the club camping I soon had the steaks sizzling on the BBQ and a well deserved cold beer which slipped down in seconds after our mammoth journey up from the Black Forest. Little did I know we

If you have never been to the Kent VW festival they share the weekend with the Kent country show, so there are a mix of standard VW trade stands, and local companies selling arts and crafts and amazing cupcakes!

By lunch time on Saturday the weather had past and the sun was shining. We moved the bus to the larger general camping and met some great guys. Well it was Saturday and a party night was always on the cards.

Mother Nature delivered a full on thunderstorm with some crazy lightening just missing

Feature| The Adventure the campsite. Who needs fireworks! Saturday night was a crazy party night - the beer was flowing and we were in great company. I won’t fill this blog with fantastic photos of all the amazing vee dubs, there are already enough blogs full of that, just be sure there were some amazing busses, bugs and all the rest, as well as a huge collection of vintage cars lorries and steam engines there for the country part of the show…

part of the journey to West Sussex along the coast road and enjoy the sights. Upon leaving the Motorway we found out that the tickover/idle on the bus was shot, and we stalled every time we stopped.

Every red light the engine cut and I nervously watched the rear view mirror waiting for somebody to rear end the bus, not a good feeling, but we soldiered on till we got to our destination, the bus running hot and not ticking over at all.

SUNDAY- THE NEXT LEG Sunday morning arrived, along with the mother of all hangovers, and fantastic sunshine. An early start to clean the bus and park up in the show and shine, and off to the breakfast stand as cooking was the last thing on my mind. Beer was off the menu as I had a long drive to do in the afternoon from Kent to West Sussex. I was very happy as I won a trophy for the longest journey to the Kent show and ended up with my bus in the winners’ enclosure, chuffed to say the least!!!!! Then it was time to leave, I have to thank Dee Parkinson and Colin Downs and all the staff for hosting such a fantastic weekend, all the great people we met like the guys from Bugs on Wheels (Belgium), Dave Warren, Mac, and everybody else that took the time to chat and get to know us. If you have not been to the Kent VW Festival I can highly recommend it to anybody. It’s only in its second year, but totally worth a visit.

We hit the Motorway out of Kent and after an age on the Motorway we decided to head to Brighton and drive the last

REST DAY Monday the weather had turned and the rain set in, the bus was letting in water in a few places and it was a drama to try and keep the inside and ourselves dry. The bus was not running very well and our spirits, like the weather, took a turn for the worse. We had a day shopping, a few beers and an early night, but luckily we had an internet connection and I put out an SOS out on the page of the Dirty Low Down Dubbers and West Sussex VW page. Come Tuesday morning I had been given the address of somebody that could help us out and it was off to Angmering to find a guy that fixed old VW’s. After a 30 minute drive I found Dougs VW-Werks in Angmering, and he had my bus sorted in no time. With the timing readjusted and the carb

tweaked the bus was running like a dream and all he wanted was the price of a couple of ciders, and was happy to help me on the way for the rest of my trip. I can’t thank him enough for his help! Well the weather is about to take a turn for the better, the bus is running like a dream and have found a beachside camping in Dorset. My good spirits are back and it’s off to Dorset on Wednesday ready for the nice sunny weather, and finally time to get out my fishing rods and try to catch some fresh fish for the BBQ……. So if you’re in the UK and see the Orange Westy called FRED, give us a wave!

DORSET On the Wednesday morning we read the weather forecast for the Thursday and were amazed to see they were forecasting one of the hottest days of the year in the UK,

and decided to move from Sussex and base ourselves at a recommended campsite near Weymouth, so it was another hours Camper Van Tetris, fill the tank and we were on our way.

Once we had got past Southampton on the M27 we hit the B-roads, and four hours later we pulled into the campsite, paid our admission fee and sought a pitch with the advertised sea view. After pootling around the campsite for ten minutes, it dawned on me I couldn’t get a sea view, as I had pulled into the wrong campsite !!!!!! Asked for a refund which was declined so not wanting to waste our camping fee we settled in and enjoyed our uninterrupted view of the shower block. Still

we made the most of a bad job and found the Osmington ‘Smugglers Inn’ and treated ourselves to a meal out and a few dark ales, before a stroll back to the bus for a good night’s sleep.

