Air Monkeys Issue 3

issue three

’65 Splitscreen VW Action ’54 Oval Vanfest ’65 Squareback

S The Air Monkeys Crew: Joe Eynon • Editor • Writer • Photographer Samantha Eynon • Co-Editor • Writer • Photographer/ Illustrator Edd Thorpe • Writer Martin Cox • Writer • Photographer Richard Thorpe • Writer • Photographer

Air Monkeys Magazine

o we have reached the end of the season, hasn’t it flown by!? Some of us have had a busy year so maybe a nice relaxing few days reading this 3rd issue of Air Monkeys is exactly what the Doctor needs to order. It only seems five minutes ago that we were pitching up at Dubfreeze. Edd Thorpe, Sam Eynon and myself entering our vehicles into the Show Hall full of ideas for issue one! The ball has not stopped rolling since that day.

This season of VW fun we have seen a landmark anniversary for the Type 3, some superb debuts from some mind-blowing cars and we’ve also seen more ‘Blast From The Past’ cars than ever. Throughout the year, it has become apparent to me, we have a fantastic bunch of people to work alongside.

The amount of fellow petrol heads who want to help us out knowing full well that we can’t pay them is staggering. They, just like us, do it for the love of the scene and also have the desire to give something back to it.

We hope the Air Monkeys family continues to grow as we have already met some great people and made some super friends along the way.

This 3rd Issue is dedicated to those photographers, writers, show organisers, and artists who help make this magazine possible.

This one is for you- you know who you are!

Joe Eynon Editor

Contributors: Scott ‘Donnyburger’ Mitchell, Steve Parsons, Paul Pace, Colin Pace, Tony Price, Nikola Woodhall, Peter Jones, Jay Townley, Matt Daniels.

Front cover photo taken by Steve Parsons

WinstonThe latest Air Monkey enjoying the sun at Vanfest!

What’s inside?

Regular Features Spanked!

Cool Sh*t Technical Focus Earworm Shop Tour Show Reports

’54 Oval

Vanfest

’65 Splitscreen

Charity Buggies

’65 Squareback

Feature | Oz Square

Hip To Be Square

Words by Sam Eynon Pics by Jay Townley

As this vehicle has already snuck onto our pages a few times, we thought it was time to find out more.

W

e had spotted this squareback at a few shows over the year. When we first saw it at DubFreeze it was up for sale, and as tempting as it was, none of us had the money, but the fella that did was a man who goes by the name of Jay Townley. He has owned it since May this year and bought it off ‘Some guy in the northeast’!

Jay, a Maintance Engineer from Cheshire, says that his love of VWs began when a friend came back from

Cornwall in 1987, full of enthusiasm about all the VWs he had witnessed. This has led to Jay owning a ‘72 type 3 pick up, ‘72 type 4 pick up, 4 door type 4, ‘69 bug, ‘72 bay crossover, ‘63 cal look beetle, T25 Karmann Cheetah, ‘67 slammed deluxe bay, ‘66 rat look beetle, ‘74 Jeans beetle and now he has added the ‘65 Australian square to this comprehensive list!

He came to own the squareback after having sold a bay, due to being low on funds and

being out of work. To enable him to still have a VW he the bought a ‘Crappy’ late bug, while he saved up the pennies for a type 3.

He saw this one on Ebay and as soon as he clocked it he knew it had to be his! He worked from 5am that morning and finished a 2pm, then drove 4 hours up to Newcastle-uponTyne to buy it. As soon as his bum was in the driving seat he was sold. He bought it there and then!

He bought the car for £3800

Feature | Oz Square

< as soon as he clocked it, he knew it had to be his! > and since owning it he has spent, £50 for a NOS type 3 exhaust, £260 for the carpet, £100 on two front tyres and £100 on a new axle.

The axle was required as he snapped one in Belgium on the way to EBI, as he was showing off trying to do a wheelspin! He didn’t let this dampen his spirits though; he got the recovery van to drop him off at the show

and he fixed it there, after getting in touch with Paul at T3D who brought a new axle over for him.

The wheels are 5” Rocket Industries wide five Empi’s with a raw finish and polished rims.

They were bought for him by his, obviously very lovely wife, Liz. Jay is not afraid of getting his hands dirty, having had lots of

experience working on VWs, he does all the work that is needed on the squareback.

He has lowered it 3 notches at the front and 1 inner, 1 outer at the rear and has fitted Smart car tyres up front, Continental 145/65/15 and 165/80/15 Continentals out back, though it still runs on good old drum brakes and has the standard 1500 engine.

< “As far as other dubs I’ve owned, it’s by far the nicest to drive” > He says he hasn’t really gone for any particular style with his squareback, describing it as “standard but low I suppose” This is one of the things we love about this vehicle, it looks used, loved, understated, but also well and truely cool.

As far as Jay can tell the paint on the vehicle, L87 pearl white,

is mostly original apart from on the passenger rear wing, where it seems to have had some sort of war wound at some point. There are some awesome areas where the paint has been buffed away by age, which just adds to the personality of this car, which a previous owner called ‘Matilda’;

it was from Australia orginally, get it!?

His next plans are to recover the seats and door panels eventually, when funds allow. He’s also on the look out for some centre caps for the wheels but he’s finding them difficult to get hold of, so any readers out there, get in touch

Feature | Oz Square

if you have any needing a new home!

Having owned so many Dubs, we were curious to know which one he felt was the best to drive, and he tells us that the squareback wins hands down.

Even though he spent a long time on his ’67 bay getting it to ride sweet, he says the variant is still better.

However, having said that he plans to make some changes

that may affect the ride quality, but will make it look more awesome!

He is in the process of building a 4” narrowed type 1 beam conversion. Though he hopes that it won’t be too bad, as he says “I’ll be fitting dropped spindles and you lose about 35mm when you fit a type 1 anyway” And we’re sure Jay will make it work, as he’s a man that defini-

tely seems to know what he’s doing, as for the lowering he has already done, he removed the lower bracket for the beam and re-welded it and added a cleaner, smoother bracket for ground clearance.

He still has his future sights set on a 53 oval with a “stonking motor” but we have a feeling he’ll be enjoying this car for a while longer yet!

Cool Nike Mag Shoes

e!

tur the Fu o t k Bac

You’re not likely to get your hands on a pair of these, as only 1500 have been made and they have been auctioned off to raise money for The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease research. All going for thousands of pounds!

They are exact replicas of the shoes Marty McFly wore on a trip to 2015 in the film Back to The Future II However, unlike the orginals they unfortunately don’t lace themselves!

Greg Abbott Print Greg Abbott is an illustrator and designer based in West Sussex, England. He has a penchant for awesome monsters and cool typography, and has created a range of brilliant T-Shirts; including some for Paramore and All Time Low.

Pictur

e Perf ect

This print is a little bit different for him, but we think it’s a winner and would love to have it adoring our wall!

To find out more get yourself over to www.gregabbott.co.uk

Sh*t

Wheels and Waves Exhibition Now we like the sound of this exhibition that is running from 20th Oct-18th March.

It showcases vehicles used by British surfers from the 1950s to the present day. It obvioulsy includes some VWs but promises some surprises as well.

The best thing is that entry is Free!

Show

Me Mo re!

www.transport-museum.com

‘We’ve Got Some Work To Do Now’ This is one amazing T-shirt, it has been doing the rounds on Threadless for a while, and has proved so popular it is back for a re-print.

It shows a rather grittier version of Scooby Doo, where all that is left of the Mystery Inc. gang is knarly looking Scooby Doo and a kick ass Thelma, plus a beasty looking mystery machine in the background sporting power saws.

