Slough Swapmeet 2016 (part 1 of 3)

This weeks blog review is a 3 part review all about the Slough Swapmeet 2016, which last year was held on Sunday 6th November at the Montem Leisure Centre, Montem Lane in Slough in Buckinghamshire. SL1 2QG. This annual event is organised by Vince and Robin, and it's a great place to pick up some air-cooled bargains. The Slough Swapmeet is held inside the sports hall and is a table top sale / auto jumble that caters for primarily the air cooled Volkswagen's, although water cooled VW's are more than welcome as is anything German including old Porsche's. Being one of the last events of the season it's a great place to socialise with old friends, and even make new friends. The Slough Swapmeet has been going for at least 10 years and I have been attending this event for the past 6 years. The organisers present trophies for the 'King of the car park', which is for the best vehicles parked up in the leisure centre car park. The venue for the swapmeet is only 51 miles from my hometown so it was a great chance to get out in my early bay one last time as this is the last show / event of the VW calendar for the year. Even though the weather forecast was for dry sunny weather, don't let the photos fool you, it was still bitterly cold with the temperature hovering around freezing all day but then it was November in the U.K.! 
To see all my other blog entries, go to ‘My Blog Archive’ to the left of this 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.

My 1969 microbus parked up in the leisure
centre car park. It pays to arrive early to this
event as the car park get full very quickly with
Volkswagen's of all descriptions. I squeezed
in between a yellow late bay and a cool looking
lowered beetle.

I arrived about 40 minutes before the doors
opened but already the car park was almost
full. I think sections of the car park were meant
to be for bays, splits, beetles etc but by the time
I arrived it was just a free for all and a case of
just park where you can. Even though it was
November and bitterly cold the turnout of air-
cooled VW's was amazing.

This stunning 1964 split screen panel van looked
great with that bright lime green paint shining in
the winter sunshine. I do like panel vans and 
this beauty looked just about perfect.

Although the swapmeet is primarily an air-
cooled event, water cooled Volkswagen's are
more than welcome. This T4 caught my eye
and I had to do a double take as it looks very
similar to my own T4 with it's urban camouflage
paint scheme. I did like the tinted sun visor on
this van which not looks cool but is very practical.  

Looking down the side of the urban camouflaged
T4 at the car park that was crammed with quality
Volkswagen's of all descriptions. 

This high riding 1973 late bay with it's distinctive
spare wheel cover belongs to a guy called Rich, 
who runs the Wolfsburg Bus Crew (WBC) group on
Facebook. Rich always seems to be at a lot of
shows that I attend and his bus is becoming a
regular on my blog! Next to Rich's bay is another
member of the WBC (I think) with their seriously
lowered RAT looking split panel van. 

Just a very small selection of the Beetle's that
attended the swapmeet. The various models
spanned numerous years from the early 1960's
 to modern day which made a fantastic display.

The variety of buses was also vast, from early
split screens to late bays. Here a cool looking
split is parked behind an equally cool looking late
 bay with a very unusual high top roof. 

This black 1964 RAT looking split looked cool
 parked up in the leisure centre car park. I did
like the chrome towel rail bumper with the old
rope tied around it and the 2 bow rack above
the cab.

This race themed Karmann Ghia looked tough.
The lowered stance, the door decal and the
red rimmed wheels all help to make this car
look as though it's ready to race anyone.

There is only one thing better than a RAT look
split screen panel van, and that's a sign written
RAT look split screen panel van. This lowered
early bus did look nice with it's paint job and
sign writing.

Under that RAT look exterior the bus looked
to be very straight and solid looking. It's a shame
the winter sun was so low in the sky causing
shadows from other buses as this bus looked
so good in the flesh.

This orange early bug has appeared on my blog
before and looking this good, will probably feature
again in the future. I love the low stance, the
choice of wheels and low profile tyres and of
course the patina'd paint. The yellow head light
lenses and the sun visor are cool accessories that
enhance this cars looks.

This gorgeous early oval window bug stood out
in the car park. The body was perfectly straight
and finished in that lovely blue colour paint. I
did like the colour coded roll cage and those
huge tyres that fill the rear arches perfectly.

You can see just how straight this car is and how
well the paint has been applied by the reflection
across the bonnet and wings. I did like the small
aftermarket clear indicators which gives the wings
a smooth cool look.

More beetle's of various years basking in the
winter sunshine. The various styles and colours
looked great.

This RAT looking 1967 beetle looked cool with
it's unkempt look. I did like the hot rod style red
painted steel wheels with the chrome hub caps.
Other cool accessories included the retro roof
rack and the blue tinted sun visor. 

Poking it's head over the top of the old wooden
crate on the roof rack was this small toy rat,
quite a fitting touch on a RAT looking bug.

This old bug stood out in the line up. I did like
the rear window blind and the chrome blade
bumpers.

Two more beetles parked up at the Slough
Swapmeet. The matte black 1967 beetle is
owned by a guy called Matt and I think he lives
in, or near my hometown. This is such a cool
looking car with some nice detailing that I didn't
photograph ! The other cool bug is a white
1972 model that looks to be seriously lowered.

This stunning light turquoise early bug drew
plenty of attention form the public and it's easy
to see why. The body was perfectly straight
and that reflection in the door is perfect. The
body colour against the chrome towel rail bumpers
and the Fuchs style wheels looks gorgeous. 

This really was a lovely old bug, I did like the
rear fender skirts that give the car a period look
and that rear window blind suits the car perfectly.

The front wings had been treated to some
simple two colour pin striping that just finished
off the look for this car.

This 1970 early bay looked like a very clean
and solid bus. The colour was unusual but it
really suited the bus, as did the clear front
indicator lenses and the deluxe bumper trim.

This T4 crew cab was featured on last years
blog review of the Slough Swapmeet, and it's
back again. This really does stand out for so
many reasons, mainly for having a caravan
mated to the back. This creation is so 'off the
wall and outrageous it's simply brilliant.

This really is a wild creation and while it may
not be to everyone's taste, you have to admire
the work that's gone into creating it. Personally
I think its great and it certainly stands out.

This all white 1963 Type 3 1500 (Notchback)
looked gorgeous. It was perfectly straight and
so solid looking and looked to be all original.

Just one of the many rows of allocated parking
spaces for classic Volkswagen's in the leisure
centre car park. The car park wasn't exclusively
for use for people attending the swapmeet,
 but due to the sheer number of classic
Volkswagen's that turned up I don't think the
 public coming to use the leisure centre had
much chance of parking up.  

This stock looking very early bug looked great
with it's patina'd original paint. This old bug was
riding at stock height with stock wheels. It just
goes to prove you don't necessarily need a
flashy £15k paint job and shiny chrome wheels
 to make your ride stand out.

A sunny day with a gorgeous blue sky and
although it was bitterly cold, hundreds of 
vintage Volkswagen's attended the swapmeet
including a very nice patina'd early split panel 
van and a gorgeous olive and light green (?)
split green bus. 

This split screen bus had an unusual chrome
 'stickshift' script badge on the tailgate that I 
haven't seen before, but I did like it.

So that was the first instalment on the Slough
Swapmeet 2016. The next instalment will be
next Saturday where you can see plenty more
quality air cooled vehicles, so be sure to come
back next Saturday.