Bug Jam 29, VW Festival 2015. Part 2 of 2

This weeks blog review is part 2 of 2 of Bug Jam 29, which was held at Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire, on 17th - 19 July. This 4 day event had been running for the last 28 years at the same location and is now one of the U.K's biggest VW festivals. There is always plenty to do all weekend including: RYWB (run what you brung) racing, show and shine, 5 different music tents and monster truck displays and there are plenty of food and drink vendors on site to cater for every taste. My blog review continues as I wander around the camping area looking at all the gorgeous Volkswagen's.
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 gorgeous olive green oval window beetle
caught my eye, I do like the oval bugs and this
one looked like a real early one. I did like that
big red spot light on the roof rack.

A super clean 1971 early bay finished in a
lovely coat of what looks like Kansas Beige
although I could be wrong!, whatever the
name of the colour is, it looked great. The
chrome 5 spoke wheels added some bling.

This cool looking 1977 late bay looked great
with those retro stripes and the chocolate
coloured body. This bay had an unusual pop
top which looked great.

OK, it's not a Volkswagen but when you come
across a totally original 1963 Austin Cooper S
you just have to take some photo's. This light
blue Cooper was immaculate.

This really is a gorgeous example of the
classic Austin, that must have had a nut and
bolt restoration as it really was like new.

I did like this teal coloured 1971 early bay and
the concertina pop top with the clear panels.
Again a very nice bay without being too flashy.

Santa Pod is primarily a drag racing venue so
it's not unusual to see some race cars parked
up around the venue, this old skool 1969
 Vauxhall Ventora looked great in it's satin black
paint with green stripe. This looks like a true
1970's British muscle car.

This beefed up 1966 Volvo Amazon looked
awesome with it's flared arches and unique
paint scheme.

I did like this old Volvo, I'm not sure if this was
used for 1/4 mile racing or circuit racing, but it
doesn't really matter when you have such a
cool looking car.

In the same year as Volvo were producing the
Amazon (above), Volkswagen were producing 
this stunning 1966 beetle. The super clean
example looked great in that blue paint and
from being lowered. The contrasting white
painted steel wheels suited the car perfectly.

Another vehicle from 1966 was this split screen
kombi. This bus had some serious patina in
the dark red / maroon paint. This bus rides at
close to stock height with painted steel wheels,
with white wall tyres, which just looks so good.

If you like your buses with a bit more RAT look
then this 1964 splitty should fulfil your cravings.
What you see is what you get, definitely there
is nothing hidden on this lovely bus.

Another ratty 1964 split screen kombi this time
in grey primer and equally as nice.

Looking across into the club camping area at
Santa Pod Raceway home of Bug Jam 29.

Looking across into the general camping area,
these photo's really do not justify just how busy
and how many people were actually at the show.

At Bug Jam it's all about Volkswagen's new or
old as this 1970 early bay and 2003 new beetle
prove parked up together.

I spotted this lovely early bay cruising around
the site, this panel van was for sale so I think
the owner was just spreading the word.

This gorgeous jet black 1977 181 Trekker was
stunning. It had been seriously lowered and had
 a nice set of aftermarket wheels. The yellow
headlight lenses add some colour to the front. 

This gorgeous bright orange 1969 / 70 early
bay was up for sale. This bus really was
immaculate inside and out and had an asking
price of £18,000 ($28,000 approx).

The interior was just as nice and detailed as
the exterior. This really was a nice bus.

In the action arena, Santa Pod's own resident
monster truck Podzilla was showing off it's
car crushing abilities. The organisers had
organised a duel between Podzilla and
another monster truck..

.. called Swamp Thing. This monster truck is
the 4 time British Champion and it was clear
to see why, the amount of 'air' this truck got
was amazing.

The 'Cool Flo' guys were at Bug Jam in their
lovely blue over white 1970 panel van.

A lovely white over black early split screen. The
chrome towel rail bumpers and chrome body 
trim contrast the gloss black paint perfectly.

This awesome grey primered beetle was one
of the race cars, I don't know what size motor
this bug had but it was BIG and had a huge
turbo bolted to it.