Get yourself one from www.threadless.com

s!

hread Hot T

Technical Focus A round up of some of the best and coolest products for your VW

red sponso e r a s re age able to lnical p h e r c a e t y s a e nkey us. Th ls to a top qu t a lh Air Mo e e ty7 Wh r steel whee them a shou

by Six o e. Give ur alloy furb yo at a great pric h ity finis t a quote. ge now to 7 091 or 79 .com 07905 bro@hotmail _ thorpys

Laser Tools Stud Repair Damaged wheel studs are a right pain. Most of us just get by with a bit of brute force, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not necessary anymore though.

Laser Tools have come up with this little gem. It will clean your damaged and old threads so your wheels fit like Wolfsburg intended them to.

Best part about it though, is the price. Its yours for ÂŁ27.82.

Have a look now over at, www.lasertools.co.uk

Airkewld 17inch Smoothies American customisers, Airkewld, have long been making to most radical parts and accessories for the most extreme vehicles.

They were one of the first companies to jump on board the bandwagon when it comes to 17inch Fuch replica wheels and they’ve now come up with something truly awesome again.

You can now get your mitts on a set of 17inch chrome smoothies in either wide 5 or narrow 4 fitting. Both bolt fittings will Each set is built to order and costs $1145.

Check out www.airkewld.com

CSP 1302/1303 Lowering Springs Late beetles seem to miss out on much of the love so it’s nice to see CSP are trying to make them feel valued.

These lowering springs will bring your bug 2 inches closer to the ground and they’ll do it for the small fee of £83.50.

Available from CSP direct or Machine 7 in the UK. www.csp-shop.de www.machine7.com

VW ACTION

V

W Action has long held a reputation for being one of the best shows held at Santa Pod Raceway – this year it certainly lived up to it!

(which was also somewhat popular with bigger kids!).

Anyone would be hard pressed not to find something for them over the weekend, with so many Now in it’s 4th year at ‘ The Pod’ attractions inlcuding: autojumVW action has developed into a ble, show and shine , kids show real all-rounder of a show, offer- and shine, car club displays, for ing fun for all– be it high octane sale area, VW Action olympics, VW Action movie, campervan fun on the ‘strip, high ABV fun cookoff, childrens vw world, in the music tents and bars, or Brads pirate treasure hunt, cusif you like getting really dirty… off road Baja fun! Unfortunately tomise your passion, pinstriping demos, monster truck demos, perhaps for this aspect of the show, its location on the far side passes from the Fire Force jet of the ‘strip perhaps contributed car and R/C drag racing. to the somewhat slim spectator numbers for them, which was a The show being laid out on the opposite side of the drag strip to shame by all accounts as they the fire up lane gave it a really made for some great entertainclose feel, as nothing was that ment! far from any or the camping. Of which it was noted that there For the younger dubbers there was an adequate, dedicated was plenty to be keeping them family camping area located occupied by spending mummy furthest from the music tents and daddy’s money on in the and the ‘strip - but closest to the form of a fully fledged fun fair, exits!

words: Edd Thorpe pics: Martin Cox

Saturday saw the daily driver Show and Shine in the day, which has to be the biggest at any Santa Pod based show this season! The variety of bugs, buses and type 3s was phenomenal, with it really being difficult to believe that these cars are used day in day out – no trailer queens here!

That was saved for the Sunday when the concourse show and shine occupied the same space.

The level of these show cars just seems to be going up and up every year, although it is said a lot, it really is the case that the bar keeps being set higher and higher! However I think it was the two pirate ships, one based on a Beetle floor pan built by the Low life Dub Club and caddy based variety entered by the All Dubs Klub that drew the most attention! This proof, if any was needed how strongly the theme of Pirates and Ninjas was all weekend.

Show Report | VW Action VW Action also played host to a spectacular “Back to ’89” or B289 display, organised by Stu Betty, which brought together some of the show cars that really defined the show scene in the early 90s. The creativity, innovation and intricate attention to detail out into each and very car really has to be seen to be believed. You could easily walk round a car 5 times and spot something different about it each and every time.

< The sheer speed of some of the vehicles was mind boggling! >

‘strip, including V8 muscle cars and invited classic fast Fords.

From the habitat of the pits and ‘fire up’ lane we only had to walk to the otherside of the ‘strip’, around the back of the burnout box, and we found some amazing features hidden away. FloodThe trade stall areas were busy lights! This area was totally set through out the day on Saturday, aside from any trade stalls or music, providing a really focused with the Auto Jumble located atmosphere when it came to the the other side of the main access road giving a very clear set night racing on the Saturday. layout to the show. One thing that definitely stuck out was the This itself is a major attraction, as no other VW event cracks popularity of ‘retro’ BMXs with out the floodlights and watches one stall totally dedicated to both air and water cooled cars them! compete for the £1,000 top prize.

This really is a spectacle to If all the wandering round got behold when the sunlight fades too much, there was plenty to see on the drag strip once you’d and the banks of the drag strip perched on the bank or taken a are packed out with everyone seat in the grandstand to admire pumped to see who’s taking home the cash. The sheer speed the many and varied race cars of some of the vehicles was making RWYB passes on the

The most entertaining and indeed the quickest bus on the night was Phil Jarvis’ “Fire Bus” Splitty panel van, putting in a 13.98 s E.T complete with flashing blue light!! Congratulations are also in order to Paul Jordan, putting in the quickest car on the night at a staggering 9.91 s E.T earning himself a well deserved place in the 9 second club, in his insane mk1 golf.

The theme of the event was epitomised with the fancy dress party after the night racing on Saturday, held in the Big Top Tent that previously saw the B289 cars. The stage itself was constructed as a pirate ship, humorously titled the ‘He-Shi’. Opening the party was a ‘Northern Soul’ and ‘Ska’ set from Jason Burpitt, ‘Jay’ is well known amongst Scootering and Mod circles and has played at many Scooter and Northern Soul events. This was followed up by a set from ‘The Current‘, a four piece covers band, playing an extensive set list varying from the 60s through to cutting edge indie rock. Over the other side of the area set aside for the displays and music, the Vision Tech Beats boys did a fantastic job of getting everyone in the party mood with their eccentric mix of decks, live drums ( 2 of them in fact!) and guitars. Nothing was safe from their mashup from The Verve through to The Prodigy!

After all this partying and racing, Sunday came around far too quickly and with some rather more overcast weather then had been experienced over the weekend. On the strip there was plenty of Run What You Brung passes going on with a great mix of drag bikes, V8s Fords and both air and water cooled VWs. One Chevrolet Corvette based dragster very, very nearly didn’t make it down in one piece, but testament to the drivers skill and experience he kept it upright.. Just!

Sunday also saw the announcement that a very lucky Caroline Farmer had won the ’67 Beetle

Show Report | VW Action

donated by Martin Dean of the Thames Valley VWOC in the charity raffle held for Brads Cancer Foundation. This raffle has been running across many of the shows this season and has raised over £10,000. The VW Action Charity Auction also seeks to raise funds for this deserving charity, and added a further £3,000 to the cause.

The award for Europe’s Most Beautiful VW is also given at VW Action, with this going to Simon Fox of Tamworth with his ’63 Squareback. The Best Club award was taken by Low Life with the All Dubs Klub netting the coveted Spirit of VW Action award.

Unfortunately on Sunday the heavens did open up good and proper, a sure-fire way to clear a show really quickly! However all was not lost as we had enjoyed a decent bit of sunshine!