On Thursday morning we decided to drive to the stunning Lulworth cove which luck would have it was a stone’s throw from our campsite. I’ve never been to Lulworth since I was a wee boy and to cut a short story shorter it is absolutely stunning and worth a visit, highly recommended! As we strolled down from the car park I caught the first glimpse of the cove. We were not disappointed

so settled in for a day’s sunbathing. I wanted to do some fishing, but it was simply too busy to start swinging my line full of hooks around on the beach. The water was cool and the weather was stunning!

the road to Honiton and had past the county sign for Devon, and seeing we were not booked in to camp anywhere that night and feeling like free spirits we headed into Devon, then Somerset, and back into Devon

In the end I brought a bag of fresh Lulworth mackerel for the BBQ and after a day in the sun was time to go back to our campsite. Great evening enjoying the view of the shower/toilet block, but had a great meal and lots of laughs!

again, sticking to country lanes and enjoying the drive and the sights of the English countryside. We stopped for Lunch and Sabine enjoyed her first ever plate of Mussels.

I had been in contact with friends who had invited me to a Ska party at a surfers campsite in St Mawgan, Cornwall, so we decided to make a nice drive down to finish the day off, so we set off through Somerset and Devon. We hit the A30 and soon after Exeter the skies got darker and darker then we drove into the storm, with rain so thick that visibility was down to a few meters, and lightening was crashing all around. The van started to aquaplane on the surface water and it was as much as I could do to hold the bus on the road! We kept going and it was Bodmin Moor before we came out the other side of the storm. I think the photo below demonstrates

A VERY RANDOM DAY! Waking on the Thursday to the pitter patter of rain on the roof of the bus we took the decision to drive over to Bridport and the nearby West Bay, planning a cheeky photo of my Westy by the sign for the town ‘West Bay’ and a day’s fishing on the Quay. But after fighting through traffic all the way to Bridport, we found the road to West Bay closed due to a serious road traffic accident, and had to head away in the opposite direction rather than fight our way back through Bridport.

Before we knew it we were on

Feature| The Adventure the darkness of the storm in front and the daylight we were leaving behind… crazy!! Then we had to find the Retorrick Mill Campsite in St Mawgan, which is not on a main route, B Road, or a country lane. This was down a farmer’s track, off a lane, off a country road.

As we are old skool and don’t use a navigations device it was a job and a half and several stops to ask the way. Finally at 9pm in the evening we pulled into the Mill to find the campsite was in the middle of a party night and that the bus wasn’t going over the ford into the campsite, but the super friendly owner Wilf made a space for us, so it was time for a well earned cold beer and a seat around the campfire.

CORNWALL After a good night’s sleep and a hearty English Breakfast cooked by the camper, it was time to go to the beach.

After the coldest showers on earth, we were on our way to the beach and to fetch some important supplies, the main one being milk for my tea!

After giving my anti-roll bar another good scraping on the way out of the campsite we began the weekend. The Beach at St Mawgan Porth was stunning and the weather was fine. Finding a spot for swimming was going to be

hard with all the body boarders and surfers plus the fact there were absolutely thousands of small jellyfish to contend with!

Apparently the sting was not bad (not that I wanted to find out for myself!) but seeing as we had not planned to be there I must say it was the right choice and it was a fine day on the beach.

So after the beach it was time for the main event of our visit to Cornwall and meeting up with the boys (and lasses) from the Evil Bens crew back at the campsite for a Ska party that evening. We were still first at the campsite so sat and chilled by the van until I heard the first chassis rail scraping into the campsite, and was chuffed to see Paul and Amy who I had not seen since EBI, and not long after Ben arrived

a few too many! I had an amazing night, but as I was sat in the camper getting ready to pass out I felt a little sad, the realization that this was as far as we would go, the furthest point of the trip. I was having the time of my life but from this point we would always be going home. I woke in the morning still felling a little sad, but the thought about it all, this roadtrip was the most amazing thing I had ever done in my bus and it had been worth every minute. I have done many shows and done a lot of kilometers to get to them, I had met great people and seen fantastic cars, but this trip was a whole new experience and I had gotten to know my camper inside out.

It’s an experience everybody should try, after all our VW’s are there to be used aren’t they?

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

so everybody got the BBQ’s unpacked and it was time for a meal to prepare us for the serious business of drinking and partying into the small hours. Ben and Pauls rides making mine look like a cross country 4×4’s.

The band ‘Rudis Message’ were a local Cornish band doing cover versions of classic ska hits, there was a cider festival and the bar and scores of surfers and campers from St Mawgan, and it was an absolutely rocking night!

