Now You Can Turn A VW Van Into A Camper With GTI-Inspired Seats
A British Volkswagen camper van conversion specialist has revealed the latest addition to its fleet: a GTI-inspired four-sleeper that used to be a panel van.
Vanworx, in Portland on the English south coast, has announced the new ‘slipper’ conversion for the T6-era Transporter ‘Edition’ range-topper. A slipper is a conversion in which a panel van or ‘kombi’ with a windowed sliding door has extra windows added on the way to becoming a high-spec camper.
The Edition version’s spec sheet is already bulging with the likes of LED headlights, parking sensors at both ends, a rear-view camera, navigation and swivelling heated front seats. After Vanworx has finished with it, you can add a couple of double beds, an elevating roof, a fridge and freezer, a kitchen with two gas burners, and even a Webasto diesel-fuelled heater. The last one, priceless in cold climates, is unique to the Edition model.
We especially like the breadth of customisation options, ranging from the colour of your kitchen worktops as if you’re in an automotive B&Q, to bike racks, a lowering pack with larger 18-inch wheels and a body kit. It’s extremely true to the modern VW Transporter modifying scene without missing out on details like multiple USB ports and 12v sockets.
Check out the GTI-inspired upholstery in the demo vehicle. Mimicking the very tartan you’ll find in the Golf and Polo GTIs, it’s one for buyers who don’t want to give up on the memories of their hot hatch days just yet. Alternatively, you can have leather in a choice of shades and styles. The cherry red might be a bit much, mind.
Vanworx is a Volkswagen-approved converter and each of the limited number of Edition models comes with full Whole Vehicle Type Approval, which is comforting if you’re in a newly-installed rear seat.
As for the price, well, you didn’t expect it to be cheap, did you? Complete with a 2.0-litre, 148bhp diesel engine and a DSG twin-clutch gearbox as standard, plus a choice of four colours, you’re looking at a starting price of £61,898 on the road. A limited number of Edition models will be converted, so it’ll have a measure of exclusivity on its side when it’s parked above the Mediterranean.
Comments
62k might sound like a lot of money, and it is, but it isn’t that much for a camper van, considering the amount of manual labor it takes to install everything. The base for the conversion (which I assume is a Multivan, you wouldn’t take a Caravelle as a base to create a camper since you have to remove the entire interior and the interior is what makes the Caravelle so expensive) isn’t really that cheap either, a Multivan starts at 35k with laughably low trim. The Transit-based Westfalia Nugget starts at 53k, but the base model (Transit Custom Van) is already 29k. You could buy a camper version of the Multivan (T6 California) directly from a Volkswagen dealer for 47k starting price, but that one doesn’t even come close to the equipment you get in the Vanworx conversion.
Hey mr skeletal you’re back. Welcome back buddy
Plus considering that old, almost obsolete Westfalia T2s and T3s are often priced at well over 15k CAD (up to sometimes over 30k CAD) for very used models with hundreds of thousands of miles and interior equipment out from the early 1980s, that seems like an even better deal. Plus you just know it won’t depreciate much at all.
I would love to own this!
I want tartan cloth seats for my dining room and living room, to hell with what the wife says! When that backfires though, I guess I could settle for one of these instead 😂
Here in the States roof camper conversions run 6k to 10k that is including install, so it would be heaps cheaper to just buy a used suv/van and make your own.