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News
A new drivetrain and a new engine for the Vario
The tried and true Vario will undergo a facelift and is set to receive a new drivetrain.
To meet the requirements of future emissions standards, the Vario will be converted to include a new engine featuring new exhaust technology that will supplement the SCR technology meeting the Euro 6 standard.
Click to see more pictures and more info
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Lightfoot Logistics
Its is the funniest thing to happen to fleet management since, well ever really, I supose.
Lightfoot Logistics takes a light hearted look at the industry!
Check it out!
Have you seen this?
Loading ...Custom Vans, Off Topics
The emergency vehicle range of the star
I bet most of you haven’t paid any real attention to the emergency vehicles that pass us by from time to time. When we hear that siren and see that blue light we’re generally too busy getting out of the lane so they can get past.
Well, let me assure you there is a lot more to it than meets the eye as the emergency vehicles from the star prove. Click here to find out more…
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Minibus taxis in South Africa
South Africa is in the midst of the World Cup. The eyes of the world are firmly focused on the country beacuse the cup is being held on African soil for the first time. Regardless of how the results are going and all the drama on and off the field it is an excellent opportunity to take a good look at a wonderfully colourful corner of the world.
Johannesburg is the Capital with a population of aprox. 9 million people. Now, that is a lot of people without a real puplic transport system, so what do the people do? How do they get around?
They use a minibus and the van of choice is the Toyota Hiace. And they are everywhere
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German team bus, then and now
German National Football Team at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Injured former captain Michael Ballack checking out the “winning” bus from 1974.
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The team buses and their slogans
I’m sure your feeling the world cup fever start to take hold, so here’s a look at the team transport and slogans. There are some really good ones like Switzerland for example but I like New Zealand’s the best..
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Pub landlord flying the flag for England
Ian Barton, landlord of the Duke of York pub in Market Street, Oakengates
Patriotic Shropshire pub landlord Ian Barton is well and truly flying the flag for England in the World Cup after turning his minibus into a Cross of St George on wheels.
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Commercial vehicle insurance at one glance
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Quotezone only deals with FSA-authorised insurers, including respected brands like Gladiator, Direct Choice and Budget.
Click the links to compare insurance and maybe save some money.
http://www.quotezone.co.uk/van-insurance.htm
Loading ...My first Van, Vintage Vans
My last van?
3 years ago Clare Brookes and Michelle Orton had an unusual business idea. What was that? To provide a funeral in style with their armada of white aircooled VW vans.
Many of you might think of this business idea as somewhat strange. But I am sure that just as many of you think of it as a very good idea.
Honestly, I must admit in times like these, where your dog can visit a hairdresser, or things such as the congestion charge. Why not a funeral in style?
But enough of the talking. Let me present you ‘Hearseby’, the squad of volkswagen funerals.
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Dodge Van Commercial
I simply don’t get the idea of it.
Need some help.
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VW Combi turns 60
The Volkswagen camper van celebrates 60 years of production this year – and for its generations of fans, the love affair is far from over.
They lie on their backs in oil, get pulled from side to side by their brakes and greet steep hills with a nervous sigh but when you are truly in love nothing really matters.
The owners of vintage VW camper vans are a dedicated bunch, lavishing care, attention and money on their beloved wheels.
They are the first to admit their “Combis” stop badly, weigh a ton, are underpowered and prone to electrical failure – but despite the faults, they remain a magnetic pull.
Campers have been the vehicle of choice for globe trotters, festival-goers, surfers and rock stars for six decades.
Love wagon: Romeo and Juliet in the Globe theatre’s touring production
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So what is the appeal, and why, like the Routemaster bus or Mini, is the humble van so revered?
Long-term owner Adrian Ward, 45, has more than 25 years experience restoring them and runs a dedicated Camper van garage in Bournemouth.
“They force you to take it easy, force you to slow down, if you’re in a hurry then forget it,” he explains.
“There’s a driving position you develop – this slouch with your elbows resting on the wheel and you lent over it. All of a sudden you can take it easy and watch everyone fly past you.
“There’s a well known phrase, ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey’ – that’s very apt when you’re in a camper.”
‘Mobile office’
Mr Ward owns one of the rarest of all models – a 23-window Samba from 1962, originally built for touring in the Alps and worth about £30,000.
He has bought more than 40 Combis over the years, which he says are fun, yet versatile enough to “run to the shops or take the family away on holiday”.
