Background

Background stories all have to start somewhere…

What’s the background to my passion with classic VW campers? That’s an easy one, through my Dad.

I was lucky growing up that my Dad choose various types of camper vans as the ‘family car’. So from a young age, going to the seaside or a family camping holiday was a normal experience for me. Here the seed was clearly sown…

Magical transformation

My childhood were the days of low-cost, DIY holidays in and around the UK. These early experiences and memories are the background to my interest and fascination with campers in later life.

As a kid growing up, nothing seemed quite as magical as roofs that transformed into tents for camping in. Travelling in the rear of a vehicle that morphed into a living room, bedroom or a kitchen when you pulled up at the seaside. It was like living in your own kind of magical Sci-Fi reality. Just better!

A background to happy memories

Playing cards on the table in the rear. A whistle of the boiling kettle on the stove. Sleeping in the roof and peering out of the side windows. The magic of these early experiences have lived on and lingered long into later life for me.

Fast forward to being old enough to finally get my own car. I was married with a young family by then, so nothing overly special or illustrious, just what we could afford at the time. Practical and functional to get from A to B with a young family.

What’s that tucked away at the back…

Then came the dreaded time that my daily hack needed work/money to pass its MOT. I happened to be passing some garage units in London and spotted a white VW Beetle tucked away in the unit.

It reminded me of the classic Herbie movies of my childhood. I found out that it was running and driving and cost not that much more than my ‘Fix Or Repair Daily’ car with the cost of the required work needed on it. The decision was made, a no brainer in my crazy mind!

The adventure continues…

A deal was done! My first taste of air-cooled VW ownership came in the form of this classic 1968 VW Beetle that I knew literally nothing about. It was the start of my road of adventure.

I’ve subsequently owned various bugs and buses. Some on the road, some projects that I sold on. I originally set the vdubxs site up to follow the restoration of an VW S067 Westfalia Camper. It was supposed to be a quick fix and get on the road. Like most things, it turned out to be anything but! From those early days, vdubxs has grown to be much more than that.