Air Monkeys Issue 6 by Air Monkeys

Issue Six

BVF Splitscreen Icecream ‘72 Beetle DTA BBQ Rock ’n Roll Weekend

Air Monkeys Magazine The Air Monkeys Crew: Joe Eynon • Editor • Feature Writer • Photographer Samantha Eynon • Deputy Editor • Feature Writer • Photographer/ Illustrator Edd Thorpe • Feature Writer • Photographer Shantelle Bourne • Photograher • Feature Writer • Layout Nikola Woodhall • Photographer • Layout • Martin Cox • Photographer Richard Thorpe • Feature Writer • Photographer Contributors: Rob Blackwood, Colin Davies, Sam Denton, Dan Dimbleby, Steve Forrester, PJ Gibbons, Paul Lippett, Kate McCarthy, Wes Mans, Si Medicott, Scott “DonnyBurger” Mitchell, Douglas Nascrimento, Steve Parsons, Peter Salter, Emily Smith, Paul Sutton, Alan Taylor, Nathan Wilson

The last time I was writing this we were all looking forward to a summer full of VW’s, Shows, Festivals, BBQ’s and plenty of driving in British sunshine. What went wrong?! Well we can blame the Jet Stream all we want but in the U.K that’s just what we’ve got so lets make the most of it. And we did. Shows were being cancelled and showgrounds became swamps but people kept smiling. You really can’t beat the high spirited VW scene in this country. California doesn’t know how luckly it is! Even when shows did get cancelled we just picked ourselves up and thanks to a few dedicated people the wheels just kept spinning. So lets give a shout out to all the event organisers, big and small, that battled through the rain and mud to bring us a year none of us will forget. We have to remember its not about the weather, or the locations. It’s not even about the cars! It’s about the people who we choose the hang out with. And they’re all great!

Joe Eynon Editor

What’s inside? Regular Features Feature Vehicles BVF

Spanked! Cool Sh*t

Fuelled Society

Tasty Tees Technical Focus Earworm Shop Tour Show Reports Photo Focus

‘72 Beetle

Whitestar T25

Morgan Factory Tour

l r i G d e y E own

Feature | 1972 Beetle

non words- Joe Ey y Smith pictures- Emil

Colin Davies has been kind enough to let us show you his customised Beetle. This should be fun!

Feature | 1972 Beetle

olin Davies is no newcomer to the world of classic car ownership. In his 53 years on this rock, he has owned not only this 1972 Beetle and a 1972 Dormobile before that, but a whole forecourts worth of precious metal. Over the years he has owned a ‘69 Anglia, ‘53 Consul, ‘69 Torino GT Fastback, ‘60 Lambretta Li150, ‘71 Stag, ‘83 Capri 2.8i, ‘83 Audi 80 GT Coupe and a ‘84 Merc 280CE coupe. He picked up this latest instalment to the Colin Fleet in 2006, from his old friend Lee. With a small group of die hard petrol heads, the beetle underwent a restoration. At

Scotty’s Van Centre in Bicester, they rigged up a modest gazebo in the yard and began striping it out and welding in the new metal. The pan and chassis required new edges, a new battery tray, rear cross members, inner front arches, A pillars, rear quarters, new wing mountings, gutters, rear bumper mounts and the infamous heater channels. Once the welding was done the prep started for the paint to be laid on. Colin added a 30% matting agent to the 2K paint

and then just simply waxed the paint for a sheen rather than a shine. This was the first true restoration that Colin had undertaken. He shows he has learnt a lot over the years and compiled his knowledge into this Beetle. When bolting the Bug back together Colin tried to use period accessories to give the desired look he was wanting. GP racing bullet shaped mirrors were used and halogen lamps were added. The indicators have been relocated into the horn grills to give the car a smooth look. Smoked lenses on the rear lights add to the slightly modified look.

Feature | 1972 Beetle

The best part about this car is the modifications that most people wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even notice. The C pillars have been reshaped and slightly de-seamed. The front horn grills have been replaced with cast alloy MGA bonnet vents. Also the number plate light has been replaced with a unit off a varient, to allow for a bit more chrome to be on the car. We cannot argue with that! The interior again is slightly modified. Colin has used XR3i front seats and had them re-trimmed to match the look of the Bug. A Mota-Lita steering wheel added to finish the look off. The red pin striping against the brown paintwork looks brilliant and really sets it apart. The engine has a pair of twin Weber 34 ICT carbs with hex bar throttle linkages fitted. A 009 dizzy is fitted but Colin has opted for electronic ignition. A Mondo style silencer hangs from the back. When I first saw this car I loved it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the usual car that I would admire but I noticed the subtle modifcations it had. This made it a cut above the rest. The attention to detail is what makes this car so special. Colin has been involved in modifying cars all his life, and because of that he has recently started up his own business called Royal County Auto Supply. He wishes to find and sell excellent quality British made VW parts to the world. See our technical focus pages to see some of his items.

Colin wishes to thank Lee, Graeme, Scottys Van Centre, Mossy, Jimmy, and everyone from Lo-E Nuf and Royal County VW Club.

Viva skeg vegas words- Sam Eynon pictures- Joe and Sam Eynon

his was a show we were more than a bit excited about, having had the intention of going for the past 2 years and life getting in the way, this year we were finally going to make it ... This years show took place on the Revesby Country Park in Lincolnshire, as after a massive turn out last year the show organisers, Toby and Sally, were forced to find a new venue. The new venue was a bit of a risk, it took place in beautiful rolling fields, with a view of Revesby Hall. The risk would have been if we had had yet another rotten weekend of weather, as it would have

turned into an almighty quagmire. However, we were in for a treat; a weekend (barring a brief shower on the Friday) that was drenched in sunshine. Even though the location was on an A-road, the secluded track down to the camping field made it feel like you had stumbled upon some sort of secret VW party. The weekend did indeed prove to be one big party!

If you love your VWs, music, pinstriping, food, drink, bicycles, dogs, facial hair and vintage or retro bits and pieces, then this was the show for you. It certainly ticked all our boxes! On the Friday night it was a bit of a chilled out affair. You were free to wander around the trade stalls and the swap meet, and to visit the main stripey, carnivalesque,

Show Report | Viva Skeg Vegas

< The weekend did indeed prove to be one big party!>

marquee, where you could grab a drink from the bar and listen to a DJ set and some acoustic music. The Saturday saw the Rust and Prime show take place. If you were the lucky winner of any of the catagories then you could get your hands on what are most definitely the coolest trophies in the VW world. Amongst the trophies for the Saturday and Sunday this year, was the Hayburner baseball bat, and a rat made from car bits.

The range of trade stands there made for an interesting mix, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a case of all the usual suspects. There were loads of stalls selling vintage and retro wares to accessorise your VW with, or to put in your house. One of our buys of the weekend was a crochet tortoise, which we named Toby, in honour of Mr Skeg Vegas himself! Kingfisher Kustoms had a stand selling awesome custom, single speed and road bikes, which was well worth checking out.

There were many beautiful cool boxes for sale, although some of them were a bit on the pricey side, so all we could do was drool! Neil Forster was on hand to pinstripe anything and everything all weekend, and also had a range of pre-pinstriped goods for sale, which looked amazing. There was also loads of live music throughout the day, a live graffiti display, skate demos, moustache a

competition, live comedy, a craft tent with loads of free activities for the little ‘uns and an 80’s themed party in the evening. There were many interesting costumes, which mainly consisted of lots of neon and bad hair, but one group of 4 that stood out were dressed as The Ghostbusters, complete with back packs made from, what appeared to be, engine covers, and ghost balloons following them around As well as the live music there

was a set by VisionTech, which included some 80’s mash-ups that got everyone dancing. So plenty to keep everyone entertained, despite the fact that the fun fair that was booked for the event decided not to turn up! The catering was excellent and included an awesome coffee van (the Citreon that can be seen at the top of the page), an Austin Mini Ice cream van, and a stand that made fresh stonebaked pizzas, which we can confirm were delicious!

