Words About Things

I was walking to work the other day when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a tatty looking yellow van. It was a Robin Reliant (three wheeler) with something written on the side. It wasn’t until about 10 minutes later that I realized why this car had caught my attention, it was Del boy Trotter’s car from Only Fools and Horses!

Now you too can own a piece of British comedy history in motoring form. A garage in Hampshire is selling a used van it claims was used in the television series for just under £7000. It is one of six models used in the 10 years the series was on the air and even has the company name painted on the side.

‘Inside, the car needs a good vacuuming. It has a 700cc engine and you can get up to about 55mph before you endanger your life. But it’s fully roadworthy with a current MOT certificate.’

As you can imagine there aren’t many of these iconic vans for sale. Boxer Ricky Hatton is said to own a version of the van although he hasn’t been seen driving it around yet. It even comes complete with the website delboysvan.com so that you can continues the previous owner’s van hire business. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would want to arrive at their wedding in the back of a Reliant.

Volkswagen have launched a new site to celebrate their reputation as van makers of choice for those with an eye for adventure. The popularity of their camper vans with surfers and other outdoor types is clear to see, particularly in the summer time.

The site VWescape.co.uk is tied in with a series of summer events including the GoldCoast Oceanfest in Devon and the Blackheath Bike and Kite Festival in London. At the these events people will be able to have a look at some of the Volkswagen vans for sale the Caravelle and the California.

There will also be a chance to look around some split screen camper vans that will no doubt be out and about this summer. The used vans seem to all come out of the woodwork once the sun is shining!

A 56 year old Volkswagen Transporter van has broken the world record by reaching a top speed of 102.84 mph. The Transporter achieved this feat during a quarter mile sprint at the Santa Pod racetrack. It completed the quarter mile in 12.65 seconds.

The record is for non-turbo charged vans but the owners from Frankfurt believe they can beat the record for any VW van which is currently set at 12.5 seconds. They are going to attempt this at the anual ‘Bug Jam’ held at Santa Pod between 17-19 July.

The Transporter is Volkswagen’s best-selling van, and one of the most popular vans ever with over 10 million being produced since production started almost 60 years ago in March 1950. They have a reputation for longevity as those with an interest in used vans will know.