I have to admit I don't really know what I'm
looking at, except to say that I bet it's fast.

Santa Pod hosts the Outlaw Anglia's series
racing and some of the Outlaw Anglia's were
running at the weekend.

This pro-street Pop (Anglia) looked tough with
that huge wheel and tyre combination crammed
under the stock body and that huge rear spoiler.

This chopped and channelled Anglia looked
great with it's traditional hot rod style black and
flames paint job. Massive rear wheels help to
get traction when racing.

A massive big block motor crammed in the
small engine bay of the old Ford. The tube
chassis could almost be called a work of art.

The 1965 GTO was produced as a muscle car,
but this GTO has had some serious performance
modifications.

Those huge 15" x 15" rear tyres and the neatly
packed parachute give a glue as to this cars
race intentions.

This immaculate 1967 notch back in light blue
caught my eye as it looked all original, and
looked gorgeous parked up in the sunshine.

A super straight, super clean lowered single
cab split screen pick up, with a narrowed front
beam, it was simply stunning.

A lovely old 1967 Dodge A100 Sportsman in
what looked like stock original condition. The
A100 vans were produced from 1964 - 1970.

A seriously low Dove Blue split screen panel
van, with a seriously narrowed front beam.
This van had some gorgeous patina.

This lovely old split screen was a U.S. import
and had some serious patina on the paint
work.This bus was still displaying the states
plate so that gave me an idea... 

My blog has quite a few followers in California
so I wondered if anyone in the sunny state
recognised this registration plate? I know it's
an extremely long shot but you never know.
(no prize's are up for grabs, it's simply for fun)

I did like this old sign written single cab split
screen pick up. The cover over the pick up
bed looked great as did the roof rack and the
ladder.

Another incredibly low early beetle finished in
a nice light bronze colour. I did like the old
 wheel trims.

This gorgeous 1967 cherry red split screen
was amazing. The perfectly straight body with
the gorgeous red paint is simply stunning.
The chrome wire wheels and the chrome
 bumpers added some lovely bright work.

I liked the two bow, and three bow roof racks
on this bus. The chrome bumpers, body trim
and window trim break up the gorgeous red
paint just enough.

From one extreme to another, but equally as
nice in their own way are this RAT looking bug
and early split screen parked up behind the pit
area of the track.

This lovely early split screen panel van had
some lovely patina going on. This bus was
riding at close to stock height and on the
original steel wheels, which always looks good.

The owner of this 1969 beetle had made sure
he'd have somewhere to pitch his tent, as it
does get crowded in the camping areas. This
neat roof mounted tent looked awesome.

This seriously low bright red 1966 beetle was
just slowly cruising along towards the race
tack, and looking cool as he did so.

This super straight gloss black oval beetle not
only had a super straight body, with lovely
original steel wheels with domed hub caps,
and lovely shiny chrome towel rail bumpers
but this lovely bug also had..

... A cool registration number. I don't know if
you can get a 1797cc motor, but how cool
would that be if you can and you put it in this
lovely beetle.?

OK I know it's not a Volkswagen, but Land
Rover but I saw this and I thought, now that is
a neat camping solution. The tent is on the
roof with access via the rear awning which
provides a dry secure space and with a sun
canopy coming out of the side of the 'Lanny'.

As I was making my way out of the show and
heading home I noticed this early bug, and
looking at the sombrero and moustache
I thought to myself 'Adios Amigo'

So that was Bug Jam 29, as usual the show
lived up to it's reputation as the biggest VW
show in the U.K. I missed so much as there
is only so much you can do in a day. You
really do need to be there for the whole
4 day weekend to take it all in. The weather
was good which makes a change at Santa
Pod, as normally it rains. If you can get
to Northamptonshire next year I suggest you
try as it'll be the 30th anniversary and they
have promised some good live acts in the
music tents.