There was generally an excellent laid back feel to the weekend, which is exactly what Toby and Sally set out to achieve. The only gripe we picked up on was the porta-loos, often a point of contention at shows, there simply were not enough, but in a way this is a testament to the show, as it highlighted just how busy the weekend was, and is an easy fix. I doubt it will put anyone off going to next years show, we certainly will be returning! Thanks to Toby, Sally and their hardworking, friendly team for making it a great weekend.

Show Report | Viva Skeg Vegas

< If you love your VWs, music, pinstriping, food, drink, bicycles, dogs, facial hair and vintage or retro bits and pieces, than this was the show for you! >

Cool

iHome iP4 Portable FM Stereo Boombox

I’m afraid this awesome device is for apple devices only, a boombox for the modern age. Fit your iPhone or iPod into the dock that is where the cassette deck would be. The speakers are impressive; 4” carbon composite woofers and 1” dome tweeters, powered by a class D amplifier, so you’ll get a great quality of sound blasting out, to share with the world! Available from Firebox.com for £199.99

Penny Skateboards As we all know, all things retro are pretty popular right now, and that includes skateboards. Australian made, Penny Mini Skateboards, emerged in the mid 1970`s, and now they’re back. They are plastic injection moulded and come in a great range of colours, (including a glow in the dark model!) prime for coordinating with your VW! Prices vary from £60-£100, though there are cheaper alternatives out there for those just wanting it to look pretty! Available from amazon.co.uk

Sh*t Hot Pot BBQ

Everyone loves a BBQ, but as this year proves, we don’t always get to enjoy them as often as we’d like. With this BBQ, when it’s not in use it doubles as a potted plant, where you could even grow herbs to season those burgers, when you get the chance to pop them on. Great for small gardens and balcony spaces! Available from scarletandjones.com for £95

DC Comics: The 75th Anniversary Poster Book Celebrating 75 years of DC Comics history, this book contains hundreds of covers from past comics, and includes a 100 posters that are perforated and ready to frame, with commentary, concept sketches and archival material on the back. The difficult bit is deciding which ones not to put up! Available from amazon.co.uk for £15.13

Regular | Cool Sh*t

Mathmos Bike Wheel Lights Here’s a cool way to be seen on your bike at night! These Bike Wheel Lights easily screw directly on to your bike wheel valves and create circles of light when you cycle. The lights use high quality LEDs with light/motion sensors meaning that they will only come on at night when you’re on the move. However, Bike Wheel Lights will not fit racing bike valves. Available from mathmos.com for £10 and they come in two colours, white or colour changing.

Doomed Shot Glass Well after a night on too many shots, you can often wake up feeling like death warmed up, so this glass is very fitting, and looks pretty awesome with some bright coloured liquors inside! Inspired by the ‘Skull of Doom’ a crystal skull discovered in 1924, which the Mayans believed had the power of life and death amongst other things, so beware! Available from red5.co.uk for £7.95

Regular | Cool Sh*t

Gizmon iCA iPhone Case Another one for your Apple fans (sorry there are just more cool accessories for them!) This amazing case makes your phone look like a vintage camera. The shutter button presses on the phone’s volume button, so can be used with many photo apps available. There is also a detachable tripod mount and strap holes. The faux-lens is also a mirror meaning that you can now take self-portraits more easily as well. Available from uuelf.com

Scratch map-UK edition We’ve always wanted a map covered in pins to show where we’ve been in our VWs, but how about one of these Scratch maps!? Just scratch off where you have been, and slowly reveal the whole country! It also comes in a worldwide edition for the more ambitious! Available from iwantoneofthose. com for £12.99

words- Kate McCarthy pictures- Rob Blackwood

Show Report | Dubs In’t Dales

MODERN WARFARE Yes we know, it’s not Air-Cooled! The problem is when something is this cool, it has to be seen. words- Joe Eynon photos- Scott ‘DonnyBurger’ Mitchell

Feature | Vanagon

y the late 1970’s the Bay-Window was becoming less and less in tune with what the general public wanted from a van. Ford had introduced the Transit in 1965 and other companies had to react. Volkswagen cooked up what we now refer to as the Type 25, or the T3. A lot of VW purists see the introduction of the “Wedge” as the beginning of the end for classic VW’s, as it wouldn’t be soon until VW scraped the famous air-cooled design forever. The Type 25, first introduced in 1979 and in production until 1992, initially came out with a 1.6L and a 2.0L air-cooled engine, but in 1983 the water-cooled lump was fitted. VW never went back to the air-cooled design. Volkswagen even put a diesel engine in some models, which must have provided the Germans some economy on their long motorways. The model gracing these pages is a US import. In the states the VW Transporter was referred to

as a Vanagon. This model is also the WhiteStar edition, which was never available in the UK, although as with many VW’s, a fair few have made their way here since! The WhiteStar edition boasted some superb comforts for a van of its age. Power steering, electric mirrors and central locking were all available on WhiteStar models. This excellent Vanagon is owned by Nathan Wilson and his wife Julie. Over the years, Nathan has owned a few VWs, both air-cooled and water-cooled. This makes him the perfect guy to own one of these transitional vans. He has owned a 1967 Beetle, a 1979 Bay window plus a Mark 2 Golf and a Jetta.

<there isn’t a right or wrong way to do your dub, just your way> He bought the van from the guys down at Bullibarn in Essex. The previous owners of this vehicle deserve a medal as it was in excellent

Feature | Vanagon

condition. The van has required no bodywork repairs since Nathan purchased it back in February this year. Nathan has fitted the rear light blenders and a South African lower front grill, oh and a shrunken head to the interior mirror! The suspension remains stock. The third generation of VW buses didn’t sit as high and proud as earlier models, (I’m thinking about stock bay windows here), so stock or lowered, the van looks great. Nathan maybe has plans somewhere down the line to bring it closer to earth. The most notable addition to this van are the wheels. The Vanagon has 17inch Borbets fitted. A great choice of wheel, with them looking period correct and almost looking like they could have come from Wolfsburg themselves!

The interior of the van is very different to a bay window or a split screen model. It’s very plush and with double captain chairs and a full width rock and roll bed gives the occupants much more room too.

This particular van was fitted with the 2109cc MV Wasserboxer engine. This was an engine used by Volkswagen of America throughout 1990-91. The engine had 95bhp and also used a much more advanced engine management system than other models. The Bosch “Digifant I” was a VW first, as it digitally managed ignition timing as well as fuel delivery. This gave the vehicle a much

smoother engine and made it much more advanced than its rivals, noticably the Transit. VW needed this advancement to stay competitive in the field. When Nathan and his family first saw the van they couldn’t believe the condition of it. Neither can we! The van can often be seen throughout the show scene in the UK so go and check it out for yourself.

Nathan is pretty certain that VW did a perfect job in designing this van and aims to keep it looking factory fresh. In the words of Nathan himself, “there isn’t a right or wrong way to do your dub, just your way!” We couldn’t agree more.

Regular | PhotoFocus

Alan Taylor is to thank for this shot of his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67 Bay on the Isle of Wight.

