Endless Summer VW Show 2017 (part 3 of 4)

This weeks blog review is part 3 of 4 about the 'Endless Summer' VW Show that was held on Sunday 13th August at The War Memorial Park in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The location of the show was only about 54 miles from my hometown, so as it wasn't too far and as the forecast was good I decided to jump in the bus and go and check out this great little show show. The show which was billed as " a great one day family VW event in Hampshire" and was organised by Allan Shepherd who has been part of the VW scene for over 15 years. Allan decided the show could raise money for 2 local charities: Naomi House & Jacks Place and this year they raised a huge £3491.33. Entry to this show was a modest £5.00 ($8 approx) and the money went to the named charities. The location was ideal with easy access and plenty of well kept grass in the memorial park to park all the VW's on. There were numerous clean portable toilets to use, and enough traders selling everything to suit everyone. The shows Marshal's were numerous and unlike some shows I have attended, actually knew what they were doing and when to do it, which made a nice change! and it also helped the shows to run smoothly. The blog continues as I wander around the show.

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.

This stunning 1976 Senegal Red bay belongs to
a mate of mine called CJ. This immaculate late
bay is gorgeous. The lowered stance is thanks
to air ride suspension which is a new addition
due to the bus being so low before that it was
grinding down the adjuster nut on the front beam.
At least now CJ can raise the bus up for driving.

This perfectly straight bus has a fully detailed
stock 1600cc engine and a custom interior
featuring  new upholstery, LED lighting, a rock
and roll bed, TV, and new cabinets. Those lovely
Porsche 356 wheels are another new addition.
A very good choice as they are the same as I
have on my 1969 microbus.!

As well as split screen and bay window buses
there were plenty of T25's at this show. The sheer
diversity of all these T25's was amazing.

I do like the T25 and the performance that comes
with a more modern bus and this high riding green
bus caught my eye. I do like the idea of overland
treks to far flung places in an off road bus and this
panel van ticked all the right boxes.

The high (ish) stance, the bull bar and the roof
rack gave it an adventurer look about it.

On the other end of the looks scale was this all
white high top bus. The one colour paint gives
the bus a modern look. The interior was really
well equipped with everything you could need
for weekends away.

On a hot sunny afternoon you need something
like this metal flake blue buggy to arrive in real
style. I think this is a Manx body shell which is a
true classic, and those polished wheels with the
big and little tyres looked great.

The engine in a buggy is exposed so it's best to
dress up the engine, and this engine has been
dressed up nicely with lots of chrome and polished
parts. You can see just how big those rear tyres
are from this photo.

This early sixties Karmann Ghia had been hit
with the lowering stick so much that the sills sat
on the grass! This old KG must have had some
form of air ride suspension...

You can see just how low this old ghia really was
from this photo. The patina'd paint looked like
the original paint and in stark contrast the chrome
bumpers shone like new.

The interior also looked to be pretty much stock,
with the addition of an under dash bamboo shelf.

This stunning 1964 type 3 Notchback is an import
from Australia, it also, many years ago used to
run down the 1/4 mile strip at Santa Pod. That
was before this gorgeous car underwent a full
restoration.

The restoration included many new panels and
that lovely Atlas white (L91Z) and Black (L41)
paint. The new chrome and black Radar wheels
compliment the body perfectly.

The engine has been rebuilt and it's now a very
respectable fuel injected 1914cc unit with lots of
internal goodies including a CB 96mm crank. It
also runs a standard 4 speed swing axle gearbox.

This very RAT looking 1950's slammed Karmann
Ghia caught my eye. The rough and ready body-
work looked great as did that super narrow front
beam which tucks the front wheels right under the
wings even with those big domed hubcaps.

You can see just how low this old KG sat, and how
narrow that front beam was from this angle. The
bodywork was a mixture of knocks and scratches
and patina and looked fantastic.

This decal in the side window says it all...!

The interior looked to be stock apart from the
gear shifter. 

This bright red Mk1 GP beach buggy looked
great in the sunshine. The red body and those
chrome wheels looked fantastic in the bright
summer sunshine.

