Monday 31 March 2014

Volksworld Show 2014, part 1

The Volksworld Show is an annual event held at Sandown Park Racecourse, in Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ. The show is on for the weekend, and attracts traders, participants and members of the public not only from every corner of the UK, but also across most of Europe. There were a lot of friends I know from various VW clubs who attended for the whole weekend, but a few of us had other commitments so we could only attend for a day, so we chose to cruise down on the Sunday, and in hindsight we made the right decision as apparently the traffic was horrendous trying to get into the show on the Saturday. Matthew, Stuart and I arranged to meet up and cruise down in convoy.
 
Matthew and I met up at 08.00am at the local
supermarket. It was really nice of Tesco's to
build us a dedicated meeting place.!


En-route we took a small diversion to meet
Staurt who had gone to pick up Dave and
Angela, who needed a lift to the show to
collect their Beetle which had been on display
all weekend.

After a quick blast around the infamous M25
motorway we arrived at Sandown Racecourse.
Being quite early we had no trouble in finding
somewhere to park. My green bay, Matthews
Blue bay and Stuarts red oxide bay.

Early morning at the show venue, with the
overnight campers just starting to rise from
their busses.

Heading towards the entrance I took the
opportunity to take some photos. This bright
yellow buggy caught my attention.

As did this fenderless hot rod style bug. I do
like the un-usual paint scheme.

You wouldn't think it to look at my bus but I
like polished bits, and this polished deck lid
on this oval beetle was amazing. It is polished
and not chromed.

Walking around the bug it just got better and
better. Love the bright orange paint and the
contrasting white scallps over the wings and
up the bonnet.

Really nice looking front end. Those Porsche
356 headlight grills really set of the front end
by adding a little bling.

A nice variety of vehicles parked up in the
car park.

This late split screen single cab pick up was
nice with a cool patina paint job.


I do like the RAT look, and this pick up was
just about spot on.

I think this is a 1965 Dodge A100, but what
made it un-usual is the rooof addition. I have
never seen one like this before so I'm
assuming it's a home made creation?

Now before anyone asks, I have no idea what
this is, but the more I looked at it, the more I
liked it. The fiberglass body had seen better
days, and it's definately RAT, but it does
grow on you.

Very un-usual rear end. I wonder what those
long cut out sections were for....

The drivers seat was in the middle with two
passenger seats to either side, how cool is that.

This 1950 Tempo Matador is a daily driver, it's
a RHD Australian import and was up for sale
with a price tag of £10,750

A very nice everyday working truck.


Variety is the spice of life and no matter what
condition of your vehicle it's more than welcome
at Volksworld.

Very RAT looking, I do like the rusty roof.

You can't have a Volkswagen show without
the occasional Porsche, and this original
356 roadster was immaculate.

Immaculate interior, and just as Porsche
had designed.

These 356's have such geart body lines. I
still don't understand why we drive around in
big square boxes now-a-days? I think there
would be much less road rage if all the cars
were as beautiful as this.

A bright orange beach buggy with industrial
size roll bars.

This is a really nice looking buggy, the solid
orange paint was immaculate and suited the
car well, as did those wheels.

A lovely spilt screen double cab pick up, with
'Roo' bars, cyclopes light and and a 3
bow roof rack, it was gorgeous.

A late split screen and an early beetle in
similar shades of red.

The early bug was outstanding and finished
to a very high standard, remember these are
vehicles in the public car park!

Just outside the main entrance was this early
signwritten split screen panel van, sitting very
low on red steel wheels with white wall tryes.

For me, two things make this panel van stand
out from the others, #1, narrowed front beam
and #2, the red painted roof. Normally busses
have white roofs or colour matched with the
bodywork so this was a bold colour choice
which works well.

Still outside the show was the pair of splitty's,
a lowered blue 'Canada Dry' split with safari
screens and a stock height ex-army vehicle.


I do like sign written panel vans and this early
split screen looked perfect.

A good mixture of split screens. These guys
camped over on the Saturday night.

An early split screen with proper living
accomadation attached. OK the cab bodywork
needs some work but it'd be a good project.
How did that traffic cone get on the roof?

Another sign written split screen, this time on
a single cab pick up.

Another pair of split screens parked up outside
the show, I think this was the SSVC
(split screen van club) club parking area.

A grey primered early split screen panel van
in RAT look, very nice.

A patina look splitty with deluxe trim, again
very nice.

It looks like this panel van has had a new
front clip not too long ago as the freshly
painted grey primer wasn't in keeping with
the rest of the bus.

Walking back towards the entrance to go into
the show we noticed Neil in his Syncro. Neil
is a good mate from our hometown of
Aylesbury.

Once in the show you have to accend the steps
into the main halls, and these two lovelies were
handing out show guides. I couldn't resist
taking their photo. It looks like Stuart, Matt and
Tim (to the left) can't believe I asked her for a
photo, but I always say, if you don't ask, you
don't get.