VW Action looks set to gain in popularity with every year, especially considering its rather close chronological proximity to another big VW ‘Fest’ ,as you might say, held on the following weekend which due to the ‘Fest’ s’ pricing re-structure makes VW Action look a positive bargain and astoundingly good value for money. Well done to Brain Burrows and NAS events for putting on another fantastic show.

Weekend Results

ROB MILLER TROPHY (B289 Cars) Guy Bowden (ex-Andy Parrot ‘Trophy Trap’) RADDEST RESTOCAL Justin Williams (‘65 Bug) BADDEST BUG Heydon Mizon (Black ‘67 Bug) COOLEST CAMPER Pieter Grabyn, Holland (‘55 Split) TOP GHIA Pete Morley (‘57 Karmann Ghia) GROOVIEST GOLF Josh Mee (MK1 Golf) NICEST NEWBIE Mick Ashby (RSI New Beetle) BEST CLUB DISPLAY Lowlife VW Club KIDS SHOW & SHINEv Winner - Rachel & Alana (Herbie Go-Kart) Runner-up - Archie Ewing (Wooden Go-Kart) BIKE SHOW & SHINE Winner - Max Edwards (Brown Grifter) Runner-up - Nathan West (Pepsi Lowrider)

Show Report | VW Action CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE (SUNDAY) STOCK/UNMODIFIED TOP 5 AIRCOOLED - STOCK Mark Finch, Shrewsbury. (Ivory/Blue 1972 Bay) Mike Dempster, Northampton (‘65 Type 3) Pieter Grabyn, Holland (‘55 T2) Gareth Roberts, Ormskirk (‘59 Karmann Ghia) BEST OF SHOW Roy Wilson, Saffron Walden (‘66 Bug)

EVERY DAY VEHICLE CONCOURS (SATURDAY) TOP 10 AIRCOOLED: Anneke Gys, Belgium (Blue ‘74 Bug) Paul Irving, Askam-In-Furness (White ‘69 T2 Westfalia) Jim Fuller, Newmarket (Blue ‘99 Mexi-Bug) Andy Porter, Sheffield (White ‘65 T2 Camper) Richard Tonkin, Kempston (Red ‘70 T2 Deluxe) Matt McNulty, Swindon (Yellow ‘66 Karmann Ghia) Max Edwards, Chesterfield (Silver ‘78 Last Edition Bug) Grant Draper, Rowsley (Red/White ‘67 T2 Deluxe) Stu Burrows, Mawsley (Blue ‘56 Oval Ragtop Bug) Pieter Grabyn, Holland (Yellow ‘55 Split)

CUSTOM & CAL CONCOURS (SUNDAY) – TOP 10 AIRCOOLED CUSTOM Pete Morley, East Sussex (‘57 Karmann Ghia) Gary, Debbie & Elisha, Portsmouth (‘65 T2 Splittie) Michael Spiessens, Begium (‘73 German Look Bug) Phil Jarvis, Wolverhampton (‘64 Karmann Cabrio) Marco De Waal, Holland (‘67 Type 3 Notchback) Jonathan Dixon, West Mersia (‘63 Bug) Paul Dean, Chelmsford (‘67 Bay Pickup) Steve Spruyt, Belgium (‘74 Bug) John Gatt, London (‘69 Type 3 Fastback) BEST OF SHOW Simon Fox, Tamworth (‘63 Type 3 Squareback)

NIGHT RACING Top 10 (Quickest) Cars 1. Paul Jordan 9.912.

2. Andy Waite 10.123.

3. Eric Anastasi 10.164.

4. Mario Thau 11.245.

5. Daz Chandler 11.266.

6. Henk Hendrix 11.567.

7. Chris Finley 11.818.

8. Ethan West 11.959.

9. Bruce Collins 12.3010.

10. Danny Pike 12.42 Top 7 (Quickest) Buses 1. Phil Jarvis 13.982.

2. Simon Knief 14.553.

3. Frank Dancer 14.834.

4. Chris Antell 15.285.

5. Stevo Holmes 15.966.

6. Adrian Orb 16.767.

7. Mark Phillipson 16.86 OFFROAD Class A - Winner Simon Ebdon Class A - Runner-up Matt Eames Class B - Winner Seth White Class B - Runner-up Jim Woodyer RADIO CONTROLLED DRAG RACING Winner Philip Knight Runner-up Ian Gale

Y L H S E FR D E K A B

We took a tour around the London Johnny Cupcakes store to see what all the fuss was about with their apparel. words and pictures by Joe Eynon

T

Shop Tour | Johnny Cupcakes

he following is a story of preservation and determination. Plus some pretty awesome apparel to bag!

The company in question is Johnny Cupcakes, Inc. A clothing brand, which in 2001 was founded by Johnny Earle whilst he was playing in his metal-core band, On Broken Wings.

The main insignia for the company is play on the traditional skull and crossbones by replacing the skull with a cupcake.

The line consists of t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, jewellery, pins, and caps. They have stores in Boston, Los Angeles plus a store in Hull, Massachusetts and a new store in London’s Carnaby Street. We took a tour around the London store recently to see what all the hype was about.

Johnny Earle was never work shy and throughout his life he supported his mum by doing anything he could. When he was still a child he would have Lemonade yard stands and sell “prank packs” to school children which included itching powder and whoopee cushions.

Earle says he first started the brand as a complete joke after he made a few shirts for himself to wear when performing in his band and sold a few out of the trunk of his beaten up 89’ Toyota Camry. The shirts soon became to talk of the shows

and the company has only continued to grow since then. He states that he turned down investors early on and took countless financial risks by keeping his shirts out of chain stores.

The store in London, like all the Johnny Cupcakes shops, is themed to look like a bakery. This fits superbly with the images printed on his garments.

He often takes famous images such as Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soup and creates an equally iconic image of his own.

The shops have vintage coolers and fridges, dough mixers and ovens used as display cabinets.

Old baking trays and salvaged shelving, line the wall amongst the traditional sign writing and clothing and accessories. Hidden vanilla air fresheners given the visitor that authentic bakery smell without a real cupcake insight. Although, many people enter the store expecting to buy some sweet treats, only to be confused, It is understandable why Johnny Cupcakes has gained a strong cult following.

Their ideas and themes are unique within the independent fashion world, and the T-shirts are lovingly printed on a limited edition, making each one a collectors item.

One of the best ideas they have had is one of the simplest. If you were to buy a Johnny Cupcakes item of clothing then the packaging you would receive it in is novel. It would be neatly packaged in a gloss black box; much like the kind of box you would receive your pastries in from the delicatessen. Reinforcing the fact you have just bought yourself a real treat!

The company continues to grow and grow but Earle still refrains from selling out to the corporate giants. Something we at Air Monkeys really respect. So if your in London or over in the states in Hull, Boston or L.A. then head into one of the stores at see how the small guys are taking on the world.

All their lines are available online also so why not check out the website in the meantime. www.johnnycupcakes.com Tel: 1.866.606.CAKE Email johnnycupcakesclothing@gmail.com

Shop Tour | Johnny Cupcakes

BusFree Contrary to the shows namesake Busfreeze wasn’t actually freezing – well it didn’t snow at least!

What is widely considered to be the ‘last’ show of year, held at Bingley Hall Staffordshire, this small but firmly anchored show sees campers travel from far and wide (and north!) to catch up with their VW Friends, crack open the scavenged tumble dryer fire drum and drink till the wee small hour or if not head into the on-site bar to sample some of theirs.

Since drinking is pretty much the only thing to do on the Saturday night, you may was well make the most of it!