The wide rear tyres along with the engine guard
and that stinger style exhaust all indicate that this
cool buggy would be at home having fun in the
sand at the beach.

Unlike the other Karmann's (above) this lovely
restored 1960's model was to a show standard 
finish. The perfectly straight body panels had 
been finished in a flawless coat of black over
silver paint.

Like the previous Karmann's this gorgeous car
had also been seriously lowered and also looked
as though it had a narrowed front beam. Those
lovely chrome and black Fuchs style wheels were
the perfect choice and complimented the silver
bodywork perfectly.

This cool looking type 3 variant (or square back
as it was marketed in the U.S.) This black 1971
model belongs to 'Just Kampers' a VW parts
supplier here in the U.K. so this car is as you
would expect like new.

Just look how straight that body is (if you click on
the photo it will enlarge it). This really is a lovely
looking car.

From one extreme to another this 1967 RAT
look bug looked cool. The rusty body looked
good as did the hot rod style red painted steel
wheels with whitewall tyres. This old bug had a
lot of accessories including the wicked sun visor,
and the chrome head light peaks.

This brass emblem was on the fuel flap and
suited the overall look of the car.

Those deep dish rear wheels and that cool roof
rack both added to this RAT look bugs cool
appearance.

Another detail on the RAT look bug was this
neat chequered design on the inside on the
head lights.

Just a couple of random photos to show the
perfect location for the show and the perfect
weather.

This great one day show is getting bigger year
by year and well worth going if you get along.

Another Karmann Ghia (the 4th in this review..
that must be a record!). This fully restored 60's
Kg was immaculate and painted in that lovely
single colour of light blue with white painted
steel wheels.

You can see just how clean this old KG really
was from this photo. Even the underside of the
engine cover is painted to the same high finish.

The engine bay was as clean as the exterior
body work. The stock looking engine was also
finished to the same high standard.

So that was part 3 of 4 reviews all about the
Endless Summer VW show. Next weeks blog
review will be the final instalment where you
can see plenty more buses including a lovely
green and white panel van, beetle's, a rat
rod, a tandem and a Lamborghini (!!) so be
sure to come back next Saturday.

Endless Summer VW Show 2017 (part 2 of 4)

This weeks blog review is part 2 about the 'Endless Summer' VW Show that was held on Sunday 13th August at The War Memorial Park in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The location of the show was only about 54 miles from my hometown, so as it wasn't too far and as the forecast was good I decided to jump in the bus and go and check out this great little show show. The show which was billed as " a great one day family VW event in Hampshire" and was organised by Allan Shepherd who has been part of the VW scene for over 15 years. Allan decided the show could raise money for 2 local charities: Naomi House & Jacks Place and this year they raised a huge £3491.33. Entry to this show was a modest £5.00 ($8 approx) and the money went to the named charities. The location was ideal with easy access and plenty of well kept grass in the memorial park to park all the VW's on. There were numerous clean portable toilets to use, and enough traders selling everything to suit everyone. The shows Marshal's were numerous and unlike some shows I have attended, actually knew what they were doing and when to do it, which made a nice change! and it also helped the shows to run smoothly.
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.

Whether you like your split screen, (or any other
Volkswagen come to think about it) standard
looking and riding at stock height, or slammed
with the RAT look, you'll be sure to find it at this
great one day show.

The slammed RAT look 15 window bus caught
my eye as it looked pretty cool. It looks like it
has a narrowed front beam as the front wheels
are tucked right under the cab.

The interior was also stock looking with a hint
of the RAT look about it.

The faded paint was probably the original paint
and was showing just the right amount of patina.
You can see just how low this old bus really was
and how narrow that front beam was from this 
photo.

The interior was pretty bare, which meant you
could see how solid the body panels really were
even if they did have a light coat of surface rust.

On the other end of the looks scale was this
stunning green over white (or maybe it was a very
light green?) split screen. This bus was totally
immaculate.