Former farmer Rev Lockett uses his van to get to know his flock better
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But it is not just those “in the scene” who have fallen for the dual charms of form and function.
In 2007, when the Globe theatre sent a company out on tour for the first time in 400 years, they wheeled in a camper.
Just like the Elizabethan horse and cart it replaced, the van was packed with costumes and props then incorporated into the production – in this case Romeo and Juliet.
In rural Herefordshire, a vicar of five Wye Dore parishes still uses his 1973 model to reach out to his flock and spread his message.
Rev Simon Lockett, or the Rolling Rev to locals, says he spends a week at a time in the summer camping out in three parish villages to made himself more accessible and visible.
The 43-year-old said: “I guess it’s the iconic status that appeals. The youngsters love it but it also acts as a mobile office and I can sit and use the laptop.”
Campers, particularly the rarer split-screen models, have become increasingly collectable. Good examples fetch about £13,000 and the best upwards of £25,000.
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CAMPER VAN BY ANY OTHER NAME
 Hippy van – popularity with the 1960s/70s counterculture movement
Vee-dub – two syllable variation of company name VW
Transporter, Kombi – the original German names, spawning the variant Combi
Splitty – Versions produced before 1967 used a split front windshield
Breadloaf – its design looks like bread baked in a mould
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The rarest of all – an early Barndoor Samba, of which there are just a handful worldwide – would set you back at least £60,000.
One producer in Germany will even ship one containing a six cylinder Porsche 911 engine for 150,000 euros (£127,000) – but the waiting list is five years.
The camper van began life as a wagon to carry panels around VW’s car plant in Wolfsburg, until it was spotted in the late 1940s by Dutch importer Ben Pon.
He made sketches based on the vehicle then struck a deal with engineers to develop them – spawning the first model complete with cylindrical headlights, split windscreen and famous circular logo.
Synonymous with 1960s counter culture, the vehicles have never lost their popularity.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver travelled around Italy in one for his Great Escape TV show and they continue to feature in countless TV adverts – Dorset Cereals and the Halifax to name two recent examples.
60,000-mile trek
Mike Johnson, 36, from Southampton edits the newsletter of the Split Screen Van Club (SSVC) and has owned his 1959 model for six years.
“Even though they are iconic and cool vehicles, it’s function not form that really sets them apart from other classics,” he says.
“We use it as a family camper, a run around, a parts hauler and for VW shows… and I love every minute.”
SSVC president Neil Smart, 48, says the media has driven much of the interest, along with renewed interest in 60s and 70s music, and surf wear.
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CELEBRITY OWNERS
 F1 racer Jenson Button
The Who’s Pete Townshend
The Who’s Roger Daltry
Actor Martin Clunes
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He says more than anything else, he values the friendships and camaraderie he has developed with fellow enthusiasts.
VW drivers famously acknowledge each other on the road with a special wave or sign – an open hand with the three middle fingers folded to the palm.
There are upwards of 65 Volkswagen shows and rallies in England every year, plus a handful in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Tales of marathon journeys are not uncommon. In 2000 a US couple gave up their corporate jobs and clocked up 60,000 miles over three years touring Mexico, Central America, South America and Africa in their 1978 van.
Two years ago Mr Smart made his favourite of all road trips in Europe along with five other split-screen van owners.
“We took six splitties down to Austria, driving 2,500 miles in 13 days, and it [his van] never missed a beat,” he said.
“Everyone was waving and taking pictures, we were treated like kings and queens because we’d made such an effort to go.”
source BBC
Loading ...Technology / Going green
Supercharging: changing the rules
There was a time when everything was easier. Big engines were
powerful and small engines were less powerful. Displacement
was the key, as petrol-engined cars usually needed big
normally aspirated engines for effortless performance with
high torque and brisk acceleration through the gears.
“Nothing beats cubic capacity – except more cubic capacity”
was an unwritten law of technology for many years, at least
where production models were concerned. If you wanted
more performance, you had to buy a model with more power
or better still a bigger car. But greater size and performance
almost invariably meant higher fuel consumption.
Until a few years ago, car-buyers faced a fundamental choice:
they were forced to opt for good performance or reasonable
fuel economy. Today, you can have both. All it takes is the
right technology under the bonnet. Then you get higher performance
and lower consumption.
People still like to talk about engine displacement, although
as a metric it is really a thing of the past. What counts today
is pressure – boost pressure to be more precise. Boost pressure
is the factor that extracts high power and high torque
from small engines, while at the same time making for low
fuel consumption.
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