Unfortunately some of us rocked too much and drank

Waking on the Sunday morning the rain had set in and a sense of gloom was added to the stonking hangovers we had all earned from the night before.

Up until now we, with every kilometer we moved further away from home, but this was the tipping point. From now on every kilometer would be bringing us closer to home and despite the fact we knew the return journey would be just as much fun, the fact was we were slowly going home. We waited for a break in the rain to fire up the barbecue and get a wholesome breakfast on the go. There was no chance of an early start, I was a million miles away from being fit enough to drive, and besides driving back from European

Bug In earlier in the summer I had learned the lesson of trying to drive a long distance without a clear head and a full belly. So it was mid afternoon before we said our goodbyes, packed the camper and headed out over the country lanes and headed for the A30. A wrong turn turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we had found a coastal road from St Mawgan to Newquay and got a little sightseeing under our belts despite the poor weather. After checking out the funds a decision was made to make a long haul back to East Sussex and a few days guerilla camping on my parents front drive. I would advise anybody planning a road trip to at least double what they thought it would cost, but one thing was for sure we were going to take a much more scenic route than just sitting on endless motorways. Driving around the UK I was amazed at the amount of Bay Window busses we have seen on the road and the endless thumbs up from them, in some ways it gives you a sense of security knowing if you break down along the way it won’t be long before another Camper/Bus/ Beetle would come along and offer support, the scene in the UK is huge and I’m still shocked how many I saw on the road. We decided to take a small detour to see Stonehenge on the way back,

but after getting stuck in traffic on the notorious A303 we missed the opening times and could only view from afar, but we got a good look and headed back on the road and arrived at our destination well into the darkness hours, very tired and worn out. It was a relief to drink a beer and pull out the rock and roll bed and get a damn good night’s sleep!

over the English Channel, and the chance for me to stock up on English shopping and all the things I miss living in Germany. When the weather wasn’t good enough for the beach we visited a butterfly house and gardens and got a day on the beach under our belts and, most importantly, time to organize ourselves for the final part of our journey.

As we didn’t use a navigation device we had maps and god knows how many directions printed out on sides of A4. It was a shame we had hoped to return via Brittany and the French Atlantic coast, but sadly the funds were not going to allow it, but I did enjoy a moment while organizing the return route, when I caught myself already planning next summer’s road trip!

THE ROAD TO BELGIUM AND BEYOND

A FEW DAYS REST The old girl had looked after us but was in need of a little TLC, and having been so lucky with my previous trips around southern Germany, Belgium and France I now knew every point where my bus leaked, and a good few new seals will be on order on my return. A lot of our stuff had become a little damp and we all needed a good drying out. We had enjoyed some stunning sunny days, but when it had rained it had been really heavy and tested us to the limit. Besides, parking up for a couple of days break on the return trip also offered some fishing as they live on the coast and a secure internet connection to book our return crossing

The journey back had to involve a later no-peak ferry crossing to save a bit of money, then make a dash for Belgium’s border and the first free car park or stop we could find for an overnighter before carrying on the next day, so after an early lunch it was planned to take the coast road as much as we could from Sussex and Kent before arrival in Dover.

There were a few stops planned along the route, but it soon became clear I had really

Feature| The Adventure underestimated the constant battles with traffic on British A-roads, and I don’t think anybody that drives aircooled ever feeling comfortable in heavy traffic. It was soon clear to me the leisurely drive along the coast had turned into a battle of the wits with the midweek English traffic. The vans engine was getting hot, we didn’t have time to stop at the places we would have liked to, and with rush hour looming I knew I had to put a push on to make our 8:50pm sailing with the inevitable check ins beforehand. Bexhill on Sea and Hastings had proved to be classic bottle necks, Rye was picture perfect to drive through, but had no time for my planned stop at Camber Sands, and after abandoning the coast road we got into Dover with enough time for a brew and some views of the white cliffs from the excellent Samphire Hoe just outside Dover.

So, one last look at the White Cliffs of home before the return to the continent. The old girl had had a chance to

centimeters I managed to get a surprisingly good night’s rest.

cool off a bit and get a drink of oil, we had a brew and a sandwich then cruised down into Dover nice and refreshed for our check-in and a top up of petrol, as I knew we would be arriving late and the best place to stop would be a motorway services in Belgium, more than an hour’s drive from Calais. I was sad to be leaving, but funds were running low and sadly the trip would end a little sooner than I had hoped. At 1am we pulled into the services, absolutely shattered and in need of a beer and a sleep! We were not alone, several mini-busses full of South American students had turned all the grass into a campsite, and after preventing one of them from reversing into my pride and joy by just

Thanks to Darren for sharing his adventure with us.

