Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival 2012

On Sunday 3rd June I popped along to the Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival. It was my first visit to this show even though I’ve lived just five minutes drive from the town for the last 10 years. I now live about half an hour away so even though it was raining, I decided it was worth a visit.

I’ve read that the show has grown steadily year on year but I guess Sunday’s show must have been the exception due to the appalling weather. Quite a few cars did brave our British weather and quite a high percentage were from the local VW club – which was very handy!

Hopefully the weather will be a bit better for next years show and it will get back on track.

Counting down to June 23rd…

It all started back in 2005 after driving back to the UK from the vintage VW show in Hessisch Oldendorf, Germany. “Why don’t we have a Vintage Volkswagen show like that in England?” Well, now we do!

Lavenham is regarded as being the finest surviving example in England of a mediaeval town, with superb ancient buildings – over 300 of them listed as being of architectural and historical interest.

I was one of the organisers of the first Lavenham Vintage Volkswagen Show in 2008 which was a great success, with over 100 Vintage VWs arriving in Lavenham for the weekend from all over Europe. For our second show this year, things have had to get a little bigger to accommodate the 170 vehicle that have registered. The Market Square will be home to pre-1957 vehicles. Lavenham Press has the Big-window beetles while you will find Karmann Ghias, Type 3s and over sixty splitscreen type 2 campers in the meadow along with the trade stands.

On the Sunday we have organised a cruise around the narrow Suffolk lanes through some of the regions most beautiful villages. With over 110 VWs taking part in the cruise it should be quite a spectacle!

So if you’re in the UK and looking for something to do on Saturday 23rd June, why not come along and spend a day in Lavenham – It’s free to visit but don’t forget your camera!

http://www.pre67vw.com/lavenham

Leigh Garipidis

I was recently pointed towards Leigh’s amazing photography by a couple of ‘photo of the week’ posts on another automotive blog. No mention of who the photographer was though, just some great photographs! I dug a little deeper and discovered they were the work of Leigh Garipidis in Australia. Leigh’s work covers a wide spectrum of subjects all captured beautifully. It’s well worth a look at Leigh’s other work as these Volkswagen shots are just a very small part of a great portfolio.

Leigh writes “I am a photographer based in Melbourne Australia and have been photographing for about 9 years now. Having a passion for cars, I began there. This was always driven by the thought that alot of car magazines, where not capturing the character of the car. They seemed to be just photos. I wanted for people to see my images as portraits of cars, giving them identities, rather than just badges. Self taught for about the first 6 years, in both camera craft and photoshop, I knew that I wanted to do more and make a career out of it, so I went back to school to do an Advanced Diploma in Photography, which I have almost completed. Looking to major in commercial photography, and specialising in automotive.

I try to give my work meaning, whether through a story or an emotional response and to allow the viewer to have their own thoughts about the image rather than trying to portray a specific message.
I also wanted to try to capture what car designers envision when they create these things. Through school I have also delved into various other areas of photography, but when it comes down to enjoyment and relaxation, I always revert back to automotive imagery. I also just recently photographed the front cover and feature piece for the Australian online magazine, Aircooled Classics, the car being a Porsche 550 Spyder replica.”

Leigh is currently putting together a blog with limited edition prints available for purchase but
if you are interested in something, please feel free to email Leigh at this address for further details: leighgaripidis@gmail.com

View more of Leigh’s work on Flickr…

Smiths of Cornwall

Smiths VW specialise in pre-1967 Volkswagen campervan restoration & offer full or part restoration work, including interiors, body work, and paint. With over 17 years experience ‘classic vehicle restoration’ qualified Matt Smith runs a Volkswagen workshop in Wadebridge, Cornwall – building & restoring specialist classic busses for customers.

Smiths VW work with the best possible suppliers to deliver the finest job throughout your custom project. With factory standard welding, fitment & finish. No restoration aspect over-looked as we work with Kustom Interiors and AirKraft – supplying a complete one-stop-shop restoration service.

In addition to restoration Smiths VW can find/source and supply any vehicle for you – with strong international contacts and shipping – so if you are looking for a left or right hand drive bus do not hesitate to call.

Visit Smiths…

David Hall

David Hall is a photographer based in Birmingham, England. He loves photography and will shoot everyone and everything, from beautiful summer weddings, thrash metal bands, sportscars, families and a little bit of pretty much everything in-between. He works up and down the country and when he’s lucky, occasionally further afield.

David writes “I’m passionate about old Volkswagens. The love affair started when I was really little, my older cousin passed his test and his first car was a 70’s beetle. Having been taken for a spin in it I was hooked. Lots of drooling and fantasizing over old Volkswagen’s later, I am now the proud owner of the bus you see below. She is a 1961 23 window samba imported from New York approx 9 years ago as a complete wreck. Rust on top of rust, holes everywhere and in need of some serious TLC. Roll on a few years and Matt at Smiths of Cornwall waved his magic restoration wand and Jemima as we affectionately call her was re-born.”

Visit David’s website…

United colors

Photo of the week #25 – One thing you can always guarantee when you get a line-up of bay-window campers is there will always be a multitude of different colors! This shot was taken at the Peppercorn VW show during the summer of 2005.

Voltswagen

Photo of the week #21 – Photographed at Brighton Breeze in 2004, this split screen camper is parked on the sea front by the oldest electric railway in the world, the Volks Electric Railway which was opened in 1883.

The VolksWorld Show 2012

Last Sunday I drove down to Sandown Park in Esher for this years VolksWorld Show. Advertised as Europe’s premier Indoor and outdoor VW show it occupies all three floors of Sandown Park race course along with a huge car park and outdoor areas for club displays.

As in previous years the weather was great, the show usually seems to mark the start of spring with lots of sunshine, which is always handy for an indoor show! I spent a while looking around the car park before going in as there were still queues of people waiting at the doors. There were a few interesting vehicles in the for sale area including a white ’52 split window beetle on a trailer. Plenty of incorrect parts and a price tag of £25,000!

I ventured inside and straight out into the paddock area which was ringed by vans, beetles and a few trade stands. Some nice busses here including a pale blue pickup which was for sale. This is a great show for custom VWs, particularly Rat-Look busses which are always plentiful. Never too much in the way of stock Vintage VWs at this show but, there was the Grundmann’s fantastic VW38 Prototype Beetle which was on display by the VolksWold magazine stand. It was nice to see it on display but It looked a bit out of place in these surroundings!

A long way from home

Photo of the week #17 – I wonder how many VW campers have made the journey across the atlantic from America to England? It must be quite a few by now and if you trust the license plate, this deluxe bus with safari windows photographed at the British Volkswagen Festival in 2005 started its life on the roads of Texas.

Tipping is at your discretion

Photo of the week #14 – When was the last time you saw an ultra-rare vintage Volkswagen splitscreen tip-up truck? I think this is the only one I have ever come across (so far) and it’s pictured here in Hessisch Oldendorf in 2005.