Air Monkeys Magazine. We are Air-Cooled, We are together, We are free!

Regular | Photo Focus

Steve Forrester took this picture of his 1970 Californian Westfalia Early Bay Window at The Needles on the Isle of Wight.

As many of you will be aware, Stanford Hall is among the best of the already well established shows of the ‘season’ - mainly orientated around the grand hall itself, and famed for its original concourse vehicles displayed on the circular lawn in front of the mansion. Unfortunately however, this year’s event was postponed due to an extraordinary bad bout of the British weather - not that we’re not used to it pissing it down, but when the usually quiet, gently rolling stream that runs through the grounds turns into a raging torrent and bursts its banks, it was clear that dragging hundreds of elderly VWs across it is clearly not the way to go!

Its newly rescheduled date saw no reduction in the number of visitors and exhibitors in attendance, with the famed Split Screen Van Club display being as packed as ever, with a slight change of position down beside the river, making a pleasant change to shake things up a bit! In the SSVCs usual spot instead, were a line-up of later model transporters up to T5s, and showcasing some other Marques from the VAG family such as the Audi owners club, providing something for everyone. In fact everything from an early 50’s split-window Beetle right up to an Audi R8 supercar could be seen at Stanford Hall this year. This show offers a wide opportunity for varied and

Show Report | Stanford Hall

Words: Edd Thorpe Photos: Martin Cox

expansive trade stalls - and this year was no different, from hardened parts and panels suppliers right through to trinkets and accessories being catered for (and even a fantastic wheel spot which I found very hard to walk past and ignore! - Edd) Besides the big kids in all of us, those bringing the younger family to the show were not to be disappointed, with a fun packed fair taking pride of place near the food court, with bouncy castles and quad bikes entertaining the little ones throughout the day. Despite the show being a one day event, there’s plenty going on to make a day of the show, and if it

gets too much, the traditional style tea rooms in the hall provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the show grounds. Stanford Hall is widely regarded among the toughest of the Concours de Elegance competitions catering for VWs in the UK if not in the world, and some of the entrants this year were simply breathtaking, and a far cry from rows upon rows of ratty slammed and narrowed dubs were somewhat used to seeing in ‘show n’ shines’. Indeed stock, original and/or restored was the order of the day here, showcasing some extensive and painstaking restorations, alongside those truly rare ‘unmolested’ survivors.

Show Report | Stanford Hall

Regular | Photo Focus

This photo was taken by Steve Parsons featuring some of the cars from the RSVP and DTA clubs at the RSVP BBQ at Bidford-on-Avon.

Show Report | Fueled Society

Fueled Society

Nostell Priory, Wakefield. Sunday 15th July 2012 words - Joe Eynon

pictures Joe and Sam Eynon

Show Report | Fueled Society

his summer has been a total washout when it comes to organising a car show. Even the most experienced show organisers have had to yield to the conditions. Two of the UK’s most established yearly events, Stanford Hall and The Bus Stop Over, have been cancelled or postponed due to the sheer amount of rain we have had in the past few months. Imagine if it was your first year organising an event. A new show is hard enough to set up without the bad weather trying to spice it up! We were a little unsure about the show whilst driving up the M1 towards Wakefield. A new show can either be a recipe for disaster or success, so we were cautious on arrival. The queues were not too bad as a attendant greeted us and showed us towards the parking areas. The field was at the front of the Nostel Priory House, which is owned by The National Trust. The surrounding trees allowed

for a natural arena or bowl which scooped the cars and visitors in. Straight away I could see this was a car show for the masses. It had nearly every type of vehicle there. From chrome clad Cadilacs to Spolier happy Evo’s. There were Hot-Rods and Muscle Cars, classic British Jags and MG’s plus a fair few Air-cooled and Water-cooled VW’s too. The field was split into sections and the cars segregated. This made it a lot easier to find what you wanted to see, be it your all time favourite vehicle or something new. The Show and Shine area was not so clearly sign-posted, which is something for the organisers to thing about for next year, but the cars involved were spectacular. Along the back of the show area was where most of the American cars assembled. This included a brilliant father and son, little and large, set-up, where the son was

driving a scaled down replica of his Dad’s car. That certainly gathered a crowd and it deserved to! Another thing that gathered a crowd was some of the overexcited participants. Not long after our arrival a Mark One Golf was being revved so loudly and was back-firing so tenaciously that the small children and dogs in attendance were petrified. For a show that was marketed as a friendly, family show that welcomed dog owners to walk their pooch’s around, this was not clever. Our very own Winston was even scared, (but I didn’t tell you that!). However, the organisers did come to the rescue and put a stop to it. Amongst the aforementioned American Cars was the catering. Normally at car shows you end up having to pay a weeks worth of wages to get a lump of processed meat in a stale bread roll. Things were different at Fueled Society

Show Report | Fueled Society

and it was great to see. They had managed to get some really interesting companies to pitch up at the show. One of these was a Split Screen Bus owned by Lulabelle’s Camperlicious Catering with a festival style tea party set up, with cream cakes and puddings. Also, there was a German Schwenkgrill style BBQ there, cooking fresh sausages for all to enjoy. It was refreshing to see that a show had sourced other means of catering rather than the usual over-priced burgers and pies. Their connection with Nothern StreEats was obvious as they were one of the show sponsors. When it comes to picking out some of the stand out cars from the day I could write loads, but you’ll be pleased to know I’ll keep it brief. The Rabbit you can see at the bottom of the page was stunning. It was great to see one of VW of America’s cars nestled into the British countryside. Jim Novak’s signwritten Caddy was another amazing modified Volkswagen. Everyone loves a Caddy! In the air-cooled corner there were some super examples. Near the shows entrance, parked under the shady trees was a

slammed grey 1963 Beetle, complete with side-skirts. Breaking away from the world of VWs gave us the chance to see some other fine classic cars. Parked on the far side of the field from the aforementioned Beetle was a pair of ratty Hillman Imps which were squeezed in amongst a row of American Hot Rods, with Plymouths and Ford rods next to Buicks and Chevrolets, complete with glistening paintwork and awesome pinstriping. There was plenty of modern Japanese, French and Italian marques at the show, which we were not so interested in, but plenty were. This really made it a show for the masses! A lot of credit has to be given to the organisers of this show. In its first year it is punching well above its weight and mixing it with some of the best one day events we have been to. The location is perfect, the eceltic mixture of cars was really interesting and the additional catering and stalls made the day well worth the trip. Roll on next year!

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

Royal County Auto Supply stock a range of British made parts for your German VW. These Beam Tech, (BEAM!==!TECH), beams are just brilliant. Made from cold drawn steel and TIG welded they provide you with a very strong beam for your early Beetle. They come fitted with adjusters and can be narrowed by 2”,3” or 4”. You can also get a stainless steel version for those who like to polish your floorpans or if you’re building a buggy. Prices between- £345-£650 Available from- www.royalcountyautosupply.co.uk

‘67-’68 Flasher Unit Karmann Konnection are now selling a 12V Flasher Unit for USA cars with emergency flashers. This is a spot-on rendition of the original right down to the paper insert denoting the colour scheme for each wire connection. Simply plugs in as original and employs the latest electronic technology. Fites Beetles and Buses. Price: £66.00 (Including VAT at 20%) www.karmannkonnection.com

Regular | Technical Focus Detailed Porsche Centre Caps Want some hand painted centre caps for your alloys. Look no further than these beauties! Available in either a plastic cap or chromed they add the final touch to a wheel refurb. Heritage or Porsche ones are available plus you can have a custom colour scheme if you so wish. -

Fuchs, D90’s etc. Metal, chrome or plastic centre caps. Standard Porsche colours or custom on request Quick turnaround & sent by insured post. - Heritage Fooks centre caps also detailed & some sets available now - Other marques considered on an individual basis. Prices start at £55 with insured delivery. email dubgrrl@gmail.com for more information.