If you have your own adventure that you wish to share with our readers then please get in touch. info@airmonkeys.co.uk or find us on Facebook.

Tree of Hope, at The Custard Factory

Words: Sam Eynon Pictures: Provided by G4H

Feature| Graffiti4Hire

Graffiti4Hire Last May we got to see the Graffiti4Hire guys in action whilst helping at a Growl and Grandeur shoot at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham. At the time they were creating a 30 foot high piece for the charity Tree of Hope and Vodafone to raise awareness and donations for the cause. It really was a sight to behold, (a timelapse piece of the process can be found on YouTube if you search for Tree of hope / G4H / Vodafone - Time lapse) so we decided to find out more about the guys behind the talent.

G

raffiti is a piece of art that has been illegally drawn, scrawled, scratched or painted onto a surface in a public place, but it has also become a style of artwork that is very sought after. With that in mind the people behind Graffiti4Hire saw an untapped market. Why not get paid for your skills with a spray can?

Graffiti4Hire has a team of international professional graffiti artists on their books.

They began in 2009, and were arguably the first company of their kind. G4H are based at The Custard Factory, in Birmingham, and if you’ve ever been for a visit, you won’t be able to miss their work! The also have subsidiaries in Spain and Hong Kong.

They have worked for many big names, such as Sony, Orange, Clarks, Google and many more, and their work takes them all around the world as well as into people’s houses. One of their most unusual projects was transforming the outside of a terraced house in Bristol City into a Gothic Mansion!

The Tie, at The Custard Factory

Artist Profile

We caught up with one of G4H’s directors Victoriano.

Name: Victoriano Age: 32 Location: Marbella How long have you been creating graffiti art?

17 years How did you start?

Just by going to the the train yard with a spray can when I was 15 with a friend, it felt great to know that we were doing something that will stay there for a long time, and it’s still there today.

Artist you look up to?

Nature How would you describe your style?

Difficult question for me to answer, it has changed so many times that I guess I could only describe it as My continuously changing style.

Favourite materials to work with: Spray paint Favourite thing you have worked on: Probably a terraced house in Bristol that we were told to transform into a gothic mansion.

What would be your dream job (in terms of what a client may ask you to do.)

Hey, we are going to put you on a spaceship and we want you to paint whatever you want in the surface of the Moon, oh and it needs to be visible from the Earth Any advice for budding graffiti artists?

Keep practising, don’t follow trends, look outside the scene to find inspiration, feed your brain with as many information, visual or not, about as many things you can.

Do you create other sorts of art, Yes and no, as for what art is officially I don’t, but I like to think that art is everywhere and can be anything, for example I have 2 daughters and they are my best work of art.

Currently listening to: Night Rider soundtrack Currently watching: Night Rider Currently reading: Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell

Feature| Graffiti4Hire

Exhibition with Setdebelleza Unpretentious Art at The Custard Factory- anamorphic character painted by Rebecca Wright

Working on a large scale piece at The Custard Factory

NE offices in Seattle

Feature| Graffiti4Hire The Just Eat Offices in London. Including an anamorphic logo for their lift area, which only looks right from one point of view, so when coming out of the elevator you can see the logo â&#x20AC;&#x153;floatingâ&#x20AC;?

SERVICE

MODIFICATION

RESTORATION

PARTS

ACCESSORIES

Words: Sam Eynon

Pictures: Kat Hawke

Feature| 1967 Squareback

W

e have been aware of Kat’s beautiful 1967 Squareback for a while now, seeing her sundrenched Instagram photos of it on various adventures. So when we put a call out for women with awesome VWs to get in touch, we were very pleased that she was one of the first people to reply to us!

22 year old Kat is the proud owner of Thelma, who she named after her Grandmother that she describes as a “beautiful, classy and timeless woman” so a very fitting name!

Kat grew up surfing and being around the Australian beach culture, so she naturally had a bit of an obsession with VW Kombis, but both of her VWs so far have been Type 3s. Thelma is Kat’s second Squareback - her first was a 1971 called ‘Ruby’. As a 17 year old she had been hunting for a split-screen kombi, but her brother came across ‘Ruby’ and simply told Kat “You have to buy it. Trust me.” Unfortunately though, she only got to own the ’71 for 4 months, when it was written off by someone who ran a red light - a heart breaking moment.

