this is how we roll in Ninove…

Rollin’ into Ninove

Well, the main day of the weekend had finally arrived, and it looks like it’s going to be another bright and sunny Freddy Files, perfect weather with sunshine and 20º+ temp, good weather really helps make the weekend 🙂

Having got up early, we parked our buses up and went to get some breakfast goodies in one of the local cafés. They had some perfectly positioned outside seating, so we decided to sit outside and watch all the different vehicles drive into the show. Turned out to be a great way to watch most of the vehicles make their way into the centre of town.

Super tidy SO42

One of the buses that parked near us really caught the eye. It was a simply stunning SO42 Westfalia camper that was beautifully finished with real attention for detail. One of those cases where the pics, unfortunately, don’t really do it justice!

Even in the engine bay, the simplicity and level of detail was spot on.

No trailer queen

Then, of course, were the polished highlights of the Westfalia louvre windows, just immaculate! Such a nice bus, I’m sure it could easily be a worthy show winner, but what was really nice to see was the three children that were playing in the back of the camper. To them, it was just a fun space to be in. That’s exactly how it should be. It’s a camper to be used, not a trailer queen!

Respect to the owner for the obvious hard work that had gone into the bus, but for also not being too precious about it and letting the kids enjoy it. Those memories will last forever!

There were lots of beautiful examples of some classic early vintage VW’s to see alongside some other unusual exotica such as this monster big Pontiac Catalina estate! It was great to see such a range of vehicles on the streets.

Go anywhere

Loved this 16″ syncro, perfect adventure bus. Go anywhere, do anything kind of vehicle. Would make an awesome adventure camper to go exploring in!

This is a pretty rare and awesome 16″ syncro T3 panel van. A real 4WD go-anywhere option that you don’t see that often. A 16″ syncro is a bit of a holy grail bus in the T3 world.

All the colours

Plenty of options to see in the paint department. From full-on hippy, original stock through to show winning custom finishes, there really was something for everyone to be inspired by.

Perfect weather for convertibles and ragtop bugs, buses and Karmann Ghias alike. No excuse for not getting out in the sunshine!

Different detailing

Plenty of polished and detailed Porsche Fuchs on display, but I thought these blasted fuch wheels stood out a bit from the normal approaches on display elsewhere. Quite subtle and would look great with fully polished nuts and centre cap?

Again the variety of interior finishes on display was as varied as the external finishes. This Mexican blanket style interior certainly brought a vibrant splash of colour to this safari windowed Beetle.

Certain VW ‘accessories’ seem to get their own dedicated fan clubs, or so it appeared with this group of Beetles all sporting their ‘swamp cooler’ air conditioning units on their windows!

Pretty in pink

This was a stand out bus I had seen before, but not taken a picture of. I loved the simplicity and understated nature of this cool looking sliding door split screen bus. Combined with its black gloss Porsche wheels and a mean sounding engine in the back, this was a tough looking bus!

This pretty in pink Type 3 square back ‘Pepto’ certainly makes an entrance! Looks like it was straight off a vintage VW Trends front cover, not for the shy or retiring that’s for sure!

Herbie lives

Sometimes, not all the cool stuff had all 4 wheels on the ground. Sometimes you have to look up a little, then you get to see this cool little orange Pirelli roof rack racer – very cool!

It was nice to see an animated Herbie ‘love bug’ at the show. Someone had put a lot of effort into it, and it certainly did its bit to keep the crowds entertained 🙂