The show also holds a tradition for seeing long queues awaiting the opening at 9AM, to be met with a £10 entry fee to scurry round the trade stalls held within the hall, perhaps sample the cooked breakfast available from the café on the balcony, have a gander at the show and shine, before promptly leaving at around dinner.

Unfortunately this was the general consensus of peoples show ‘plan’ as, put simply, there’s not a fat lot else to keep crowds drawn into the show for a full day.

Added to this is the fact that approximately 6 pre-

Show Report | Busfreeze

eze 2011 registered show and shine vehicles became’ no shows’ due to one reason or another (in which there was no T3/Type25 class and a very, very thin Rat class), and with somewhat less than the 85 traders and 24 auto jumblers actually honouring their bookings, this resulted in a Busfreeze which unfortunately lead to a felling of anxious disappointment among show goers and unfortunately left some traders severely out-of-pocket.

For weeks in advance a steady buzz had been building round the event only for some show goers to feel a sense of angst upon attending the show.

This was not assisted by the feeling of un-organisation that could be felt coming from the show team, with one poor chap being forced to arrange the Show and Shine vehicles with no prior notice, having never done such a thing before. It is a personal credit to him that he did as best as he could (remember he was expecting to deal with 6 more vehicles than actually showed up!)

It has to be said that the show team ‘on the ground’ were great, being very pleasant, helpful and understanding, but were restrained by a lack of communication ‘from above’. Perhaps the ‘freeze’ events are

words- Edd Thorpe pics- Nikola Woodhall

Busfreeze bingley hall,. staffs

Show Report | Busfreeze a victim of their own success? All day long I heard comparisons to ‘Dub Freeze’ (the shows sister held in February at the same location) with people stating how ‘packed’ that was compared to this event. That maybe so but perhaps such a statement is harsh when considering that this show is only in its 3rd year! The fact that the show and shine does not cater for any Type 1 or 3 based vehicles is perhaps another factor in differing crowd and stall levels.

This show was however very well attended, and many bargains were to be had, with traders using this last outing as a flagship for ‘end of season’ sales. Although it was not without notice that the biggest players in the show were the later Transporters models such as the T4 T5 and new ‘T5.5’ (or T6 to some..?) These played a significant part in the Swap Meet and show and shine hall.

This was not to take anything away from the air-cooled vehicles on display, as there truly were some stunning examples of both Splitscreen and Bay Window, with it being very hard to argue against the winners, as they were very deserving indeed.

Overall this makes a great end of year show due to its simplicity – you know what you’re getting with Busfreeze, and although the £10 entry fee is a constant bugbear to the show, and despite troubles which could quite easily be assigned to ‘teething problems’ the show provides a great opportunity to grab those last minute parts for your winter project, treat yourself to some new apparel, perhaps grab some (very) early Christmas presents and reflect on the 2011 show season.

Feature | Setting The Pace

Setting The Pace

Fitting an aircooled VW with 17inch alloys is a bold move but the Pace brothers show us all how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done. words: Joe Eynon pics: Steve Parsons

A

pair of brothers sharing a hobby together could be great fun. It could also get them in a lot of trouble!

Ever since people have owned VW Beetles, and seen them as a hobby or lifestyle rather than just a car, they have been modifying them. In the 1960’s we had Old Speed cars with small engines, big carbs, early wheel designs such as BRMs or Sprintstars and a clean simple rake. Moving into the 1980’s people embraced the Californian scene and followed their cars that have smooth bodywork and jazzy paintjobs. Very few of these cars survive but when they pop up at shows they certainly turn heads, such as the Billabug from 1989. Around this time Resto-cal arrived. Where the owners develop on the Cal-look image but incorporated accessories into their bugs like roof racks, fender skirts, stone guards. Wing mirrors and bumpers are

covered in as much chrome as possible.

Some of these scenes have lovers and because of the popularity of them they gain some haters too. I haven’t even begun to mention rat-look, gassers, patina or any other of the genres out there, and there are a lot! I’ll leave them for another issue!

The latest idea to hit the aircooled scene is 17-inch alloys. In many people’s opinion this latest craze owes itself to the modern car scene just as much as the hot rod scene.

Feature | Setting The Pace

The aircooled VW scene is actually a bit slow to put oversized rims on their cars.

The VW’s on these pages show how to fit 17’s on a classic car and make it look perfect. They belong to brothers Paul and Colin Pace from Worcestershire.

Between to two of them they have owned a massive amount of pre-1980 Volkswagens. Colin has owned 1959, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1972 and 1982 beetles, a 1959 single cab, a 1962 panel van, a 1966 21 window samba, a 1967 fastback, a 1973 nothcback, a 1970 baywindow plus lots of watercooled Volkswagens. Colin’s brother Paul has also owned a colossal number of VWs like 1956, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1970, 1973 beetles plus a brazilan and a Nigerian pair of beetles. Also he has has 2 squarebacks, 2 fastbacks, 2 early baywindows, a 1960 panel van, a 1965 single cab, and a 1967 kombi.

Paul, a sign-maker, currently owns the

1961 black deluxe beetle that adorns your pages. Having sold his red patina’d squareback, which was “Spanked” in issue one of the magazine, he set his sights on another early bug, and knowing that his old beetle was still owned by his friend Ross up in Scotland he swooped in for the kill! The beetle was already solid and straight with very little wrong with it. Paul has done a lot of work though, with the stance of the car and sorting out the mechanics. When asked how much the beetle is lowered

by Paul said “quite a bit” and when you see what is bolted on underneath this bug you’ll see he isn’t telling fibs. It has a 6 inch narrowed beam with the shock mounts adapted onto the inner of the beam-ends. Dropped spindles then bring the 61’ down to earth with the help of lowered Mini shocks up front. At the rear he has Red 9 stepped up rear spring plate giving it a perfect stance that just oozes style.

Squeezed into the arches are the wheels. Paul has opted for 17”x7” Airevo Polished Raders fitted with 185/35/17’s and 205/45/17’s Nankang tyres. Apart from the stance there is very little different to this beetle from when it left Wolfsburg all those years ago. I think this is what gives it its appeal. Paul has retrimmed the interior with a classic look and added a few extras such a Mooneyes Tacho. Some bodywork repairs have been made but nothing done to alter what Mother Nature has provided us with, a perfect beetle with some of life’s scars on its paintwork. Incorporate this with the lowered mechanics and the 17” wheels it all fits together so well and looks awesome to boot!

< it all fits together so well and looks awesome to boot!>

Feature | Setting The Pace

Lets move on now to Paul’s brother, Colin. He’s the proud owner of the 1966 Type 3. Colin, who works as a landscaper, bought the car in July 2010 from Stoke. He has had to do a lot of body modifications to be able to fit the 17”x7” polished and detailed Fuch replica wheels in the small Type 3 arches.

Although the body remains stock he had to adapt the inner arches to be able to manipulate the huge wheels into place. The front has a 4-inch narrowed Slamwerks beam in place with drop spindle and standard beetle disc brakes. The rear has been converted to an IRS setup instead of the stock swing axle. This was done to assist with the lowering but also to decrease the amount of negative

camber this amount of “slamming” gives a car. On top of this work he also converted the vehicle to right hand drive.

The Pearl white paint is now sun baked and gives a gnarly look that matches the aggressive stance.

Neither of these cars require a big engine or loud stereos. They can just sit on the side of the road and scream at you.

The sales of 17” rims are increasing and more and more people are fitting them to their dubs. You can now get a lot of the aftermarket wheels alloys in 17” so more and more people can make as bolder statement as the Pace brothers have done so.

Paul and Colin wish to thank their families and children and the RSVP boys for their help.