RACEWARE Engineering is proud to announce the availability of custom assembled 10mm thread Head Stud Kits for the VW Type-1-2-3-4 and Porsche 914 engines. RACEWARE has increased the head stud lengths available so that we can help those who need special head stud lenghts. We now offer head studs lengths from 6.5” to 10.25” with everything in between. With RACEWARE you can properly build your engine without using an inferior one size fits all head stud. These certified Aerospace Quality Head Studs have a 205,000 PSI tensile strength to prevent head gasket leaks common with other head studs. Each RACEWARE Head Stud Kit comes complete with CNC machined Billet, Hardened Head Washers, Forged 12 Point Aircraft Nuts and detailed installation instructions. Available for all VW air-cooled applications including AutoCraft 910 style heads. For More information contact: RACEWARE Engineering LLC Phone + 734.947.9499 raceware@comcast.net

The Seldom Seen Kid words: Joe Eynon pictures: Douglas Nascimento

Feature | VW 1600

If you asked the majority of the public what Volkswagen made before the Golf, Polo and Passat era they’d more likely say the Beetle and Camper-van. A few may know about the Karmann Ghia or the Variants. I imagine no-one would mention this forgotten little gem. The car on your screens now

is a Volkswagen 1600. It was launched in 1968 and due to its 3-box square styling was nicknamed the “Coffin-Joe” after the popular Brazilian movie character. As you may have guessed this car was never sold in Europe and was solely sold in Brazil. It was never a favourite and sold in poor numbers although it was popular as a taxi up until the

early nighties. Due to many of the having a hard life on Brazil’s roads not many survive today. Infact there may be as few as 20 models in this condition in Brazil today. This fine example is owned by Douglas Nascimento who lives in São Paulo. Douglas is a

journalist and photographer by trade but has always been interested in classic cars. At the moment he also owns a 1929 Model A Ford. His father was always interested and owned air-cooled Volkswagens so Douglas says he owns this car due to a family tradition. Sounds like a great tradition to uphold! This particular model was built in 1969 and has the later style square headlights fitted rather than the earliet round ones. Douglasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; father owned a car very simular and ever since it was sold he has search high and low for one since his father died in 1992. A fitting tribute.

This car is completely original and that is just the way Douglas likes it. He managed to buy it in 2010 and has spent a small amount of money on it since then, with no restoration required at all. The VW 1600 was the first air-cooled 4-door saloon VW made and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a crying shame we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make more of a fuss about it. The 1600 engine is fitted with a Solex H30 Pic carb and generates 50bhp at best. Fitted with front disc brakes from new and a multigauged wooden dashboard the

Feature | VW 1600

1600 was a very good car when it was launched. With a swing-axle rear set-up and a pokey motor this car is a pleasure to drive. This car really is a time-warp piece as even the original radio and speakers are in the car and sound great too! Douglas has never really entered it into shows but the car did scoop an award at this years Volkswagen Day in Brazil. In 1969 VO of Brazil produced a estate version of the 1600 with a huge load-space in the back. Yet neither of these models proved popular with the public and

were replaced by the Brasilla and later the Passat. If the car had never been dubbed “Coffin-Joe” it may have become a more popular model. The car though is great but never gained enough respect in its years in production. The VW scene is pretty strong in South America and Douglas’ car is still loved and cherised. If somebody was ever able to bring a 1600 over the the European scene you can bet your bottom dollar it would prove very popular. Especially one as good as Douglas’.

Top tips for...

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words & pictures: PJ Gibbons

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We caught u and maybe a

e scoop or two...

up with the man behind Splitscreen Icecream for a chat an icecream or two!

words- Sam Eynon pics- Joe Eynon

Feature | Splitscreen Icecream

Profile Owner Name: Dan Dimbleby Vehicle Name: Mimi Location: Bristol  Age: 38 Occupation/business : The Splitscreen Icecream Company    Previous VWs: 1972 ‘crossover’ lowlight Bay (I still own her) Dream VW? 1960’s Single cab or crew cab..or perhaps a 50’s binz... but that really is a dream! What VW do you have? Type 2   What year is your VW? 1964 What model is it? (i.e. Standard, Deluxe 1200 etc). SO2 High-roof mobile sales flap   When did you buy it?: 2010 Where did you buy it from? The infamous Fast Freddie, but he bought it in Germany (it nearly was bought by a museum) How long to build/restore: About a year

Feature | Splitscreen Icecream

he Splitscreen Icecream Company, is definitely a company to fall in love with- a lovely high roof split that contains lots of amazing ice cream, sounds like our version of heaven actually!

We first spotted this beauty, otherwise known as Mimi, at Volksworld 2011. We obviously made a bee-line for the vehicle, for one to have a nosey at it and secondly to try one of the ice creams. There was another ice cream van at Volksworld that day, but we only had eyes for this one! On our visit to Volksworld this year Mimi was there again, much to our delight! We decided to have a chat with her owner Dan Dimbleby about the van and the company. How did you decide what business you wanted to run and what made you pick a VW camper as the vehicle you were going to use? I love decent ice cream and I’ve always loved VW’s; we were on holiday in our ‘72 bus after being at The Big Chill Festival in 2009 - we watched a Mr. Whippy on the beach while sitting in our bus and it was literally a light bulb moment and Splitscreen Icecream was born - it was time to bring proper quality ice cream to people from a cool vehicle - something people would love. I wouldn’t have set it up or come up with the idea if we hadn’t owned our camper and I hadn’t loved VW’s - I probably would have stayed in my old career of TV production! How did you go about setting up your business? We quicly registered the website and business name and set about looking for the right vehicle. I knew about SO2’s(factory approved sales-flaps) having seen them in books but I knew how rare they were and never dreamt I would find one - we know of 5 in the world, at the most I guess there are between 5 and 10 left. I would never cut into a high-top or a normal height van, well a splittie anyway, so I set about designing an interior that would work without hacking holes in rare vehicles but then up came Mimi on the Samba - I couldn’t believe it and she use to be an ice cream van back in the day in Germany - it was fate. We went and viewed and bought it that night. Then it was time for the resto. Then at the start of 2011 we went balastic with emails, website stuff, etc etc and applied to loads of shows and festivals etc - it was hard work but we came at the right time and so we were quickly booked up - I think people liked the fact it was unique and the vehicle was actually original. From there it’s been hard work and a lot of fun too, although the current weather is killing us!

Who helped you and how? Ronny from VW Endangered Species (www. vwendangeredspecies.co.uk) did the resto - I cannot reccomend his work enough. It was painted to perfection by M&D Auto Refinishers (www.camperrestoration.co.uk, the the amazing ice cream interior was fitted out by Will at Evotech Composites (www.evotechcomposites.co.uk). All their work was just amazing and they were all fantastic to work alongside - they each lived and breathed the project almost as much as me and they’ve become friends in the process, so I would like to thank them very much for the hard work. Have you won any trophies with Mimi? Never time to enter at shows because working, however much to our suprise we won ‘Best Car in Show’ at Vintage Nostaglia which included amazing cars from all over the world and our little commerical won just goes to show, you can’t beat a good Volkswagen  How much money have you spent on the car since it was completed? Not quite sure - brakes needed sorting for this year’s MOT and a dent removed from bumper - nothing bad though. How have you found running a business from a camper? What are the positives and negatives? It’s been great, the general public love buses and ours gets an amazing reaction whether we go, we’ve been booked for some amazing events, meant some lovely people and made lots of new friends - not bad for combining two passions! We just wish we had a bit more room inside and I am always worrying about the van being damaged at festivals or on the road and I’m always worrying about the weather and rust!

