Saturday 28 March 2015

Dub Aid 4, VW Charity Show.

Dub Aid is an annual charity Volkswagen show held over a weekend in which they raise money for a particular chosen charity. This year is their 4th year, hence the name Dub Aid 4 and was held over the weekend (Friday - Sunday) of 20th - 22nd March at the Towcester Racecourse in the county of Northamptonshire. The organisers had planned a weekend full of entertainment for all the family, including: Live music all day and at night in the marquee, several licenced bars, and with plenty of food caterers on site, an old skool bike show, show and shine competition, children's entertainment and so the list goes on. You can check out the Dub Aid website here: http://www.dubaid.co.uk/  This year Dub Aid was raising money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital (G.O.S.H.). The Great Ormond Street Hospital in London is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals with the broadest range of dedicated, children’s health care specialists under one roof in the UK. The hospital’s pioneering research and treatment gives hope to children who are suffering from the rarest, most complex and often life-threatening conditions, from across the country and abroad. Check out the G.O.S.H. website here: http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/ . The venue for this years Dub Aid was only about 30 miles from my hometown, but as I could only attend the show for a day, as could my friends and fellow Outcast VW Club members Kevin and Sam, we decided to have a mini cruise to the racecourse on the Saturday. This was the first time I have attended this show, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect but after paying the modest £7 entry fee (the price for a day visitor) I was pleasantly surprised.
To see all my other blog entries, go to ‘My Blog Archive’ to the left of the page. Simply click on an arrow for a particular year, then click on an arrow for a particular month, this will then give you a drop down menu for all the blog entries for that month.


We all met up at 08.15am at The Charter Pub, 
which is the meeting place for The Outcast 
VW Club, which we are all members of. Kevin 
& John were in Kevin's T25 crew cab pick up, 
Sam came along in his 1970 off road trial 
Beetle, and my green 1969 microbus. 


Driving slowly through some road works I had
 a quick photo opportunity to get a picture of the
Outcast VW Club convoy as we drove to the
Towcseter Racecourse.


Kevin's T25, Sam's Beetle and my Microbus
parked up in the day visitor car park at the
charity VW show that was Dub Aid 4.

Once inside the show the first vehicle we noticed 
was the split screen that belongs to Peter Jones. 
Peter is 'Mr Cartooniez' and he spends his time 
going around all the shows drawing cartoon 
caricature's on vehicles, and his bus is probably 
one of the best known buses in the U.K. The
 hammock supports are simplslid into the 
frame of the roof rack and thus provides somewhere 
for Peter to relax on either side of the bus.

This bus has had a serious external make over
recently and it looks awesome. This bus has so
many accessories that it's difficult to notice 
everything this bus has to offer.

Chatting to Peter he was saying that he spent
the winter months touring the west country with
his dog Spike, in the bus. Peter has had a wood
burning stove fitted which not only allows him
to cook in the bus but it also warms the bus
perfectly on those cold winter nights. Peter said
there nothing like walking on the beach with his
dog in winter collecting driftwood to burn on the
compact stove. He sure is living the dream.

The outside of this bus has many accessories
but nowhere near as many as compared to the
interior..

This is Peter's home sweet home. The wood
burning stove in the bottom left of the photo
may only be small but it provides enough heat
to warm the compact interior of the bus and
also enough heat to cook on at the same time.

Again there are so many varied accessories and 
numerous trinkets inside Peter's split screen that 
you simply cannot take it all in.

The bus is Peter's and Spike's, (his loyal Jack
Russell) trademark interior. Pete has said that 
his bus is 'the worlds greatest dog kennel'.

The Towcester  Racecourse is perched on top
of a hill, and the bitter March wind was blowing
a hoolie so it was freezing cold. Here Kevin and 
Sam are getting some hot drinks from one of the 
many camper van inspired catering vendors.

This 1972 white over blue late bay with a pop
top looked super straight and clean. The 'blue
dot' spot lights, the clear front indicator lenses
and the chrome bumpers gave this bay a crisp,
clean and sharp look.

This 1970 white over red early bay was another
very clean and straight bus. The stock ride height,
and the choice of wheel and tyre combination all
helped this bay window stand out. The reflection
on the front and down the side of the bus is really
amazing.

Another early bay, this time a 1969 / 70 that a
trader brought along. I do like sign written panel 
vans and this one was no exception. I love those
yellow headlight lenses and I would love to get 
a pair for my early bay.

This gorgeous matt black 1970 Beetle looked
great parked up at Dub Aid 4. Sam thinks this
bug must have had the body dropped over the
chassis to sit this low, and it certainly looked that
way. I love the stark contrast in the bright yellow
rims of the wheels, and the small details like the
chequered design inside of the headlights.

Thanks to the Paris sun roof being open I was
able to get a decent photo of the interior. The
dash and door cards look like they have been
sticker bombed in the brightest colours available.