The paint was flawless and in this photo the
bottom colour looks like it has a green hint.. This
really was a lovely bus.

On the tailgate this old bus had some super cool
pinstriping in dark green to match the top half of
the body. 

Inside the bus it still had the original interior with
re-upholstered side cards and cushions.

This lovely white over deep red 1966 type 1 is
an American import (like my microbus) and
when it left the factory in Hanover it had a
Westfalia camper conversion. The bus has been
named 'ruby' for obvious reasons.!

Ruby was in good company at the show with
plenty of other type 1 split screens on display.

Inside Ruby, the Westfalia SO42 interior has
been restored to a very high standard.

Regular readers will know that I like panel vans,
and this early sign written split screen ticked all
the right boxes. The colour, the patina on the roof,
the sign written sides and the general look made 
this old panel van stand out.

This gorgeous 1967 split was lovely. I did like the
yellow head light lenses that contrasted the off
white body colour. The standard wheels and the
twin roof racks added to the overall look.

The interior was just as nice as the outside. I'm
not sure what conversion this is, but it looked to
be complete and in amazing condition. The sun
canopy looked fantastic.

Another white '67 split screen with yellow head
light lenses, but that is where the similarity stops.
This cool RAT look bus has been seriously hit
with the lowering stick. The narrowed front beam
added to the low look. The huge full length roof
rack with the side ladder looked great and must 
come in handy.

You can see just how low this RAT look '67 really
is from this photo. You can also see the patina
that was all over this cool bus.

There were numerous catering vendors at the
show to cater for most tastes including this cool
late bay panel van that was converted into a 
mobile bar serving ice cold beer!.

Talking of bay window buses, there were several
rows of 'bays' of all descriptions and years.

This photo shows the diversity of Volkswagens
at the Endless Summer show. The reflection in
the yellow late bay give a perfect reflection of
back of the split screen.

This lovely 1971 Dormobile was stunning. The
blue and white colour scheme suited the look 
of this bus perfectly. The matching white Empi
5 spoke wheels matched the canvas of the pop
top, and bumpers perfectly.

This lovely 1971 Adventurewagon late bay was 
parked up behind me, so I just had to get some 
photos. I do like these high top buses, that have 
so much more room than the tin top.

You can see just how much more room you have
in a high top compared to my tin top. A few years
ago these high top buses were not very popular
but they are becoming sought after now, personally
I love them especially when they are this clean.

The Endless Summer show is a very relaxed one
day show, and if the sun shines it's perfect for
just chilling out with your friends.

I spotted this lovely light blue and white late bay
enter the show towing this fantastic looking highly
polished trailer. It reminded me of an old U.S.
Airstream trailer so I just had to go and have a look.

The interior was amazing and finished to a very
high standard that looked so comfortable.

You can see the size of this compact yet very
stylish trailer. It is made by a U.K. company
called 'Rocket Caravans.com'

The weather was glorious, the venue was perfect
and the hundreds upon hundreds of Volkswagens
that attended this show were amazing.

This 1969 early bay finished in what looks like
Kansas beige (?) looked like a nice straight and
solid bus. The narrowed front beam looked cool
as did the full length roof rack.

The variety and quality of the vehicles that came
to this show was amazing. There really is some-
thing for everyone at this great show.

This red 1970, possibly a Westy, looked great
riding at what looks like stock height. This bus
looked to be pretty much original and very solid.

This stunning Sage green (I think) and white
late bay was immaculate. The perfectly straight
body was covered in a flawless coat of paint
as the reflections show.

This lovely bay was riding at stock height which
is becoming popular now. This bus really was
so clean and almost like new.

This '67 Savanna beige early bay looked nice.
The slightly lowered stance with those cool 
Cosmic wheels helped this old bus stand out.

You can see just how clean and straight this old
'67 really was from this photo. 

So that was part 2 of 4 reviews about the Endless
Summer VW show. Next week will be part 3 where
you can see plenty more bugs and buses and a
few Karmann Ghia's, a few beach buggies and
even a type 3 Notchback so be sure to come back
next Saturday.