Feature | Setting The Pace

Retu

rn t o th e

Euro Trip | T2OC Germany

e fa ther land

words and pictures- Richard Thorpe

8 Vans, 2500 Miles, 16 Days, 5 Countries, 1 Road

I

n August 2011, from Friday 12th to Saturday 27th, the VW Type 2 Owners Club set out for Germany to visit the various VW factories in Wolfsburg, Hannover and Salzgitter. The convoy was made up of 8 vans - 1 Splitscreen, 5 Bays, 1 T5 Karmann and 1 Jeep with a caravan (yes yes I know, but they had a T4 before!) For some, it was a great opportunity to take their vans back to where they were made and learn more about the VW group, and for others it was a great excuse for a road trip!

Day one was a 5:30am start down to Dover, around the infamous M25 which was surprisingly clear to catch our ferry to Calais. The crossing was smooth and on time, so 2 hours later we were on the short 30 minute drive to the first campsite at Adinkerke in Belgium.

Once settled, we stocked up with supplies from the Lidl supermarket just up the road and then found refuge in the pub just opposite.

The next day was a big one â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 360mile drive to our next destinations, Hannover. We set off at 8:30, and a few hours into the drive we discovered that apparently the Germans do do roadworks and decided to close a main intercountry motorway, in the middle of the day, on a Saturday. Oh and it was 28â&#x20AC;&#x2122;C. In 4 hours we managed to cover a massive 2 miles, but only 1 van decided to get a bit warm and needed a rest, unlike the crews of the vans who all got very warm (except for the T5 and Jeep with aircon...) After 12hours of stop/start traffic, open motorways, closed motorways, quite a few pit stops and a lot of water, we arrived at our campsite for the next few days.

Sunday was a free time day after our mammoth journey the day before, but unfortunately it rained all day. The campsite was set next to a water sports lake, with a water skiing rig set in the middle.

Euro Trip | T2OC Germany

Euro Trip | T2OC Germany The organiser of the trip had brought along an inflatable canoe with the vision of paddling down the Rhine at a later date, so seeing as we were already as wet as we could get, a few of us tested the canoe out and went for a paddle on the lake, with a few strange looks from other campers & water sports enthusiasts. After 20 minutes or so, the heavens threw everything they had at us so we called it a day & spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our vans.

We woke up on Monday to a stark contrast to the previous day – clear blue skies & scorching hot sunshine. Today was the first VW factory tour so we headed off to the VW Commercial Vehicle factory to see the latest T5’s (and also, the Porsche Pamamera) being made. After lunch, we headed off on the short 35mile trip to our home for the next few days, Hameln (of Pied Piper fame). The afternoon was free time so we wandered around the historic town centre.

Tuesday and Wednesday were marked as free days, but in the morning we had an invite to take a short 8 mile drive and to view a huge private VW collection in Hessisch Oldendorf, and the part-stared new Bulli museum (in case you were wondering, the VW Bus is known as a ‘Bulli’ in Germany, as it was used for all sorts of workloads & ‘strong like a bull’). This promises to be a huge museum with its own Hotel, restaurant, exhibits and rare vehicles, but at the moment it’s not much more than a dusty warehouse with a few vehicles inside.

After the collection & museum visit we spent the rest of the day walking around Hameln, following the ‘rat-trail’, sampling various pubs/cafes, watched a free musical in the town hall gardens of the tale of the Pied Piper, in German of course, but the electronic German accompaniment music and ‘currywurst mit pommes’ more than made up for it.

Thursday had us break camp and head 95miles over to Wolfsburg and to a brilliant campsite.

This was home for the next 5 days, and with the site set next to a lake with a beach all the way around, Desperados bar & beachside lounge, live music venue and 29’C weather, we wished we could stay for longer! This was a memorable campsite, as it was here that we bumped into an English family of 6 in their ’78 bay window who were part way through their 6week trip through Europe & were on the way back from Italy, and also the campsite owner wanted a photo of our group as publicity for her site so who were we to say no! The next day the VWT2OC had its own article in the local Wolfsburg newspaper.

Here we had our 2nd factory tour, the VW Car factory. It is a massive building that has been used well before WW2, and on our tour several holes & tears were pointed out in the roof beams and girder supports. It was then revealed that they were holes made by shrapnel from Allied bombs dropped on the site during the war. They made no effort to cover them up as it is part of their history and now actively use them as a feature on their tours. During our stay here we visited the VW theme park, the Autostadt, and we had our first experience of genuine German hospitality. We drove our vans to the Autostadt and went to park up, when we were signalled by the German parking attendants to go to another car park right next to the main entrance, for free. Then the boss of the hospitality staff came over and greeted us personally, gave us a full detailed tour and our own English version of the optional canal boat tour. He genuinely loved his job, didn’t wear a watch as he said that ‘time shouldn’t own anyone, I am my own free man’ and couldn’t do enough for us.

At the end of the day we said our goodbyes and mentioned where we were staying & he

Euro Trip | T2OC Germany

said he’d love to come up for a beer & a chat later in the evening after work. Now how many times have we heard that in England so we took it with a pinch of salt, but later that evening, sure enough he came to the campsite with a 6 pack of Guinness, sat with us and chatted about anything & everything ‘til the small hours of the next morning. It certainly made a lasting impression with us, and the group are still in contact with him now, so if you ever go over to the Autostadt, ask for Marco.

Monday morning brought us to Salzgitter and a tour of the VW Engine factory, including the workshop of the huge Bugatti Veyron W16 engine & gearbox. A few of us went over to Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhaltin, for the afternoon for a look around this oldeworld town set in some fantastic views. We headed back to the campsite ready for the next day which would be spent on the road.

After a night of thunderstorms and rain, we set off for St Goar passing through more torrential rain and thunderstorms that really tested the wipers and seals on our poor Splitscreen, struggling to get our van warm, then into a heat wave and struggling to keep our van cool. We arrived at the next campsite next to the Rhine and over the next few days we visited Boppard where we had appfelstruddle sat in a cafe accessed by a chairlift and overlooking a magnificent hairpin bend in the Rhine, the ruined

castle at St Goar with its mining tunnels, spectacular views and inspirational toilets! (If you ever go there you’ll see what I mean) We spent a hot day in Koblenz sampling local restaurants, local beers, and spent our last night in the pub restaurant owned by the same family as our campsite, followed by drinking Warsteiner next to the Rhine.

Our penultimate day had us on an eventful 315mile drive to Buysscheure in France where a windscreen wiper arm snapped, 2 traffic jams, 1 set of motorway roadworks, 1 hurricane-like wind storm, and 1 Dacia Sandero. My life is now complete!! Our last big drive on the continent was finished off by a big steak dinner at the cafe on site, and an early night for us as we had to catch a ferry in the morning back to Blighty, around the M25, M40, M42 and back to reality.

We got our van finished for the trip literally a few days before we set out, with a massive helping hand from our friends in the Air Monkeys VW Club, and without them I very much doubt we would have made the trip. Over the 2500 miles, the van didn’t miss a beat and the only failure was that wiper arm on the last day. We have some wonderful memories and met some good friends for life. We are already planning the next trip for a few years time, so keep your eyes peeled!

Show Report | Lazy Sunday

Lazy Sunday A one day show in the heart of england in the middle of the famous British summer? Could be a recipe for disaster. Could be a recipe for success.....

Turns out it was one of the hottest days of the year. This is when California came to England.

Words: Joe Eynon

Pics: Joe and Samantha Eynon

C

alifornia comes to England? I imagine your not on my wavelength right about now. Bear with me because hopefully at the end of this article you will be.