Kat’s heart was set on owning another Type 3 and she spent the next two years trying to find the right one for her. She had difficulty as most of the ones in Australia had rust problems as a result of having a life close to the ocean.

One night she was longingly trawling through the ads on thesamba.com, and she happened upon an ad for a

Feature| 1967 Squareback

Feature| 1967 Squareback

beautifully restored 1600 Squareback in California that had only been first advertised about 2 days earlier. As luck would have it, Kat’s father traveled to LA almost weekly for work and the vehicle was only 1 mile from his hotel, so she got him to “have a quick look” for her. He came back having put a deposit down on her behalf! Her Dad just couldn’t let this car pass, as in his words he told her “you won’t come across another one like it for a very long time, if ever”.

Enter Thelma. She is a 1967 model originally from Roswell (New Mexico USA) where she driven for 6 or 7 years before the owner passed on and his wife put it at the back of a closed barn where she stayed for the next 25 years or so (the car, not the wife!). Once rescued by the owner’s son, she was stripped back ready for restoration, but he ran out of funds and on-sold her to a Californian enthusiast who eventually suffered a similar fate of funds.

< Her Dad just couldn’t let this car pass, as in his words he told her “you won’t come across another one like it for a very long time, if ever”. > The car finally came into the hands of a lovely man named Keith who had both the money and the passion. Keith did a full ground-up resto on the vehicle as a gift to his son as a daily driver to and from college (all of about 15 miles per trip). His son enjoyed it for a year or two before moving overseas so Keith was forced to sell the vehicle (quite reluctantly I might add) to fund his sons globetrotting. Once it was all certain, Kat travelled to California to meet Keith and to see the vehicle for herself, and finalize the sale, and so a great friendship was born between her family and Keith’s.

After 3 months of organising shipping and waiting for her to arrive, she

Kat and her pride and joy

Feature| 1967 Squareback

finally got to drive Thelma on Aussie soil.

The import papers for the ‘67 were a little confusing as they bought ‘Thelma’ from Newport Beach in California, and she now lives in Newport Beach NSW Australia! Makes it feel like one of those meant to be moments!

Within her first week of

being in the country, she won her first prize - First Place in the Australian VW Nationals 2013–(“Type 3 & Type 4 standard”) in Sydney.

Now for a few of the specifics. Thelma has been restored to her original beauty, with just a few subtle modifications.

In 2011 she had a bare metal re-spray with por15 and original factory “Baltic Blau”. The bumpers were also re-chromed and many parts (horn, body molding, washer jet, wheel well) were refurbished or replaced with NOS parts. The bodywork

Feature| 1967 Squareback and paintwork was completed by ISP West in Carson (California), who Kat gives a big shout out to for their “Amazing workmanship and dedication.”

It sits pretty too, being lowered one spline all around and with front disc

brakes. Kat hopes to get some whitewalls for ‘Thelma’ soon.

The seats are the original ones, but were re-covered in 2008 in Charcoal tweed with black vinyl sides and back.

The dashboard is stock and original with no cracks, thanks to being sat in storage

for 25 years. The engine is stock NOS, long block crate motor that sat in the back of a mechanic’s shop since the 60’s/70’s, and was installed in 2007.

It really is a gem and we’re definitely inclined to agree with Kat’s Dad on this one - you won’t come across another one like it for a very long time, if ever!

Tasty Tees!

Each magazine we try to bring you the freshest T-Shirts by cool brands and independent artists and makers.

If you want to be featured contact: samantha.eynon@airmonkeys.co.uk

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Feature| Powderpuff Racing

Interviewed by Sam Eynon Pictures provided by Susy Gifford-Herbert

We got the lowdown on the all female Powderpuff Racing class, from one of the founders Susy Gifford-Herbert.

H

ere at Air Monkeys we wanted to recognise the impact that women have had on the VW scene, and someone put us in touch with Susy Gifford-Herbert, who in the late 70’s and 80’s helped set up the Powderpuff Racing class,. She has been highly influential on the drag racing circuit ever since, racing and spreading the racing bug to other women. We caught up with her for a chat to find out more.

How did you get into VWs?

on this planet.

After High School I moved to Texas for a couple of years. When I came back in 1977, I met some people that were in DVB (Der Volks Bruckenaufbau) VW club.

