Visiting the Van Nats

Belgians, sideways caravans, supercharged V8s and much more...

Today I paid a visit to the 'Van Nats' event, a classic and custom van show billed as "the original hippy happy van festival" and held in the village of Akeley, just a few miles down the road from home. The long-established Van Nats is a three-day 'extra-van-ganza' featuring a lot more than just vans, including live music, a barbecue and a vintage fair, and culminating in the 'show and shine' competition on Sunday. Apparently the reason for the location is that a senior member of the Transit van club lives in the village, and although it has been held here for a few years this was the first time I was able to attend. Given the hippy-themed branding I was expecting a load of trendy 'new age' types in air-cooled Volkswagens, but the reality was pleasingly different and more akin to street van shows of the 1980s.

This day van had come all the way from Belgium for the event!

 

The Zombie Outbreak Response Team were on hand just in case.

The exhibits were primarily a mixed bunch of American day vans and British vehicles of the seventies and eighties, principally Ford Transits and Bedford CFs. Although a few modern Transporters and a Caddy were on display, rear-engined Volkswagens were completely absent as these seem to have their own show scene, and with it being Glastonbury weekend I guess a lot of them would have been there. Many of the custom vans must have had countless hours and many thousands of pounds invested in them, with stunning airbrushed paintwork and beautifully-trimmed interiors, and their owners are justifiably proud of them.

Flashback to the 1980s!

Among the British vans, there is a trend towards not only fitting big V8 engines but then adding superchargers, the most extreme example being a drag racing CF with a 7.2-litre Jensen engine that apparently pumps out 750bhp and will do 0 to 100 in about eight seconds! Seeing such vans with murals and slotmags was a blast from the past as they looked like the sort of vehicles that would be found in 1980s issues of Street Machine magazine and many car people thought the custom van scene had died out long ago, but it is still alive and well among die-hard fans. 

7.2 litres of Jensen V8 with a massive supercharger. Not what you expect to be powering a Bedford CF!

Some of the vehicles were frankly a bit bizarre, but beautifully engineered, such as a six-wheel V8-engined Ford Thames tipper with a centre lift axle, and a former Age Concern minibus turned into a 'zombie outbreak response unit'. It could be argued that the latter hadn't actually changed roles very much as there is not a big difference between old people and zombies! At Gaydon two weeks ago, a six-wheel mini artic was part of the Transit club display, and the same vehicle was present here along with a similarly-converted Leyland-DAF 400 adorned with airbrushed images of the band Madness, which seems apt somehow. It wasn't all about customisation though as there were some very smart unmodified vehicles on show too, including a number of Mark 1 Transits and, looking very out of place in the line of custom vans, a little Austin 7 owned by a local chap.

The aptly-named 'Mad Van'.

Van fans seem to come from all walks of life: teenage girls, families, burly blokes with tattoos and piercings, and retired couples all happily mingling, and they seem a friendly and laid-back bunch. Being held on a village playing field I had expected predominantly local exhibits, but they came from far and wide including a group of Belgians! The nature of the event meant there was no separate camping area as the camper vans were themselves part of the show so the public could wander between the tents and caravans, and it was here I discovered the fascinating Rapido Comfort-Matic folding caravan pictured below; if you want to see how it folds into a very small trailer there is a YouTube video.

Looks like a sideways caravan!

All in all, this was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a summer Sunday afternoon, especially as admission was free, but seems to be a well-kept secret as it is held in the middle of the village away from the main through road and not widely advertised outside of van enthusiast circles apart from a few posters on nearby roads. It was something a bit different from the usual classic car shows but every bit as interesting with some fascinating vehicles on show and a friendly bunch of people. Returning to Akeley, a place I have often passed through but hadn't visited since leaving primary school there over twenty years ago, was also a nostalgic experience. The village hasn't changed much and the school is still there, but the new village hall adjacent to the show field is a far better venue than the old corrugated iron shack that passed for a village hall in my schooldays.

The Austin 7 was sweet but looked a bit out of place.