The rear of this Bug looked just as good. You
can see by how far the rear wheels sit up in the
wings how low this body is. I did like the U.S. style 
all red rear light lenses with the old skool hot
 rod style blue dots and pin striping on the decklid.

I appreciate this may not be to everyone's liking
but I liked it a lot. Chatting to the owners they 
said that they bought the T4 pretty much as it is 
and that they plan to tour Europe in it in the near 
future. Good luck guy's.

This Brazilian bus was not your run of the mill
bay window. It has an early bay front clip, yet
the rest of the body is from a split screen. I think 
the owner said it was a '76, but when he got the
bus imported the DVLA registered it as a 1960 
model as the chassis numbers were so similar. 
The suicide doors are a nice feature which the 
current owner designed and fabricated himself.

The rear of the bus is pure split screen. This
bus would have originally has the big tail lights
from a late bay, but the present owner disliked
them so he discarded them and fitted these
period looking tail lights.This bus was for sale
with a price tag of £12, 995. ($19,300 approx.)

This gorgeous white over brilliant red deluxe
late split screen was in the show and shine
arena, and you can see why it was immaculate.

Talking of immaculate, not only was this 1982
Mk1 Golf immaculate it was (or looked) almost
totally original. I could not see any aftermarket
parts on this car at all.

The stunning black gloss paint looked stunning
and the reflection was amazingly straight. This
really is a nice looking car.

This 1969 deluxe early bay looked great in it's
RAT guise. It has been lowered and has a
narrowed beam. The bodywork is totally RAT
with patina paint, knocks and scratches and
just enough surface rust to make it get noticed.

This bus is the same year as mine and mine
also has a similar rusty rear bumper. I do like
 those side reflectors and the all red U.S. style 
rear light lenses. You can see from this angle
 just how low this lovely bus sits.

This 1966 Beetle was also in the show and
shine arena, and again it's easy to see why.
This super straight Bug looked immaculate
with what looks like 'Sea Green' paint (I think)
The chrome work shone like new as did the
classic polished Empi 5 spoke wheels.

This classic 1960's Bug looked cleaner now than
 it did when it was new, and the overall subtle look
 worked so well and helped this Beetle stand out.

This 1967 bug finished in a gorgeous coat of red
paint also looked amazing. The slightly lowered
stance and the Porsche wheels, along with more
subtle mods such as the Porsche headlight grilles
and the twin yellow spot lights help to make this
Bug stand out in the show and shine arena.

Attention to detail is the name of the game on
the '67. The whole car was immaculate and the
chrome on that rear blade bumper was like new.

The classic contours of a 1960's Karmann Ghia.
This imported KG was simply stunning in it's
black and red paint, and running on 
black BRM 
wheels with classic whitewall tyres.

This U.S. spec car looked great with the decklid
luggage rack and the huge single red spot light
on the chrome tail rail bumper. This KG is also
using the all red U.S. tail light lenses which judging
by the shape of the tail lights, denotes this model
was produced sometime between 1960 - 1969.

These KG's really are a timeless shape and so
beautiful, especially when they are this clean.

Gary and his partner Maria and their dog,
Frankie and arrived just after us and were there 
for the weekend. Gary had the common sense 
to book a plot with an electric hook up so at 
least they would have the fan heater to keep
them warm at night, most other people I spoke 
to said they were freezing during the night in 
their buses. Gary is a member of the Outcast
VW Club, based in Aylesbury.

OK it's not a VW, but it is so cool. This U.S.
Airstream trailer looked great amongst the camper
vans, and I bet the people who stayed in here
were not freezing throughout the night.

This bright red early bay panel van caught my
eye, well actually the amazing reflection in the
side of the van caught my eye first. How straight
are the sides of this van and how shiny is that paint.
 

From one extreme to another was this 1968 early
bay. This bay has the RAT look going on which
looks awesome. I did like the lowered stance, and
 the narrowed front beam that helps this bus stand
out from the other early bays.

This bus looks like a U.S. import and you can
really see just how low this bay is from this angle.
As the owner of a RAT looking bus myself I can
really appreciate the buses looks. 

This early split screen could be a show winner
all day long. It was amazingly straight and very
clean. The single blue colour paint was flawless
as was the rest of this bus.

The rear of this early bus looks just as amazing.
I do like those rear tail lights that the early split
screens have. The contrasting red curtains actually
 suit the bus very well.

Now this 'Mooneyes' themed T4 looked really
cool. I liked the 'mooneyes' decals along with
the whole Moon colour scheme and I also liked

 the spun alloy 'moon discs' wheel covers.

Another Volkswagen catering vehicle, this time
an early split screen single cab pick up. The
home made telescopic roof over the bed is
covered in corrugated tin which is rusted just like
the cab roof, and looks great. The guys that own
this said they are off to Portugal in the coming
 months to attend a month long food festival.