How does it compare to other jobs you may have had? I worked (and still work in the winter months) in TV production and have done for 17 years - I loved it and still do but there is nothing more satisfying than running your own business although you do worry a lot more! Favourite event you have worked at? Camperjam, Bristol Volks, Nozstock, The Big Feastival, Boomtown Fair, Fieldview Festival - there really isn’t one alone, they were all different and we loved them all but the above were probably my favourites last summer. Any memorable stories? At one festival, a guy who was off it decided he wanted to climb through the hatch (about 3am) while I was serving other customers, as he started clambering over the side, I noticed he had puked all over himself and he was coming in my van ..anyway, he didn’t manage to climb in, let’s put it that way. OR worst business disaster - we bought tons and tons of Vegan stock for a Vegan festival and didn’t sell any of it and to add insult to injury we had to buy another freezer to put it all in - anyone want to buy it, give us a call! Or we did Stella McCartney’s Children’s Clothing launch - Kate Moss and Stella were there Stella loved the van and the ice cream but we couldn’t raise even a smile from Kate Moss... Any advice you would give to someone wanting to set up a business using their camper? It’s not as easy as it seems and it doesn’t automatically bring success but it is hugely rewarding. Don’t think it’s an easy money maker because it really isn’ - Every event/ festival you do will cost you - it’s not cheap to break into the festival market and sometimes you can work very long hours and earn nothing. But and it’s a big but..most of the time - it is a real real buzz and nothing give us greater satisfaction than a happy customer who leaves our van with a big smile on their face and I’m glad to say that seems to happen a lot. I’m very proud of what me and my wife have achieved and we haven’t looked back once. Now for the most important question... what’s tyour favourite ice-cream flavour? Toffee Fudge Fiasco but this year...Caramel Fudge and Clotted Cream - try it, delicious!

Feature | Splitscreen Icecream

words- Edd Thorpe pictures- Shantelle Bourne

Show Report | Rock ‘n’ Roll Weekend

Our favourite rides from the last few months

Shop Tour | Morgan Cars

Illustration by Samantha Eynon www.samanthaeynon.com

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

This Could Be You!

This photo was taken by Paul Sutton at Big Bang. We love this bus, so unique. If you are the owner please get in touch with us and also with Paul. airmonkeysvw@gmail. com or paul@hot-rat.com

Music that has been doing the rounds at Airmonkey’s HQ

Motion City Soundtrack- Go Samantha Eynon

Being a massive fan of MCS I was very excited by the release of their new album, and couldn’t wait to hear it. However, on first listen I was left a little cold, but I found their last album to be a bit of a slow burner as well, so I was prepared to give it a good few listens before making any final judgements. This is another solid effort from the band, but does seem to lack a bit of the urgency of their former albums, and a little of the sparkle. This is not for a moment to say it is a bad album, just my least favourite from an amazingly consistent back catalogue. It does mark a further progression for the band, being the poppiest album so far, but still laced through with Pierre’s often dark and self-deprecating lyrics, and ofcourse there is still the distinct Moog to be heard peppering some of the tracks, it just wouldn’t be an MCS album without it! Sounds like: Say Anything, Taking Back Sunday, Something Corporate Stand out track: Circuits and Wires Rating: 7/10

Linkin Park- Living Things Joe Eynon

Linkin Park have changed a lot since they burst onto the scene in 2000 with Hybrid Theory. This is their 5th studio album and has yet again has distanced the band from their nu-metal beginnings. The rapping and turntables remain but like their 4th album, ‘A Thousand Suns’ its been toned down. Linkin Park’s albums all seem to follow the same path. Thumping introductions followed by either slow thoughful melodic numbers or screaming anthems. This is not a bad thing, it’s just not anything new. I knew exactly what to expect when I pressed play. The Linkin Park that everyone loves comes through during Victimized and and Burn it Down. Plus during Castle of Glass you realise the band is trying to push themselves lyrically. If you’re on the lookout for an album that it going to push the boundaries and explore new theories, this is not it. If you want a good metal album with a mixture of classical and modern genres this is it. Just don’t expect re-invention. Sounds like: Dead by Sunrise, Xero, Holywood Undead Stand out track: Burn it down Rating: 7/10

Regular | Earworm Micachu and the Shapes – Never Peter Salter

Mica Levi returns with her merry band of Shapes for the follow up to the group’s 2009 debut, ‘Jewellery’. Whilst, the level of polish is notably higher here, for the most part the song writing simply isn’t as fun or as charming as it was three years ago. In fact, at times it begins to feel downright pretentious with the line between repetition and annoyance becoming increasingly blurry. That said, given a chance, ‘Never’ will reward the patient listener with some brilliant, disjointed art rock. ‘You Know’, ‘Low Dogg’ and ‘Holiday’ for example, are wonderfully infectious, toe tappers that go some way to redeeming an otherwise disappointing album. Sounds like: Paris Suit Yourself, Cymbals, CLOUT! Stand out track: Low Dogg Rating 7/10

Aesop Rock - Skelethon Peter Salter

Cramming syllables in to verses like a hamster greedily stuffing nuts in to its cheeks, Aesop Rock continues to write intelligent, witty and challenging rap music that sets him a million miles apart from the repulsive pomp and braggery of his mainstream peers. Picking up exactly where 2009’s excellent ‘None Shall Pass’ left off, the Californian is again backed by a cavalcade of funky big beat drums, heavy guitars, fuzzy bass lines, crackly samples and electronica – all of which are almost certain to induce head bobbing, toe tapping and any number of other involuntarily bodily reactions. For example, if you can resist the urge to air drum along to ‘ZZZ Top’, then you should probably get yourself tested – you might not even be human. Sounds like: Del the Funky Homosapien, Rob Sonic, The CMA Stand out track: ZZZ Top

Passion Pit – Gossamer Peter Salter

Gossamer is a record that is both beautiful and absolutely brimming with joy. Sunny and summery from start to finish, the album floats dreamily between huge, spacey pieces and shimmery J-pop, with the Boston-based band discarding indie pretence in favour of creating a forty minute festival of fun. Gossamer manages to go to a number of places during it’s running time; from cheery, yet theatrical numbers with delicious, densely layered synths and strings (It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy), to beat driven, gang vocal led tracks (Carried Away), with the occasional foray in to something a little more chilled out and stripped back (‘Constant Conversations’). Content wise, there’s nothing particularly new or innovative here, but fans of the band’s previous output will be more than happy that Passion Pit are sticking with what they’re good at – and they are undeniably good at it. Sounds like: Matt & Kim, MGMT, Crystal Castles Stand out track: I’ll Be Alright Rating 8/10

The Offsrping- Days Go By Joe Eynon

The Offspring unfortunatly have gone off the boil during the past few years. They went through some massive line up changes and struggled to adapt to the ever changing Punk Rock scene. This album is really a comeback album. It may not have been their intention but that is how many fans are viewing it. The album still has all the ingredients that made previous, (earlier), Offspring albums great. They seem to have gone back to basics with the band concentrating on what they do well. Dexters voice is so iconic and mixed with awesome bass lines and the infamous whoas, it feels how an Offspring album should. Sounds like: Rise Against, Green Day, Sum 41 Stand out track: The future is now Rating: 8/10

Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania Peter Salter

Oceania is the eighth album from the Chicago-borne Goth rockers, fronted by slap-headed misery guts, Billy Corgan. Album opener ‘Quasar’ gets things off to a promising start, and track two, ‘Panopticon’ is almost as good. Sadly, it’s all downhill from there, with the ensuing series of fairly forgettable musical offerings. It’s not that it’s a bad album; it’s just not a particularly good one either. There is little here to dislike, but nothing to get overly excited about. In spite of the lack of original band members (Corgan assembling an entirely new line up via a competition), it does succeed in sounding like a Pumpkins record and if you’re a die hard Pumpkins fan then you’ll probably find something of value. If not, you’d be better off dusting off and revisiting your copy of ‘Siamese Dream’. Sounds like: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Silversun Pickups Stand out track: Quasar Rating 6/10

The Vaccines- Come Of Age Joe Eynon

These London based indie rockers stormed onto the scene last year and now have released their second full-length album. You won’t find yourself tapping your toes and dancing quite as eagerly to this album but it’s still a great piece of music. The band seems to have slowed the whole tempo of their music. They have produced a classic sounding album with simple bass lines and catchy lyrics. This makes the album instantly pleasing. This album grants The Vaccines a place in big boys club. Sounds like: Spector, Howler, Miles Kane Stand out track: Aftershave Ocean Rating: 9.5/10

Regular | Earworm The Gaslight Anthem- Handwritted Joe Eynon

Steady as a rock. That is how I would describe this album. The Gaslight Anthem have kept to the script in producing their fourth album. Brian Fallon’s voice echoes over the classic American sound throughout the album. The band have always been difficult to classify. At times you feel they want to take you back to a time when mem wore denim not chinos and boots not pumps. At other moments you think of them as being a modern punk band. Punk without the punk attitude. At the end of the day a lot of people say punk is how you act not how you sound, look and dress. This album has all the great qualities that people have come to love about TGA. The opening tracks are bounding foot-stomping tunes that flow into the ballad style songs in the middle of the album. This is The Gaslight Album at their finest. Sounds like: The Horrible Crowes, Bruce Springsteen, Against Me Stand out track: 45’s Rating: 9/10

Two Door Cinema Club- Beacon Joe Eynon

TDCC’s follow up album is one of the most anticipated albums of 2012. Their debut album hit the charts with such success the band needed to step carefully not to follow-up with a flop like so many other bands. It appears that the pressure has not got to them. This album is a more mature collection but still has all the trademark baselines and drumbeats that people love about the band. They have developed as a band without having to reinvent themselves. A very solid second album without being spectacular. Sounds like: Last Dinosaurs, The Drums, The XX Stand out track: Sleep Alone Rating: 7/10

Why? - Sod in the Seed Peter Salter

Very rarely will a band put out a record that’s virtually faultless. Oakland-based experimentalists, Why? however, have managed just that, with their latest EP. Remaining impossible to pin down in terms of a particular genre, Why? combine hip-hop, poetry, indie and pop to create another entirely unique record full of adept song-writing, incredible musicianship (Josiah Wolf’s percussion in particular continues to be exemplary) and dry, intelligent, razor-sharp wit from front man and lyricist, Yoni Wolf, who’s wordsmithery on Sod in the Seed is some of his finest to date. If this six-track offering is to serve as a pre-cursor for October’s full length, ‘Mumps, etc’, then we have every reason to be very, very excited about its release. Sounds like: The Books, Mice Parade, Panda Bear Stand out track: Sod in the Seed Rating 10/10

Bloc Party-Four Samantha Eynon

Bloc Party are one of those bands that have been hounded by the success of their first album. With every new release people have shaken their heads, and said, “well it’s no Silent Alarm”. Those people will be shaking their heads again with this one. It doesn’t sound anything like Silent Alarm, in fact it doesn’t sound like any of their other albums. At times this is refreshing, but in some parts it feels a little forced and unfocused. It is impossible not to listen to this album and see relations to other bands. 3x3 has a Muse-esque tone, Coliseum starts with a bluesy feel then kicks into something heavier that is reminiscent of Queens of The Stoneage or Foo Fighters, and the final track We Are Not Good People explodes into your ears very much like Death From Above 1979. On the whole this is very much a guitar driven album, though their first release from the album, Octopus, nods back towards the electronic sound of Intimacy, and their are also a few poppier tracks. It is a enjoyable listen, peppered with some excellent songs, and many good ones ,but I can’t help but feel that they were trying a little too hard to prove themselves. Sounds like: Foals, Kele, Tokyo Police Club Stand out track: We Are Not Good People Rating: 7/10

Reel Big Fish- Candy Coated Fury Samantha Eynon

Candy Coated Fury is Reel Big Fish’s first studio album since 2007, in the mean time the band have released a covers album and a live album, but all the same it’s been a long time since we heard any new material from these guys. The opener ‘Everyone Else is An Asshole’ makes it clear that the band have not decided to progress lyrically, in fact it feels a little lazy, though I can agree with the sentiment behind it! On the whole, you get what you’d expect from Reel Big Fish with this album,; fun, and sillyness, shot through with cynacisim and sarcasm. Some of the songs feel like re-hashes of earlier ones, but there are a few surprises; Reggae infused ‘Hiding In My Headphones’ is a great collaboration with Sonic Boom Six, and instrumental ‘Don’t Stop Skanking’ has a Bad Manners sort of feel. Reel Big Fish have always been great at covers and their slow tempo reggae version of When In Rome’s “The Promise”, which closes the album, is another solid addition to their repitiore. It is nice to see Reel Big Fish back, and this album will put a smile on most fans of ska punk’s faces, but it is difficult to see where else they have left to go, hopefully they still have some surprises up their hawaiian flowered sleeves. Sounds like: Streetlight Manifesto, Goldfinger, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Stand out track: I know you too well to like you anymore Rating: 6/10

Regular | Earworm

Air Monkey’s Classic Album The Vines- Highly Evolved (2002) Joe Eynon

When this album was released in 2002 it was called the “Saviour of Rock”. Thats a pretty big title but with bands such as The Hives, The White Stripes and The Strokes they revitlised the modern punk rock scene and breathed new life into a music world that was still trying to find the new Nirvana. Highly Evolved opens with the title track with its distorted guitars and twinned with Craig Nicholls gravelly voice it makes a great first inpression. Get Free is a fine example of the band using their strengths to produce a fine song and proved very popular. The whole album then is brimmed with explosive thumping old fashions punk anthems that have positivley alive riffs. Like many Australian bands they struggled to span the globe. Infact few have managed this in recent year. Many have tried. The Vines though did. This platinem selling album should feature in everyones music collection. If you haven’t already got it then what are you waiting for! Sounds like: The Strokes, Jet, Nine Black Alps Stand out track: Get Free Rating: 10/10

Club Focus | DTA

With so many shows cancelled this year, what we all needed was a saviour........ cue DTA!