Lazy Sunday was a one-day event held on the 31st July 2011 at the Uttoxeter Racecourse near Stoke-on-Trent.

Now I hear you saying, “That’s nothing like Cali” but like I said, please bear with me. The sun was shining and we joined up with the Dub Klub from Burton upon Trent for the event.

The day was organised by the same people who organise VW Action, a big weekend festival held at Santa-Pod every September. VW Action is always a top weekend so that could only mean good things for Lazy Sunday.

The show was advertised as a chilled out day. Somewhere to drive your VW’s to. Crack out the BBQ and enjoy the sunshine with some friends. As it was the first of, (we hope), many Lazy Sundays no one is ever sure how many people will attend. I can happily report that the whole day was very popular with large numbers of cars in attendance and more

visitors than the car park could handle.

Many people camped overnight and they awoke early on the Sunday with the sunlight burning through their tents and campers. By the time they had started to cook their bacon butties and drink their coffee the visitors had begun to arrive. Kombi’s, Bug’s, Varient’s, Golf’s, Lupo’s and Ghia’s all streamed through the gates and began to park up alongside eac other. The show was starting to wake up, here is where the Californian vibe was felt. Everyone was very relaxed. The sunshine did of course help that fact, but I think it was also because no one was expecting anything from the show. The problem with established shows is that everyone expects this year to be the best, better than last year. Lazy Sunday did not have to worry about people saying that.

The greatest part of the show was the Show and Shine. For such a small show the submitted vehicles were top notch.

They sat under the blue sky and gleamed. The arena was not big enough and show cars

continued to line up down the service road! Some Gasser bugs even arrived, which helped with the Southern Californian vibe. Early Porsche’s and Oval Beetles. Barndoors, Sambas. Modified bugs lined up next to stock rides. One of the rarest cars in the show was a Jetta GT with a factory bodykit fitted. I have never seen one before and probably never will again. In fact it didn’t feel like a show and shine. Everyone I spoke to appeared not to be bothered who won, even the people entering the competition said that. It felt like an organised meet such as a DKP Cruise Night outside Nicks Burger Bar in Fullerton or a car park after a cruise out with friends.

The trade area was small but had some interesting items for sale.

The entire show was fantastic, showing people that there is still a need for one-day shows. The show hopefully will gather some followers but I feel it also needs to maintain a grounded approach. It needs to remain small and simple. It was great because it was uncomplicated and had a no-frills attitude. Lets hope it continues for years to come.

Show Report | Lazy Sunday

Feature | 54 Swedish Oval

Some People Have All The Luck.............

Words- Edd Thorpe Pics- Scott ‘Donnyburger’ Mitchell

Seems that some people have all the luck hey? You could spend months, if not years searching for the perfect VW of your dreams, or it can find you, as was the case with Roy Allen of Hadwins VW. Not only was this dream find none other than a 1954 LHD Swedish market Oval window Beetle, but a magazine featured one at that! Having graced the pages of Total VW Spring 2001 edition The beetle was already in immaculate condition having been sympathetically restored by the previous owner, Neil Griffiths.

This included the rather meticulous bare-metal painting of the floor pan using a hack saw blade to strip years worth of underseal off.

It was during this restoration, having only repaired an inner arch closure panels and under

the rear seat, that Phil Bowen welded in the sway away adjusters into the beam.

Then with the rolling shell sorted it was off to Morecraft body shop, local to Phil in Worcester where some severe negotiations saw that gorgeous coat of L41 applied after hours between other work!

During the meantime Phil cracked on with the interior, having stripped the seats down to the frames before enlisting Individual Interiors to come up with the rather unique interior still in place today. It is Clive McDougall who can proudly take all credit for the stitch work in the period style tweed of this interior.

With an immaculate body shell it was onto the propulsion aspect of things, with Phil ordering many parts direct from the states in order to

build up a 103BHP 1776 assembled by himself. The engine features 90.5 Mahle barrels, with the case also tapped for full flow oil, utilising a Maxiflow pump and Fram HP1 Filter, 69 Scat 8 dowel counterweighted Crank, with 12.5lb flywheel and 1700lb Kennedy clutch. An Engle 110 Cam works along with CB Performance 044 heads (featuring 36mm inlet and 40mm exhaust valves) through Scat followers breathing through a

Feature | 54 Swedish Oval

Feature | 54 Swedish Oval

pair of Dellorto DRLA 36 carbs. The hidden Bug Pack Turbo tip muffler helped hide the Oval’s true potency somewhat! Yet today this engine has since made way for a mildly tuned 1600 Twin Port, with Phil keeping the 1776 beast for ‘another project’ before Roy Allen came to own it today.

So just how did that happen?

Well with Hadfields being a Volkswagen retailer for 37 years, it seemed a natural place for Phil to turn to partexchange the oval in 2001, as he now needed a more practical vehicle for everyday use.

At that time the company chairman had a private motor museum, and as the oval was quite unique it spent

some 7 years or so on display.

In March 2011 Roy decided to put the vehicle back on the road, and it is currently taxed and tested. However, due to business commitments it does not get much use.

“No further enhancements or

<The hidden Bug Pack Turbo tip muffler helped hid the Oval’s true potency somewhat! >

modifications have been carried out, and the vehicle has stood up to the last 10 years very well, apart from possibly some paintwork blemishes requiring minor cosmetic attention.”

Feature | 54 Swedish Oval

Massive thanks to Scott â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Donnyburgerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mitchell for going out in the rain to get such great photos!

Music that has been doing the rounds at Airmonkey’s HQ Illustration by Samantha Eynon Words by Joe and Samantha Eynon

Blink 182 Neighborhoods One of the most anticipated albums of 2011, Neighbourhoods, does not disappoint. The hardcore Blink 182 fans will moan that it doesn’t sound like the pop-punk bands early work such as Enema of the State and Dude Ranch but seeing at the band members have families and different ideals since those days, its not a surprise the music has changed! Combine Blink 182, mix it with a heavy dose of Angels and Airwaves with a splash of +44 and Box Car and you’ve got Neighbourhoods down to a tee! Modern progressive punk rock at its best.

Sounds like- Angels and Airwaves, The Ataris, Box Car Racer Stand out tracks- Wishing Well, Snake Charmer Rating- 9/10 Jack’s Mannequin People and Things The third full album from the band that grew from the ashes of Something Corporate. If someone wanted to know what real modern Emo music was, (not Fall Out Boy and All Time Low), then this is certainly one of the bands you should make them listen to.

People and Things is not nearly as catchy as the bands earlier records. The lyrics are more mature and constructive. Jack’s Mannequin are developing their music as their fan base too develops with age. The only issue is much of their fan base don’t want to mature. They wish to stay young and care free, so relate more to the earlier albums.

Sounds like- The Rocket Summer, William Tell, Fun. Stand out tracks- My Racing Thoughts, Release Me Rating- 7/10

Saves The Day Daybreak You either love them or hate them. Saves The Day have returned from after few years and released Daybreak.

The album has the same, trusted sound as much of their previous work. Lo-fi guitar mixed with the instantly recognisable voice of Chris Conley. His lyrics, like previous work, are often dark and express thoughts of suicide and death. The album as a whole has not broken any new ground for the New Jersey band but with it they have continued to cement their standing in the alt-rock hall of fame.

Sounds like- The Get Up Kids, The Movielife, I Am The Avalanche.