I bought my first bug, and joined the club. It was my life from there on. The club scene back then was amazing. We had Car Rallies, Car Shows, Races, Picnics to go to just about every weekend. It was crazy and so much fun. I wish it could have lasted, and all the clubs that are out there now a days could have witnessed it and been apart of it. All the good times will stay with me till the day that I am no longer

How did you get into racing?

I was going to the Bug-In’s and Drag Days at OCIR for a few years, and my Best Friend Candy Larsen and I approached Rich Kimball in 1979 (who is and was the promoter for these races), and asked him about having a PowderPuff Class. He agreed and for the next few years we had our class and raced at OCIR, till they closed the track in 1983. There were not too many ladies racing back then, but we grew every year. I have the letter that Candy and I wrote to him. I have it in

a frame, and display it in my PowderPuff Booth.

What do you love about racing?

I am a very competitive person (in a sportsmanship like way).

I always have been. Showing horses in my younger years, and then competing in sports all the time probably made me that way. I have always loved racing. Anything from motorcycles to Indy cars. I guess you could say that I am pretty much a tom boy. I Loved going to OCIR to watch the 64 car field Funny car races, NHRA races, and of course the Jet Cars.

Feature| Powderpuff Racing We race 1/8 mile and 1/4 mile drag racing.

I am very lucky. My awesome husband does everything to my car. He builds my motors and trannys and keeps my car maintained and safe. He works for Rancho Performance Transaxles. He builds Trannys for a lot of the racers.

What was it like to race at OCIR? OMG â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Racing at OCIR was amazing. The track was always prepped well, everything was always organised well. The events were huge back then.

All the clubs had displays, cars in the car show, and some cars racing. I look back, smile and realise how lucky I was to be able to say that I got to race there and grow up in Orange County. It was such a sad day when they closed the track in

1983.

What impact did the closing of OCIR have on you and on the scene?

The impact of OCIR closing in 1983 was huge. That was the only track in Orange County, and that is where a lot of the clubs were from.

Carlsbad Raceway was still

open till 2004, so that helped.

Carlsbad was okay, but OCIR was the track to go to. The club scene started to go away slowly but surely after that.

There were still car shows and races at Carlsbad and LA County Raceway (which was up in Palmdale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 85+ miles from Orange County).

Carlsbad Raceway finally shut down in 2004, and LA County Raceway shut down in 2007.

How does racing in the late 70’s early 80’s compare with now? and is it any easier to be a woman in racing now?

The only comparison I can say is that the cars are lighter and they are going much faster now then back in the 70’s &

80’s. The people that used to race back then are obviously older, but are the same with the same passion for the VW. The new racers are having a great time, and I am sure have learned a lot from the Veteran racers.

The guys did not really accept the women racers back in the 70’s & 80’s like they do now.

We did not have as many ladies that wanted to race

back then also. We were not treated badly, but to a lot of the men, it was a sport for the men!

Have you come up against many difficulties being a woman in a male orientated environment?

I can honestly say that I have not come up against any difficulties being a woman in a

Feature| Powderpuff Racing

male orientated environment.

I am sure that there are still some men out there that believe women belong in the kitchen, but they really need to get a clue about life.

The thing about me is that I mostly do what I want, and I am not afraid to say what is on my mind. It has gotten me in trouble at times, but when Candy and I were told back in 2009 that “the PowderPuff

Class is a joke, and the ladies don’t give back to the sport” by someone that has been in the VW industry for a while, you can imagine how we wanted to deck this person.

I am sure he is enjoying the taste of his foot right now.

Those are the kind of people who have a closed mind and you need to stay clear of, and trust me I do.

The PowderPuff Class gets nothing but praise from

everyone now. We have so much support from all the Husbands, Boyfriends and Friends of the ladies that race.

We also have a lot of support from most of the other men at the races.

I will always laugh when I think about when Steve Atkinson (one of the male racers - who is also a friend)

told me I shifted like a guy.

I guess he has never seen a woman speed shift quite like me. To me, that was a great compliment.

We had 7 amazing women that Adele had set up to race, and it was so much fun. I got to meet 5 more wonderful ladies, and made 5 new friends.

We heard you raced at EBI2, what was that like?

I won this great trophy for the Best Reaction Time.

EBI 2 was amazing. Much better than EBI 1. (It rained all 3 days at EBI 1). My great friend Adele Woodbridge decided to approach Kobus, and she got him to agree to have a PowderPuff Class at EBI 2. My husband and I were going, and I was going to support Adele with the class. I had no idea that Karin Udo was bringing a car from Germany for me to race. That was so awesome of her. I had never met her or Udo before.