Stanford Hall is normally a British summer Si Medicott

We caught up with Si to br of the year which was plan

e at Air Monkeys love the Stanford Hall VW Show so when we found that it had been cancelled we were really gutted. It seems like we weren’t the only ones as hours after the show organisers annouced with heavy hearts that it was cancelled a number of ‘alternative shows’ had quickly been arranged. One of these was arranged by Si Medicott and the DTA Crew at their base in Solihull, near Birmingham. It turned out to be a brilliant day. The event was announced on Facebook and invites were sent. It was advertised as an informal meet where we can just relax, have a bit of a BBQ and enjoy being out in our VW’s. It was also mainly an Air-cooled only event although as you can see a Golf managed to sneak in somehow! Little blighter! When we made the 50 mile trip we didn’t know what to expect, but what we found was friendly people, amazing cars and great burgers. The standard of the cars that arrived showed how good the air-cooled scene is in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. The majority of the cars there were either part of the DTA or RSVP clubs. RSVP are based in Redditch, a short drive south. Jamie Mellish also made the trip to the event in his Ghia, which we featured in Issue 1.

Club Focus | DTA

highlight of the year but when May’s show was rescheduled due to the terrible t and the DTA Club came to the rescue hosting a BBQ at their headquarters.

ring you the lowdown on the club and to tell you about one of the best events nned in a few days! As I’ve already mentioned the day was hosted by the DTA club so I caught up with their main man Si to ask him a few questions about the club. So who are you and where are you based? Hi Im Si Medlicott and along with my friends Stefan Rossi and Mike Chare we started DTA. A small club of like minded folks from Solihull. What made you start up your own club? I suppose one of the main reasons would be just to get local people with air-cooled cars together. Around Solihull, it’s difficult to find an area that doesn’t have an air-cooled car of some sort: be it a late bay or a air ride bug. Its been an incredible resource for one another. “Why not grow some bollocks and get us all to meet?” was my thinking. So along with Mike we set some dates, produced some flyers and spammed the town! I suppose over time the club has changed in direction slightly with the people who attend and the cars in which we drive. Do you see yourself as a brand or just some friends hanging out? Friends chilling, traveling, helping one another and having a laugh!

What kind of vehicles have you got in your ranks? We’re very lucky to have a real variation. Early bugs, semaphore buses, type 3’s, crazy slammed bay windows through to early 911’s. We have the one of the oldest rhd razors, one of the only rhd diamond green ovals known. the earliest so33 westfalia and a bloody quick drag beetle. Not bad considering most members are under the age of 30. Do DTA’s members tend to have similar interests apart from VWs? I think so, I believe if we had all met in other ways apart from vw’s we would still be good mates. What shows have you been to in the past year? I don’t think between us we have missed a UK show this year? Maybe one of the smaller ones (cornwall jomboree?). I have to say though, without a shadow of a doubt Spa (le bug show) was the best! Scooped any awards within the club? We won best club at Volksworld this year. Considering we only started 1 year to that weekend, we were very proud! We also won best club at Deva. Cars in the club have won

amongst others, best beetle at bug jam, best aircooled at big bang, best bus at big bang, hayburner choice and the list goes on. Again we are very proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time. What future plans do you have for the club? Keep on going as we are. I think the Midlands scene is the best in the UK at the moment and we are very proud to be part of it. We have an awesome bunch of people between us that don’t think twice about helping one another out. (Taking a days leave to mot a mates car, re-building a friends burnt out bus, building a magazine featured t34 in 4 weeks.) Anyone you want to thank? Yourselves for this opportunity, Volksworld for recognising us in the first place and allowing us into the show this year. RSVP & the double d’s our brothers from Redditch. Paul Knight @ ultravw for the razor feature. Ned @ Hayburner & Anna @ vwscene for the oval features. Everyone who attends the club. You’re all welcome to come to the next DTA bbq on the 21st of October.

Club Focus | DTA

Regular | Photo Focus

Paul Lippettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful Karmann Ghia taken in the village of Badger this year. Lovely car, great setting.

Derby Day

words- Joe Eynon pictures- Sam Denton

ike many people Sam Denton has a member of his family to thank for his serious addiction to all things air-cooled. When he was a young nipper his Dad took him to see a friends Kublewagen and from that day he was hooked. It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help that when he was learning how to drive and looking for his first car Sam spent his evenings with the Derby Dubs guys and girls. A really neat club based in the East Midlands with a good spread of cars. This Beetle is Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second VW and the guy is only 19. It is a 1973 1300cc Bug which he fondly calls Vern. Its taken Sam around 14 months to get it finished and now he wants to show it off to the world! No better place to do that but here. It was never planned to be a long restoration but once he had got started things escalated and the car ended up requiring new wiring looms and an engine rebuild. The bug is lowered with Sway-Away adjusters on its 2 inch narrowed beam and dropped one spline at the rear. Pair that set-up with the set of Centrelines the car looks ready for action.

Feature | ‘73 Beetle The car has been detrimmend and smoothed out to give it a nostalgic appearance from the 1990’s. The rear windows are tinted and with a coloured coded drivers mirror the car has an uncomplicated look that allows the classic lines of the VW Beetle do the talking. Sam had some help along the way whilst restoring the car and the guy he want the thank to most is his Dad. In Sam’s own words, “This couldn’t have happened with out his pocket to fund the project and of course his support, knowledge and guidance when i got stuck! MASSIVE THANKYOU DAD! And thankyou to all the people who have helped, very much appreciated!” Sam also wishes to let everyone know about the Derby Dubs meets. If you’re in the Derby, Burton or Nottingham area head over to Pride Park Stadium on the third Thursday of each month.

Rockabilly Day

words and pictures by Wes Ma

Show Report | Rockabilly Day

ans

We asked our main man in Europe, Wes Mans, to go and check out Rockabilly Day #12 in Assenede,

he day started off grey and cold when I started the beetle, but once I was driving the sun was comming from behind the clouds and the blue sky was visible. It was a sign it was gonna be a nice day. And it was. Rockabillyday 2012 was a success! There was loads of aircooled Vdubs and plenty of other European and American classic cars, all nicely sorted out. Lowriders stood together, muscle cars nice parked with one and other. Hotrods and customs glistened in the sunshine. Plus there was a separated spot for the people who came by bike. Once it started there was no stopping it , cars and bikes came from everywhere and the fields were very soon completly brimmed with a huge amounts of beautiful cars and bikes. Also a lot of visitors made the effort and were nicely dressed in 1950’s Rockabilly fashion. The Rock’n Roll music was playing throughout the day. Bands came from France, Sweden and the UK to play for the event. If you don’t know what to do next year, mark the date of this event and visit it, because this was one of the best shows of the year!

Show Report | Rockabilly Day

Show Report | BVF

British Volkswagen Festival Words: Sam Eynon Pics: Sam and Joe Eynon

Sam and Joe went to see what BVF had to offer this year ...

s we are all well aware, much of this summer was a wash out, which resulted in a number of shows being cancelled or postponed, but then come the weekend of 20-22nd July we were given 3 VW shows in one weekend; BVF, Bug Jam and Dubs at The Castle. It is a mystery as to why it was decided that this was a good idea, though it has to be said that the organisers of any of these shows must have been pretty pleased with the weather that we got that weekend. It was a sunny affair accompanied by sunburn! We picked BVF as our choice of show due to the factors that we wanted a family and dog friendly show, and also it was the show that was shortest drive away. At this show we were introducing my sister in law, her husband and her young family, to the world of the VW festival, as they have recently bought a T5 Van that they are converting into a camper. This proved to be a perfect show to do just that. We arrived on the Friday and pitched ourselves in one of the family camping fields. We were very happy to find that this was next to a brick built toilet block, that even had showering facilities! Not your typical festival amenaties - oh the luxury!