Bug Jam 29, VW Festival 2015. Part 1 of 2

Firstly apologies for not posting a blog review last Saturday but I was taking part in the 'Route67', the charity convoy from John O' Groats to Lands End to raise money for the homeless charity 'Crisis' and I didn't really find the time. I will post the review of the 'Route67' in a two weeks time, anyway for this weeks blog review I headed over to Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire which was the venue of the very first Bug Jam festival way back in 1987. The one day event 28 years ago was held on a Sunday and attracted some 3,500 visitors. Today the festival is not only still going strong at the original location but it gets bigger and better every year, and is now one of the U.K's biggest VW shows. The show is now a 3 day event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors not only from the U.K. but also from all across Europe. There is so much to do at Bug Jam, and too much to list here, but if you want to know more about this massive Volkswagen festival check out the official Bug Jam website here: http://www.bugjam.co.uk/index.php  Holding the event at a drag racing venue means you can even run your beloved Volkswagen down the 1/4 mile strip. A few of my friends always attend this show for the whole weekend, and they always say to me what a great weekend they have had, but due to family commitments I could only attend the show for one day. 
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.

The entrance to Santa Pod Raceway, home
of Bug Jam has a steady flow of vehicles
entering the venue all day long. This event
attracts thousands of visitors each day.

Having paid my £25 (!) for a day visitor I saw
this pair of Beetles parked up, and I knew just
then that it was going to be a good day.

A lovely Karmann Mobil or Gipsy as it's more
commonly called. These are quite rare over 
here in the U.K. and very expensive, but they 
are just so nice looking.

These are the ultimate VW camper for a lot of
people and it's easy to see why. They provide
so much more room than a normal split or bay,
whilst still looking just as cool.

This gorgeous white over yellow 21 window
1965 split screen looked fantastic in the
summer sunshine. I did like the chrome 356
wheels (same as mine) and the standard ride
height of this lovely bus.

This lovely late bay looked good in it's green
paint with a white pop top. I think buses
that ride at stock height, whether split screens
or bay's look just a s good as lowered buses.

This pre 1963 Beetle looked great in it's mid
grey paint, I did like the chrome Empi 5 spoke 
wheels and chrome nerf bars.

This stunning 1965 split screen had a lovely
two tone turquoise paint scheme which made
this bus stand out in the camping area.

Turquoise would not have been my first choice
for a colour, but what an excellent choice it was.
This bus really does stand out in the crowd.

Another turquoise bus but this with a white
upper body. This 1966 split had a lovely turret
top pop top, which I think suits a split screen.

When you go to a VW show / event, there is
a good chance you'll see a 'Herbie' replica,
well this Herbie looked as though he'd been
down the gym, it looked all pumped up and
muscular.

I don't know what motor this bug was running
but I'm guessing it was big. The rear spoiler
and over size wheels are a good indication.

This lovely 1967 split screen looked different,
but in a good way, in it's black over green paint
scheme. The matching black wheels were a
nice contrasting feature on this deluxe bus. 

One of my facebook friends, Natasha was at
Bug Jam with her partner in their gorgeous
1965 RAT looking split screen. This is one
of my favourite split screens in the country
at the moment.

Walking through the camping area (where a
lot of quality VW's are parked up all weekend)
I saw this lovely pair of split screens. I did like
the Radar wheels and the sun visor on the
white over red split.

Yellow is my favourite colour so of course I
was going to be drawn to this very RAT
looking split screen, with sign written panels.

I did like the old look of this paint and of course
the sign writing. This really was a nice looking
bus that I could look at for hours.

This stunning super low 1967 Karmann Ghia
looked fantastic with it's narrowed front end
and sitting so low. This really was a super
straight car.

Low is the way to go this season as this 1966
satin black beetle proves. Those custom
wheels finish off the cool look of this bug.

This really was a nice looking car, I did like
the luggage rack over the deck lid and the all 
red U.S. style rear light lenses.

This notch back was one of the race cars at
Santa Pod, I did like the play on words for
the cars name.

This lovely 1968 deluxe early bay looked so
clean and solid. I did like the opening rear
window which must provide some much needed
breeze on these humid nights spent in the bus.
I noticed the rear over riders and don't think
I've seen them this tall before..?

WOW, how low..? This 1958 bright red beetle
was virtually sat on the grass. It must have
been riding on air suspension...