Stand out tracks- Let it all go, Chameleon Rating- 8.5/10 New Found Glory Radiosurgery After a couple of ‘off’ years New Found Glory are back where they should be. For some reason unknown, they stopped doing what they were good at. They made ‘Coming Home’, a great pop-punk album, that was more grown up for them, and then made ‘Not Without a Fight’ which was their attempt to come across hardcore but it un-did all their hard work. With Radiosurgery they make a mends for it though. It’s a super catchy pop punk album. It takes snippets of genres including punk, rock, hardcore and emo throughout and mashes them together to create a big pot of teen-angst romance.

Sounds like- Hit The Lights, Sum 41, Fenix TX Stand Out Tracks- Radiosurgery, Memories & Battlescars Florence and the Machine Ceremonials Many people have been waiting on tenterhooks, waiting for the second album from Florence and The Machine, whose first album ‘Lungs’ took the charts by storm in 2009 and 2010. Unfortunately, I felt she became some what overplayed, and for me that was a big turn off.

However, I am loving the single ‘Shake it Out’ at the moment. It is a real feel good, sing-a-long song with soul, but I fear the radio may play it to death too! There are some great tracks on here, but also a few that never seem to really get going.

Sounds like- Kate Bush, Bat For Lashes, Oh Land Stand Out Tracks- Shake it Out, Heartlines, All This and Heaven Too Rating- 6.5/10

Vanfest 2011

On the second weekend of September, every year, the Malvern Hills get invaded by swarms upon swarms of VW Buses, Campers and Pick-ups. words- Joe Eynon This is Vanfest!

pics- Joe and Sam Eynon

Show Report | Vanfest

Show Report | Vanfest

V

anfest has long been a stable fixture in the UK show scene. The first weekend in September has belonged to the air-cooled VW, the Kombi, for many years. It was first held way back in 1994 when a handful of VW campers attended. Last year over 25,000 people attended making it the world’s largest VW Transporter festival.

We cruised into the Three Counties Showground Friday afternoon. Martin and Edd arrived in Martin’s 1966 Pearl White Beetle as Sam and myself rocked up in our 1969 Early Bay. Vanfest is predominantly a bus show but over the weekend you can easily spot plenty of Bugs, Ghia, Variants and a few water-cooled rides also including Caddys and Lupos, which are always interesting. We pitched up our tents and awnings, had a cup of tea- (we are British at the end of the day!), and then made our way into the showground.

The Three Counties Showground is a well-known stomping ground for us VW nuts. BVF is held there yearly as well as many other car events such as Mini and Hot Rod shows. Its a super venue for a show, as its manages to squeeze a huge amount of stuff into a small area. Within a few fields there is everything a petrol head needs for a weekend away.

The first thing that you see when you make your way from the massive camping fields into the showground is the trade area. Only EBI comes close in size to the amount of traders that pitch up trying to sell you their items. All the major names are there in force. This is the show which all the large companies want to attend. Just Kampers, VW Heritage, Cool Air, Karmann Konnection, Custom and Commercial, Status VW, Autokraft and 56 Delux were there to name a few. Plus 100’s of independent retailers, such as Dogs N Dubs who had a massive amount stock with them. They seemed extremely popular throughout the weekend. Many dogs sporting one of their neck-a-chiefs!

If you were after new parts and panels your wishes came true, or if you were after that rare accessorary or part then if you searched hard enough it was more than likely there to be found.

One thing that was apparent was that if you didn’t either own a Radio Flyer or a Dog you were the odd one out. If you were lucky enough to be able to sit your dog in your Radio Flyer then you were super cool! We got our hands on a couple of Radio Flyers over the weekend in the trade areas but we were green with envy at some of the ‘Slammed’ and modified red wagons about over the weekend. It seems some people have far too much time on their hands, and we love it!

The show and shine was very busy and again came up trumps with some super examples of Splits, Bays and T25s plus some interesting water-cooled vans including a T5 on airride, which was uber-cool. As always many of the best vans could be found hidden away in the camping fields or buried amongst the trade stands. One of these can be found on our ‘Spanked’ pages this issue.

People travelled from all over Europe to be a part of the massive festival. Throughout the weekend I got the impression people were a little unhappy with the pricing structure of the weekend. Year on year the entry and entertainment prices have increased and Vanfest is now one of the most expensive shows of the year. You can travel from the UK to EBI for only a fraction more than it costs the go Vanfest.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the Synchro display. In one of the outdoor arenas a number of ‘Off Road’ obstacles had been erected and Sychro models from all over Europe were bouncing and bumping over them all weekend. This was great fun to look at and allowed people to become aware of just how diverse the scene is. Not many car shows can have Rat-look, Show and Shines, 4x4, and camping, (plus more), and still feel so well connected!

The whole event, if not a tad pricey, was superb. It was all about getting away with your friends, enjoying the British countryside and your indulging in your hobby with friends old and new. Anyone who has never been to Vanfest should go next year. Word is, in the ether, that it may be drawing to a close due to friction within the organising comities. Book next year so you can say, “I have been to Vanfest!”

Show Report | Vanfest

If you want some free advertising in Air Monkeys then emailairmonkeyvw@gmail. com

This Could Be You!

The Air Monkeys favourite vehicles from the last few months.

Doodle Dub Words by Sam Eynon Pics by Joe Eynon

We get the low down on this years most eyecatching bus to set the scene on fire!

At Vanfest this year we saw many vehicles that, while stunning, we had seen before. In the sea of lowered, alloyed and plush interiored or full on ratty vans one stood out from crowd.

W

alking round this years show and shine at Vanfest, we spent about 2-3 minutes at most vehicles, until we arrived at a bit of a crowd and could sense a definite buzz around one van. There was a queue of people waiting to talk to the owner, Peter Jones, we eagerly took a place in that queue, to get the low down on his 1965 split screen.

Peter told us that his journey, which resulted in him owning this unique van, started with a bit of an epiphany. He was the victim of a mugging that understandably left him shaken up and resulted in him having a stay in hospital.

He made the decision that he

would turn this episode into something positive. He came to the conclusion that he hadn’t really been living his life to the fullest and this is something he wanted to change. Now he believes in having as much fun as possible, and this is definitely reflected in his vehicle, which put a smile on everyone’s face that saw it at Vanfest.

Peter’s splitty is covered in intricate custom artwork, all created by him. Most of it is applied using Posca Pens.

We spent a good 20 minutes persuing the van and I’m sure there’s still plenty that we missed, even during the weekend Peter was still adding to his creation, and since that

weekend we have seen new photos of the split showing yet more artwork, a definite ‘work in progress’!

Peter will be the first to admit that the bus is far from perfect, but it just oozes personality. and charm.

He describes it as his “...travelling office come dinner, come bedroom and creative think space...”, so definitely a vehicle that is put to good use!

The split is mainly stock but has been lowered and is rolling on 17” Raders. The interior is made from 95% recycled materials.

Peter says that all the art on the van is drawn by hand and are unplanned beforehand.

Feature | â&#x20AC;&#x2122;65 Split

He prefers to work spontaneously and states his influences as being graffiti and the early 1980’s. We asked him what his favourite part of the van was and he said it was the dog travelling compartment for his trusty companion Spike. It was certainly one of the main talking

points, as Spike’s head would suddenly pop out of a hole in the panelling, and he would happily bark at onlookers. A great touch is the 70’s outfit and cap drawn onto the panel, making it reminiscent of one of those boards at seaside resorts where you poke your head through a

Feature | ’65 Split

hole to appear in a comical scene. Spike often joins Peter surfing in the west country and is also set to star in his own comic strip called ‘Spike’ that comes out on December 1st in T4 and T5 Magazine.