This two tone blue late bay looked like a good
honest bus. The paint wasn't immaculate but it
did look nice and solid. The unusual roof rack
was a neat touch as were the colour coded
bumpers. The polished 5 spoke wheels added
some bling.

Aaron and Robyn, are both members of the House
of Dub VW Club were at Dub Aid 4 in the
gorgeous blue and white 1961 split screen.
The safari screens are a new addition that
Aaron has just fitted himself.

This really is a nice clean and straight bus. It's
all in the detail, and Aaron was saying that he
has just fabricated a pair of brackets to hold the
ends of the rear bumper steady as they vibrated
and moved around.

Clean and simple lines make this splitty stand
out. The buses name 'Sammy' is sign written
on the rear window.

You will be hard pushed to find a cleaner split
screen than this one. This bus is show standard
but I believe Aaron isn't that bothered about
showing off his bus, they just like to use it and
they are off to tour Europe in it soon.

Kevin, another fellow Outcast VW Club member
 was at Dud Aid 4 in his lovely long wheel base, 
twin slider, in green and cream T4, named
 "The Grinch".
(Ha! I got the name right this time Kev.)

As I chatted with Kevin and some other friends
from the House of Dub VW Club, Peter Jones
(aka Cartooniez) came up and offered to draw
a caricature of Kevin's van using his paint pens,
an idea which Kevin liked the sound of, so once 
a suitable location on Kevin's bus had been 
agreed, Peter got to work.

Peter draws these free hand and on anything
or anywhere you want. Each caricature is a
one off unique drawing of you vehicle.

The finished caricature of Kevin's T4. Kevin
was very happy with the result and I have to
say it does look good. You can find Peter on
face book, just look up 'Cartooniez' or see him
at numerous VW shows throughout the season.

As Kevin was Peter's first customer of the day,
I think Peter was feeling generous as he agreed
to paint the vans name, 'The Grinch' on the other
side of the tailgate for free. I believe I'm right in
saying that later in the day Kevin asked Peter to
draw his bus on his phone cover.

Mark, a member of The House of Dub VW Club
attended the show for the weekend in his simply
gorgeous T5. I don't know how to describe this
colour, whether it's green or yellow but what ever
it is, I do like it. 

This smooth looking Beetle was stunning parked
up in the day visitors car park.  This gorgeous bug
has a striking two tone colour paint scheme and
without the front and rear bumpers along with those
Porsche wheels this bug has the Cal Look.

Another day visitor to the show was this pastel
blue stock looking 1971 Beetle. I had a quick
look around and it seemed to be original, with
the exception of the cool looking roof rack and
luggage. This really was a nice looking car.

This bright red / orange and white late split screen
almost glowed as the sun started to come out.
This was so clean and straight and looked great.

It pays to walk around the day visitor car park
as this photo shows. A karmann ghia, both early
and late bays, beetles and split screens were
all parked up. This 1960's U.S imported KG
looked great in it's single green colour which
suited the car perfectly as did those 5 spoke
wheels.The white vinyl interior looked stunning.

A gorgeous colour for a gorgeous car, this KG
would have been at home in the show and shine
area inside the show.

This 1960 / 61 (I'm guessing!) beetle looked
great with it's fantastic black paint. This bug
has had a subtle lowering job which suits the
car perfectly as do those Empi 5 spokes.

The paint on both the rear wings had reacted
to something which left the paint with lots of
small white circles / patches on them, and it looked
great. Money cannot buy that sort of paint effect
which seems to suit old Volkswagen's.

This stock height early bay looked like a nice
solid bus, sometimes it's better to see a bus
as it is rather than under a new shiny fresh coat
of paint, at least you can see the true condition
of the bus, and this one looked really solid.

This 1967 Beetle looked great in it's two tone 
green and white colour scheme. The whitewall
 tyre's suited the overall look as did the roof 
rack, but the best thing about this was that 
family of 4 were inside eating a picnic, Mum,
Dad and 2 children actually using the car as it
was meant to be used, a true people's car.

This stock height early bay looked very similar
to mine with the green lower half and the white
top and roof. It looked as though it was a U.S.
imported bus. An unusual feature was the
cyclopes light on the roof which had the 'Radio

flyer' logo on it.

This 1970 bus still had the U.S style all red rear
light lenses, and being a 1970 bus it featured
the side marker lights, rather than the reflectors
the earlier U.S. bay window buses had. The Bright 

orange retro looking curtains along with a retro 
roof rack finish off this early bay.

And finally a picture of my 1969 Microbus parked
in the sun, just to prove the sun did come out
even if it was just as Sam and I were leaving 
the venue to make our way home.

So that was Dub Aid 4, overall a good little show
in a great venue, even if the location of the
racecourse perched on top of a hill was on the
cold and windy side, but then I suppose that's 
more to do with the weather rather than the location.



 

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