The super low bug had two of my favourite
things, yellow head light lenses and some
neat old skool pinstriping.

I did say that Natasha's 1965 splitty was one
of my favourite's, so here it is again, parked
up at Santa Pod in the sunshine.

This super clean all white fastback cruised
past me so I just had to get a photo. This
really was a nice clean example of this car.

After walking around the camping area I found
myself in the 'For Sale' area and I saw this
1970 beach buggy for sale, it had a 1600cc
engine with twin carbs, the colour is a TVR
colour called Prism. The price of this cool
buggy was £4,750 ($7,500 approx)

This green 1965 single cab split screen pick
up, was imported from the U.S. A. in 2002, it
has a 1600cc with twin Dellorto 36's. The
body was super straight and clean and the
asking price was £15,000 ($23,500 approx) 

The body panels on the 50 year old pick up
immaculate and so straight. This really was a
lot of pick up for the money.

Another pick up for sale was this blue 1976
late bay pick up. Again another clean and
straight work horse, and the price for this one
was a mere £5,995 ($9,300 approx)

It does go to show that there are still bargains
to be had, you just have to look hard enough.

 This bright red 1966 beetle was parked up
and the gap between the running board and
the floor cannot have been more than 1 inch.
 Another vehicle on air ride suspension?

This gorgeous black oval beetle looked pretty
much original and belonged to one of the
many overseas visitors to the show.

This was one of the straightest vehicles I saw
at Bug Jam. Look at the reflection in the door
and side panel and on the roof corner, pretty
much perfection in my eyes.

This 1969 deluxe early bay was up for sale,
it has a super straight and solid body with a
1641cc engine with twin carbs, it also had a
full 12 months M.O.T. you can have all this
bus for a mere £12,500 ($19,500 approx)

I do like panel vans, and this white over bright 
yellow caught my eye. It's a 1966 split screen 
with super straight body panels and running 
on Empi 5 spoke wheels.

This 1970 early bay caught my eye, it didn't
have a flashy paint job, it wasn't running on
aftermarket chrome wheels and it wasn't so
low that it became impracticable but simply
because it was a lovely looking bus, just as
Volkswagen had designed it.

For a similar reason this bug caught my eye.
This 1971 was not scraping the ground as it
drove along, but was sitting high and proud.
I did like those wheels with the huge tyres
that fill the wheel arches perfectly.

This 1975 late bay looked seriously cool with
its retro chocolate brown decal over the
mustard colour body. A matching pop top
cover finished off the look on this cool bus.

This extremely clean early bay belonged to
one of the many German visitors that came
along to Bug Jam. This really was a lovely
looking bus.

This stunning 1963 split screen looked great
in it's white over teal colour paint. I did like
the colour matched wheels that suited the
overall look of this bus.

This really was a straight bus. I did like the 3 
bow roof rack and the white painted bumpers.

This 1950's black oval window looked fantastic
in it's near original condition. The black gloss
paint was so smooth and shiny it looked as
though it was still wet.!

Fantastically smooth body panels with a near
perfect coat of paint provide exceptional
reflections of the summer clouds in the paint.

 This pre 63 Ivory over brown split screen
looked great in the sunshine at Santa Pod.
This bus proves you don't have to have a 
radical paint scheme and flashy wheels to
have a very desirable bus.

This oval window beetle must be another VW
riding on air suspension as it sat on the grass
whilst parked up.

This stunning pre 63 grey over beige split
screen looked so nice, the super shiny Radar
wheels were a nice addition that suited the
bus perfectly.

I spotted this 1967 beetle parked up in the 
camping area, I don't know what motor this
bug was running but judging by those trick
exhausts coming out of the rear wings could
suggest it's bigger than the standard  50hp.

It doesn't matter what condition your trusty
VW is in just  as long as you get to Bug Jam. 
This 1972 type 3 Variant or square back as 
it's more commonly known looked great in 
it's RAT condition.

So that was part one of the 'Bug Jam 29' review,
this show really is massive and there is so much
to do I doubt you could do everything in a week-
end. Part two of Bug Jam 29 will be posted
next Saturday.