Funny story: When I went to Karinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pit to go meet her and Udo, and get the car it was really nerve racking for me. I did not know them, and I am not the type of person who would usually drive someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car. She made me feel really comfortable, but I heard Udo was a little tough to get to know. I went to go get in the car, and Udo was helping me adjust the seat belts, and since Karin is so slim and I chubby, it was so funny trying to get

them to fit me. I was laughing so hard and by the time we were through, I had Udo cracking up, and we have been great friends from that day on.

I love them both, and wish they lived closer. Mike and I are trying to get to Germany to have them show us the sights there.

Mike and I meet so many wonderful people at EBI, and have become friends with a lot.

We love it when they come to the US to visit.

Can you tell us a bit more about your car and some of the cars you have in your class?

I have a 1970 Karmann Ghia.

It has a 2386cc motor in it.

Feature| Powderpuff Racing

CB Ultra Wedgeport heads, 46 x 37.5, Engle FK87 cam, 48 IDA Carbs with 45 vents, 10 to 1 compression. Runs on 91 Octane Pump gas. Transaxle is based on 1973 IRS trans.

Has 4.12 Ring & Pinion, Super Beetle Main Shaft, 3.78-2.061.26-.82 gears. Chromoly Pinion Nut and Quaife Differential.

We have all types of VWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in our class. Air-cooled and Water-cooled. From stock cars, performance street cars, and race cars. For example, Dee Berg races her 1951 Split window that does 17.30 in the eighth mile, to Sasha Cerny that runs her Race Car and does 6.65 et in the eighth at 101mph.

Because we bracket race, the

up to the line, and Gene Berg came running out to my lane and helped me out with lining up my car. I knew and had met him, but to have him run All the ladies are very out and help me was such a competitive, but are also very great memory for me. I beat sportsmanship like. I will not Debbie Duncan that round, so let anyone race in this class, he must have been my good that does not have good sportsmanship. We are not in it luck charm. Later in my life, for the money, but for the love I went to work for Gene Berg Enterprises from 1989 to 1994. of the sport.

The ladies that race are just Any particularly memorable so wonderful to spend the day stories from races you have with. The smiles on their faces done/ been at? are why I take such pride and keep this class going.

The first race that I ever raced There is nothing better than to see them all come back on the was at the Drag Day in 1979, return road with huge smiles and I remember that I had on their faces, and hearing the to race Debbie Duncan (Bill stands cheer for them all.

Duncanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife), and she had been racing for a while and was really good. Well I pulled slower car gets the handicap, which makes the field level, so anyone can win.

Feature| Powderpuff Racing

I guess one of the best memories was the Drag Day on November 1, 2011, where I cut a perfect light. That was pure joy.

Any scary incidents?

The only scary incident that I have had was last year, when my husband added more compression and close ratio gears to my car. The track was not prepped very well, and twice when I took off from the line, my car went for the guard rail. Needless to say, I parked it for the rest of the day. I did not want to take the chance, and crash.

Plans for the future?

I will be taking 2014 off from racing. I really want to concentrate on talking to the ladies and getting some more interested in racing. I can’t do that when I am racing, because I am in the staging lanes all day. I will be setting up my PowderPuff booth at all the races and at The Classic in 2014. I am so excited, because one of my sponsors, Cerny Racing just bought us this awesome pink awning to have for the shows. It will be the brightest booth at the shows,

and will draw some attention.

My husband and I plan to take my car and fix some body issues and have it repainted again. And who knows, maybe in 2015 I might have a bigger motor in it. We shall see what Mike comes up with. I am always the last to know!

Where would you like female racing to go? and is it better having a separate class, as you mentioned you raced with the guys for a while?

I would just like to see the PowderPuff Class grow. Candy and I started the class up again in 2009 after racing with the guys for awhile. We approached Rich Kimball again, and he said he was all for the class starting up again as long as there was at least 8 ladies to race. Really? Our very first race at Drag Day we had 31 ladies show up to race. That was so great. The average for each race is between 18 to 25 ladies.

I believe it is better to have our own class. It has proven to be the best and most organised class at all the races.

If any of the ladies want to

jump ship and race with the boys, we have no problem with that. They are always welcome to come back and race with us.