There are many more personal touches like a

poem written about Spike by Peter’s dad on one of the cupboard doors. and the numberplates, vinyls, postcards and other bits and bobs that adorn the van.

They all give the sense that this van is truely loved and couldn’t possibly belong to anyone

Feature | ’65 Split

< Peter will be the first to admit that the bus is far from perfect, but it just oozes personality and charm > else, unlike the many vans with the new spotless vinyl interiors with hidden TVs, DVD players and minibars which, while looking wonderful and no doubt being great to go away in, seem to lack a bit of personality sometimes.

We also love the little touches like the umbrella holder Peter has made to go on his roof rack so you don’t have to worry about where to put those wet brollys after having trecked back from the pub in the rain!

The amount of work that has gone into the artwork on the panelling of the doors is incredible, we just love the traditional

gypsy caravan.

On the back window the split was adorned with a number of stickers that were made from Peter’s drawings, including one of his ‘65 split, one of ‘Herbie’ mated with a camper and one of variant camper he dreamt up.

As well as achieving his ultimate dream of owning his own splitscreen Peter owns a rat look 1965 ‘Herbie’ beetle and a 1964 Li 150 Lambaretta.

The van also acts like a fantastic mobile advert for Peter who after drawing cartoons and cars since about the time that he ate his first rusk, has

recently opened a new business called ‘Cartooniez’ The website is currently under development and can be found at www.cartooniez.co.uk but in the meantime he also has a Facebook page that shows some of his awesome work, and he is open for commissions.

We must say that we are looking forward to the next time we see this van to spot what else Peter has added to it, but as for future plans for the bus, Peter remains tight lipped, simply telling us that that is “... Top secret, sorry!”

The Big Beach Buggy Weekend

words by Joe Eynon

Show Report | Beach Buggy Weekend

M

ost Volkswagen shows try to raise money for charities during their event day or weekend but few go to the lengths Tony Price went to. He had a good reason to do so though.

On the Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of August 2011 members of www.beachbuggy.org. uk and some members of www.beachbuggyclub.com came together to raise money for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity. The event organiser felt he needed to say a big thank you to the hospital after they saved the life of his daughter, Amy, after she suffered a near fatal accident. Amy suffered a double neck break and was paralysed from the neck down but after the expert care delivered by the hospital she is now able to be a normal 14-year-old girl with no signs of her previous ordeals!

On the Saturday a group of Beach Buggy owners from both clubs met at the hospital and gave opportunities to patients to have a look at the buggies and enable them to sit inside them and pose for photographs. Some of the patients are really sick so it made a massive difference to their lives. The children gave some amazing feedback to the whole day. Hewlett Packard sponsored the event, which enabled every child to get a gift and some pictures of them and the cars. The cars were also driven around the hospital every

thirty minutes and patients young and old were seen looking out the windows all around the hospital site with beaming smiles on their faces.

On the Sunday the buggies made their way to the Volkswagen Northwest Show at Tatton Park to continue to raise money for the hospital. This move proved a massive success providing huge promotion for the cause. Even Humphrey, the official charity mascot, was getting in on the action.

So far the event has raised £3326 and the figure is still rising! This is an amazing achievement by everyone involved. The money raised truly is amazing but it’s not the best part of the story. The best part is thanks to Amy because with the help of the dedicated staff at the hospital and her family and friends she has made an incredible recovery.

Amy’s family and friends, (which now include many beach buggy owners), should be very proud of her in what she has achieved.

Tony and the rest of the organisers are going to continue to raise money for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity for the foreseeable future and are already planning the same event for next year. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

If you wish to donate then please go to: http:// www.justgiving.com/BeachBuggyWeekend

A Work of Art W

e meet up with the talented Illustrator Matt Daniels, otherwise known as Stickypop.

He caught our attention a while ago with his hardwork on launching a clothers brand and organising an impressive exhibition, both of which are called Squiddles. The aim of both of these ventures is to raise money for charity in memory of Emma Wilkinson who suddenly died aged 19 after a rare reaction to the virus Epstein-Barr.

Matt has also worked on a number of other projects, one of which was to cover a VW camper with his doodles, which we obviously wanted to find out more about.

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Matt Daniels aka Stickypop and I’m a graphic designer and illustrator from Manchester, UK. I’ve worked in the design industry for around 5 years now working on many projects from band promotional material, merchandise as well as the likes of my newest project, the VW Camper Van. Please visit my portfolio! http:// www.stickypop.co.uk What inspires you?

I take inspiration from anything that interests me, whether it’s

music, the book I’m reading or the last film I watched but also my friends aroundme who each inspire me in their own way. Finally, a very special young lady called Emma who passed away last year who was the soul reason I do what I do today, she is my main inspiration behind everything I do.

Favourite type of music?

I don’t have a particular favourite type of music, however I am very keen in Metal and Hardcore music but also love the sounds of Dubstep, Hip-Hop, classical and acoustic. I wouldn’t say I limit myself to one genre.

What was this project for, and how did you get involved?

The client approached me last year after completing a wall mural at the Noise Labs in Manchester on Market Street – Sophie Ellis (who commissioned me for the project) saw the wall mural and wanted me to do something similar to her VW Camper Van – A very exciting and thrilling project to say the least.

How did you approach it?

As with any project, I started with sketching ideas from what Sophie had given me, we went back and

Feature | Stickypop forth with ideas and finally came to the finished design, which we both were really pleased with. the finished design, which we both were really pleased with.

from the design to the finished product.

Did you enjoy it?

I would love to have the opportunity to do this again for any prospective clients. If anybody would like to get in contact with me about a project like this then please do! I’d love to hear from you or even if you enjoyed the VW I’ve already completed. Email – matt.stickypop@gmail.com

I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever worked on, having the ability to work on something on such a huge scale like a VW camper van is such an opportunity, something that doesn’t come up very often. I was very pleased with everything

Any ambitions for doing similar stuff in the future?

And last but not least what is your favourite classic VW/or one you would like to own?

I had a similar conversation a few weeks back with a close friend of mine who is obsessed with VW’s, especially the camper vans. I think I’d love to own a nice classic looking one in a light blue with white details around the side.

However, it needs to have a surf board attached to the top of it!

Best VW S D

ue to the vast amount of VW Shows on the scene we thought it would be good to get a conclusive and decisive decision on which one was best.

Shows vary from loud festival weekends to quiet laid-back affairs in the summer sunshine.

We put the poll out on our facebook page and it quickly spread across the scene with hundred of you voting and all having your say on which one would win.

The overall winner, with a huge margin, was European Bug-in, (featured in Issue 2), with a massive 206 votes. In second was the Scandinavian Cal-look Classic with 60 votes. VW Action came third with 52 votes. EBI did look an amazing event and its all credit to the dedicated team who organise the weekend who include Kobus Cantraine, Mike Walravens and Frederic Peeters. The show got raving reviews and everyone is super eager for the next Euro Bug-in in 2013.

The chart on the left shows the events in the top six. Below is a further list of the other shows people voted for.

Massive congratulations to all the shows, festivals and weekend race events that have made this year one of the best!

Runners-Up

Show 2011 Winners

1st2nd3rd4th5th6th-

European Bug In 206 Scandinavian Cal-look Classic 60 VW Action 58 Ninove 41 Das Drag Day 28 Stanford Hall 27

Thank You to all that voted! Hope to see you at many of the shows next year to make 2012 even better.

EBI Banner copyright 2006 European Bug-In

Votes Votes Votes Votes Votes Votes

Keep a watchful eye on: 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 airmonkeysvw@gmail.com Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to hear from you!

Air Monkeys 2011