So that was part 1 of my Volksworld show
review. Part 2 to follow in a week or so, so
don't forget to chack back soon to see the
next installment.

Sunday 16 March 2014

Volksworld Magazine Photo Shoot.

Back in February this year The Wolfsburg Weed Huggers VW Club put a post up on facebook saying they wanted as many club members as possible to meet up for a photo shoot for the 'Clubs and Events' page in the Volksworld magazine. The photo shoot was to take place on Sunday 9th February at Chalfont Park, Chalfont St. Peter in Bucks, SL9 0QA. The weather forecast was promising after some of the worst storms and flooding the UK has had for something like 100 years, so we were all hoping for a break in the weather. We knew, as it was February it would be cold but as long as it was dry we'd all be happy. Another local VW club, The House of Dub also put a similar post on facebook a few days after the Weedhuggers, but as both photo shoots was on the same day and around the same time we couldn't attend both, which was a shame. On the Sunday morning, the weather was dry with sunny spells due to arrive later in the day, and as the photo shoot wasn't until 3.30pm we actually ended up basking in glorious winter sunshine.

Fellow Outcast member Matthew and I had
arranged to meet at Stuart's House. Our '69
bays parked together in the winter sunshine

Stuart left before Matt and myself as he
needed some petrol en-route to the photo
shoot. Stuart was just pulling out of the
petrol staion as Matt and I drove past.

Chalfont Park, the location for the photo shoot
is a fantastic setting, and with the winter sun
shining you'd be hard pushed to find anywhere
better. A nice pair of Beetles lined up.
(as I have only been to the weedhuggers club
a handful of times, apologies if I don't mention
you by name)

Another beetle in a lovely colour.

A nice looking '69 / 70 beetle in a nice shade
of blue, owned by Michael.

Christian Peck brought his lovely patina'd
split screen. I have to say having the safari
windows open in February, looks good but
as it only just got above freezing all day, he
must have been cold.

Peter brought his immaculate '67 Karmann
Ghia. This car is immaculate inside and out.

There is something about the shape of the
Karmann that is simply timeless.

I think this lovely looking bay belongs to Ryan.
This bay has been over to our club meet, and
it really is a nice looking bus.

Ryan's '70 bay is a bit on the RAT side, but
it doesn't matter it looks just right as it is.

Ryan's lowered bay next to a pastel blue
late bay riding at stock height.

A very clean and tidy late bay of 1975 vintage.

Maxine owns this '72 beetle, and it was nice
to see it at the photo shoot. This bug is a work
in progress, and starting to show signs of 
getting there. 

A lovely backdrop for the photo shoot. Some
of the Wolfsburg Weed Huggers vehicle
enjoying a rare glimpse of the sun.

My '69 import microbus, I really do need to
think about getting a propex heater because
the 20 mile or so drive over to Chalfont Park
was so cold.

Matthew's '69 westy shining in the sunshine.

Rear of the year... Stuarts red oxide bay,
Matthew's blue and white bay and my
green bay.

Stuarts red oxide '71 bay with the painted
black and white chequered front.

This photo looks as though it could be summer
with the blue sky and sunshine, but believe me
it was freezing cold. Three Outcast bay windows
invade the WWH photo shoot.

WWH beetle line up, with the fantastic backdrop
 

Looking along the back of the beetle line up.
Laurie owns the pink bug in the foreground
with the long term intention of making it a
street legal race car.

A very good variety of vehicles came along.
The long shadows means the sun is low in the
sky and it was about 4.00pm and the
temperature was dropping fast.

Julian came along in his super cool looking
early bug. I do like this car.

Julian's bug looks just as cool from the front.
This beetle was on the front cover of Volksworld
magazine in July 2013

A '69 / 70 bay. It doesn't matter what your
bus looks like, the photo shoot was about
the number and variety of vehicles in the club.

Possibly a work in progress vehicle, but it's
starting to look good.

OK I am biased towards the Outcast VW
Club vehicles.

I did say it was a nice setting for a photo shoot.
 

The photographer wanted the vehicles to
get closer, so as to get a good group shot.
Here, the vehicles are just being arranged.

The WWH group shot, starting to look good.

I do like this photo. My bay sandwiched
between Peter's KG, and Julian's bug.

WWH members vehicles.

Group photo.

Another angle of the group shoot.

Stuarts chequered front, Matt's blue bay and
my green bay can clearly be seen.

The photographer took this photo, and although
it wasn't used in the magazine feature, I do
like it. Matthew and me with our sequential
number plates driving past the photographer
as he layed in the road!  You can also see
Stuart in the background.

The April edition of Volksworld magazine,
where on pages 5 & 6 you will find...

The 'Event and Clubs' pages where the WWH
photo shoot was published.

A close up of the main picture in the mag.
(my bay can be clearly seen to the left of
Christian's red and white splitty.)


So that was the Wolfsburg Weed Huggers club
photo shoot. A huge thanks to all the WWH
members for allowing the Outcast crew come
over and join in the fun, and well done for
getting the WWH name in the mag.