We have two Series for the PowderPuff Class. 3 race series for both. For 2014, the Series are as follow: Series One – Productions Drag Day Bug-In Drag Day

Periscope March 16, 2014 April 27, 2014 October 26, 2014

Series Two – Bugorama Promotions Sacramento Bugorama May 25, 2014 Sacramento Bugorama August 31, 2014 Fontana Bugorama May 4, 2014 We had 20 sponsors last year, and we are hoping for more for 2014.

We have an Awards Ceremony every year, where the Champion for each Series, and the 2nd and 3rd place ladies for both series, get money, plaques, gift certificates, and gifts.

Words and pictures by Kat Hawke

A

s an unseasonably sunny day dawned on Australia’s southern city of Melbourne on October 20th, VW addicts from all over the country were up early, bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed, ready to put finishing touches on their vehicles of all years and models. It was finally the Day of the Volkswagen, Melbourne’s best day of the year (according to this little VeeDub nut anyway!).

lanes of smooth black asphalt, horns tooting, the all-too-familiar sound of “dak dak dak dak dak” hammering away two-hundred times over, the sun beating down and 60km of open road ahead of you…. THAT my friends, is happiness. I have never seen so many people simultaneously driving, all with grins plastered ear-to-ear!

One group of mischievous VW aficionados, known as “Type 3 Contingent” was already gathering in a north-eastern suburb, assembling their crew and cars, ready to cruise out in convoy to one of Melbourne’s most beautiful areas: Yarra Glen.

<...the sun beating down and 60km of open road ahead of you…. THAT my friends, is happiness. >

For those of you who have never attended this spectacular event (and it’s associated pilgrimage), let me paint you a picture…. Over 200 vintage air-cooled VW’s (and at least another 100-odd watercooled) all cruising along four

On arrival at Yarra Glen, we were greeted with rolling green hills, winding country roads, eucalyptus trees and even the odd kangaroo.

Not a bad setting to sit and admire as you waited in a line of over 500 vehicles (and that was

just the entrants!). Once through the check-in point, drivers were free to pull over and detail their vehicles (albeit useless as the waiting line of cars kicked up clouds of dust upon arrival) before being individually judged for the show n’ shine.

With nearly 600 vehicles on display, there was rows-uponrows of stunning vehicles, representing every era of the Volkswagen family with both modified and stock examples.

Proudly in front of the main grandstand was the Type 3 Contingent who were around 25 vehicles strong, including vehicles from as far away as Sydney & Newcastle. Within the group was a solid representation of Type 3’s of all shapes, as well as Karman Ghia’s, Beetles, early golfs & more recent model golfs as well.

Surrounding them were the Audi, Skoda, Watercooled VW (Passats, Golfs, Polos, EOS’) groups and beyond that; a few hundred earlymodel Beetles and Kombis.

Show Report| Day of the VW There was at least one of nearly every model of VW ever made; Fridolins, Things, Manx, Baja’s, Country Buggies, Razors… you name it, they turned up.

The day was a long one, enduring heats of over 40 degrees Celsius, so naturally as Australians we resorted to picnics and barbeques in any piece of shade we could

find, and what better way to do so than out of the back of a kombi!

There was no shortage of parts & merchandise for sale either, with a huge undercover area and another tree-lined avenue, crowded with stallholders selling everything from die-casts to shirts, owners manuals to very

rare NOS parts. This particular year’s event was a rather special occasion too, as it was not only, 60 years of Volkswagen in Australia, but also the 50th anniversary of the Type 3 in Australia. Due to the significance of the event, there was plenty of talks, presentations, discussion groups and a slightly expanded field of awards on offer.

The day was a great success with a really relaxed community vibe.

Everyone seemed to come out of the woodworks and it was great to see, as Australia can be such a vast country that some clubs rarely cross paths simply due to distance. It was really wonderful to see everyone treating one

another as if they were family, genuinely sharing the VW stoke.

I for one can vouch for this, as a Sydney-sider, it can sometimes put you on the outside a little when visiting other cities, but thanks to the Type 3 Contingent, I have never felt so at home, and

I’ve made a huge new group of friends (as I’m sure is the case for many of the day’s attendees).

If you’re ever visiting our great country, I highly recommend aligning your trip with the Day of the Volkswagen!

Show Report| Day of the VW

Air Monkeys 2014

Keep a watchful eye on: www.airmonkeys.co.uk www.facebook.com/airmonkeys and www.air-monkeys.tumblr.com for more information on the Air Monkeys cars and what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up to.

Also if you want to be considered to be featured in a future issue email info@airmonkeys.co.uk