Show Report | BVF

On our first scout round on the Friday evening, it was impossible not to notice the stunning pairing outiside the Bromsgrove Auto Trimmers Stand, of a Mango green Karmann Ghia and a Inari Silver Passat. These showcase vehicles proved to be stars of the show and both were part of Sundays show and shine, where the Passat showed of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hydraulic suspension. The pinstriping on the lowered Ghia was awesome, and both had stunning interiors. The show had a lovely family atmosphere and was quite a chilled out affair. Though it has to be said that there was a lack of the big name traders that you come to expect at these sort of shows. Last year the show almost seemed like a mini Vanfest, with the trade being very similar. Perhaps this was one of the areas that BVF fell down on because of putting it on a weekend when traders had 2 other big shows to choose from. Also, like last year, we were a bit dissappointed in the VWOCGB display in the show hall, which amongst its exhibits had a new VW Touran. While we realise BVF is for all types of VWs we were still scratching our heads at this choice! Having said that there were some beautiful vehicles in the show and shine. The Saturday had the Daily users battling it out and Sunday saw the Concours Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Elegance and Customer Concours classes.

Show Report | BVF

There was also a fair amount of entertainment, which the organisers were keen to point out were included in the ticket price; no need to fork out any extra to buy entertainment tickets like at, ahem, some shows. Though it seemed that a lot of people were happy to provide their own entertainment, grateful for a bit of sunshine in which they could have a BBQ, a drink and enjoy their VW, a bit of a rarity this year! This year the organisers also picked up upon the fact that lots of attendees of the show also have a love for man’s best friend, and this year a Dog Show was held on the Sunday. However, this was a dog show that didn’t take itself too seriously, as awards were presented for ‘The Waggiest Tale’ and ‘Best Trick’ amongst others. This seemed to be a real winner for any familes with young children and dogs. All in all the show was well organised and provided a great chance for people to have a bit of a kick back. My sister in law and her family enjoyed it and we decided we might make it an annual family weekend. So the initiation was successful! Here’s just hoping that next year it doesn’t clash with so many other good shows!

Tasty Tees! 1

7 8

Regular | Tasty Tees

3 4

1- People Are Idiots- moretvicar.com 2- Bearded Inked & Awesome- dpcted.com 3- Catnip- ohhdeer.com 4- Fresh Air- designbyhumans.com 5- Element Elmerald Axes- urbanindustry.co.uk 6- Candy Crest Maroon- rockcandystore.co.uk 7- Macbeth Anchored- loserkids.com 8- Aviator mens yellow- moretvicar.com

The Museum of British Surfing words: Samantha Eynon pictures: Joe Eynon

While on our annual pilgrimmage to North Devon, in our camper, we visited The Museum of British Surfing. We have been going for years, and this year were delighted to discover that the museum had opened in Braunton. The Surfing Museum project actually began way back in 2003 when the family of the late Viscount, Ted Deerhurst, gave a generous donation. Ted was Britain’s first professional surfer and is a hero to the museum’s founder Pete Robinson. Due to this donation and many others, plus the hard work of the museum’s founders, they have managed to put on touring exhibitions around the country, which have had an impressive amount of visitors, standing at an estimated 400,000! In 2009 it became a Registered Charity. They are a national body that is responsible for looking after Britain’s surfing heritage, a very important task we reckon! The Museum opened in its current home on April 6th 2012. Since this time, it has already had over 3,000 visitors, and when we visited in June Pete told us it had already won its first award. The award was for being the best collection in the UK put together on a small

budget. Having seen the museum for ourselves it is easy to say that it is truely a worthy winner of the accolade! Braunton seems like a very fitting location for the Museum, as the village is placed within fairly easy reach of the beaches of Saunton, Croyde, Putsborough, Woolacombe and a bit further afield, Westward Ho! Pete’s own VW was parked up outside the museum on the day we visited, a splitscreen panel van, sign written to advertise the Muesum. It was one of the first things that made us realise we had come to the right place. Having been to Brauton many times previously, before stepping into the Museum we realised it was going to be a bit on the small side, so we were dubious as to what to expect. This needn’t have been the case. The Museum’s team really needs to be applauded on their use of the space. Despite it only being in an area as big as a flat, it still took us an hour to work round it. This is also a testament to the quality of the exhibits on show. They currently own more than 200 boards, some of which date back a century. Their aim is to attain atleast one board from every shaper. The current exhibition is called The Art of Surf, and explores the connection between, you guessed it, art and surf! Surfing tends to attract creative types, so there is quite an array of artwork on display. Many of the boards are masterpieces in themselves, and the shaping of a board is an art in itself. Though there are also posters, drawings, photos and other memorabila on display.

Feature | Museum of British Surfing

Amongst the art on display, you’ll find work by Conrad Shawcross, Ben Cook, Simon Ledson, Mark Haywood, Al Lindsay and Maria Rivans. Of the exhibition’s theme Pete says, “Explorers and early travellers drew surfers, surfers decorated their boards – especially in the 60s & 70s, advertisers plundered surfing imagery right the way back to the early 1900s – and today there’s a flourishing British surfing art scene...” One interesting discovery you will find are photos of Edward Windsor, the Prince of Wales, surfing in Hawaii in 1920. These images are the only known photos of him riding waves, and are also the earliest known pictures of a British person surfing standing up. It seems the young Prince got quite hooked on it, as he made a special surfing trip to Waikiki . He, along with Lord Louis Mountbatten went surfing with David Kahanamoku, who was the brother of Duke Kahanamoku, the great Olympian and father of modern surf. Note he was not an actual Duke, this was his given name, and he was often refered to as The Duke and The Big Kahuna, amongst other things! There is a replica of David Kahanamoku’s surfboard on display with the photos. There is a great range wooden surfboards to look at, now we call them wooden bodyboards, bellyboards or boogie boards, but originally they were called surfboards, surf rider boards or surfing boards. The board design was based on the ancient Hawaiin Paipo boards- Paipo means short or small board in Hawaiin. In Hawaii these boards were like trainer boards where people learnt the art of riding before they attempted to stand up on the longer “alaia” boards.

This type of surfboard is experiencing a bit of a resurgance with companies like the Original Surfboard Company making them by hand. These boards were used in British waters as early as the 1800s,but it was after the first world war that “surf riding” started to become widespread. Surfing has evolved a lot since then and now there are all sorts of shapes and sizes. One of the stars of the show, for sure, was the Surf Champ pinball machine, we would love one of these at Air Monkeys HQ, though we would probably get a lot less done! The Museum has a strong committment to the local community and are planning smaller outreach displays and regular events in Braunton and at other locations in North Devon, featuring music, film, art and culture. They also plan to keep touring exhibitions around the country. Like most surfers Pete and his team are very environmentally conscious and intend to become a carbon neutral operation. They want to introduce the latest sustainable energy technology and to help visitors understand why it is so important to look after the environment.

< One of the stars of the show, for sure...we would love one of these at Air Monkeys HQ! >

Feature | Museum of British Surfing

Before we left the Museum we had a bit of a chat to the Director, Pete, and he really is a man to be admired. He has true committment to the Museum, infact most of the Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection was purchased by him and donated to the charity. In the last three years the collection has been boosted by many public donations of surfing and other realted items, and thanks to this they can now lay claim to having the most extensive and historically significant collection of vintage surfboards, literature and memorabilia on public display and for academic research in Europe. They have been very grateful for the support they have received and love the fact that fellow surfers and other members of the public are helping shape the Museum. We really look forward to going back and seeing next years exhibition, and hope it is still going strong, but with such a dedicated team of people, who have such vision, we imagine it will be. As a charity the Museum relies on the help and support of the public. To find out a number of ways that you can help have a look at their website at www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk.

Air Monkeys 2012

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