Jerome Timbrell's award winning 23 window Samba

Want something that money COULD buy! Then this is the article for you.

What started out as love at first sight soon became an obsession, and not just for the owner! This is the story of Frankie, a lowly 23 window 1963 'Samba' type 2a 'split screen' transporter.

Frankie, as shown here, is how Jerome first found him/her and the start of a beautiful relationship began. Jerome phoned around to a few other garages first, and after being scorned, mocked, belittled and generally given the run around he found us here at Volkswerke.

A brother of my friends aunties second cousin's next door neighbour's, friend suggested us, so it was maybe destiny? March 2007 and a meeting of 2 great minds ensued and 3 minutes later the deal was struck.

Derek travelled to Frankie's soon to be old home, note pad in hand, and Jerome was impressed. Jerome said that the lasting first impression of Derek was that he bored him fuckless, but his genuine enthusiasm shone through. It's not every day you entrust a 23 window to full restoration, for starters the budget needs to support the project and the expertise needs to be abundant. After lies on both sides, Frankie travelled to Taunton in May and so it all began.

An initial inspection and it was discovered that Frankie was bent, and not in the fun way. So a jig had to be made to straighten the back end up. The only way this could be done without Datum, was by measuring other splitty buses and original blueprints. This itself would have scared most off, but Derek's resolve was, well resolved!

Gunner made a jig and the bus was slowly, but surely straightened out. This had to be done before a panel was even touched. Derek maintains that Jerome is close to being the perfect customer, his biscuit supply was plentiful and his patience was copious. The straightening out took 8 weeks alone. Once we were all happy that Frankie had been corrected and was now only slightly camp, Gunner started to cut out panels and replace with panels from Autocraft.

After previous restorations we discovered that the best way
to fit the panels was to bond them on, where as the van is very much a part of automotive history, bonding is the future, and I don't mean Sean Connery.
This whole process took 16 weeks, and then it was time for Frankie to make the trip to K & B motors in Bathpool, for prep and paint. Fast forward to January 2008 and Frankie looked like he was starting to take proper steps towards his now award winning status. Suddenly the offers to help faded, the paint looked as expensive as Jerome's taste, and we were petrified of scratches and dings. Luckily though Buster by now had a near death experience and the fear of hammer dents faded somewhat!

The rebuild now.
Luckily there was no monotonous rifling around for NOS, Jerome wanted shiny, to match his personality. A 2161 SCAT built engine was flown in from the States, complete with genuine Weber 44 idfs, SCAT volks racer crank, H beam rods, 90.5 forged pistons, SCAT C35 cam and mini D port heads, and a 'Fat Boy' muffler. Derek tuned this up, fitted it in and this lump, along with narrowed adjustable front beam, IRS on the rear, genuine polished Porsche Fuchs, CSP front discs, re drilled early Bay rear drums, dual-circuit braking and the shittest Bernard Newbury gear stick available on the open market, assisted Frankie to a 17.33 at Santa Pod, which I'm sure you will all agree is a quick time, especially when you know that Jerome is of a similar build to Obelisk in the Asterisk comics.
Frankie was then sent to Vaughan Green in Loughborough for the upholstery, we all take our hats off to Vaughan who did a fantastic job. Jerome's wife went along for the ride to discuss colours and styles, purple and white was decided. After leaving Loughborough, Jerome, somewhat perturbed by the decision asked Catherine why in all the things in this world that are holy was purple and white decided, that was Catherine's cue to admit that Vaughan had bored her fuckless on this occasion. So a phone call was made and the final product was then ordered.

Now on to the finishing touches, front and rear Creative Engineering safaris were fitted, along with Creative pop outs. Barry popped along, and needed a step ladder to get into the lowered bus!! Touch activated lighting, a 14" plasma telly, DVD player, satellite television and Kenwood ICE was installed, along with engine bay lighting were all Gucci additions. Lots of bespoke goodies, such as a hand made fascia for the stereo to fit into the air box, Moto Lita steering wheel, and a NOS Blaupunkt stereo, and NOS coat hangers were carefully selected to fit into the van.

Fast forward to May 2008, a year since the project began. Jerome was adamant that Frankie was going to VanWest, albeit on a trailer due to the ineptitude of the DVLA. VanWest was a resounding success and to all our amazement Jerome won best in show, best interior and best paint.

Amazement in that Frankie was an unknown quantity, and in all fairness we have never taken on such a project. Everyone wants a show winning vehicle, but in Jerome his budget, mostly thanks to his hard working wife and labouring children, matched his ambition. Frankie even managed a blitz around the track
.

Back to the workshop for refining and finishing touches. Then onto Plymouth Volksfest in it's inaugural year, good show, apart from sleeping (what a joke) next to the bastarding Belfast Busker. and Jerome won Best Split. By now we were still not convinced that what we had built was deserving of such accolade. On the way Jerome broke down, apparently cars, including old Volkswagens run on petrol!!

Next show was Bristol, on the way Jerome broke down, this time a snapped throttle cable. No trophy at this show, but the judging was fixed!!

Please note in the photo, Garfield fisting Frankie, Jerome polishing (ha ha) and the most lovely low light bay in the back ground!

Bug Jam 22. As ever bloody good show. The event organisers reckon this was the largest show 'n' shine ever, on the way Jerome discovered that old Volkswagens don't have a 5th gears!!!
BUT another trophy, best Type 2, I (webmaster) have to say that I would have voted for the rather tasty Sun dial splitty, so I have to doff my cap to Jerome winning. Winning this show kinda made us realise that this was the real thing, and Frankie 'was all that'. By now Jerome was getting a bit of the hump about polishing, made even funnier by his supplemental trophy of a polishing kit.

On the way back from Bug Jam, Jerome didn't break down, but did break of his door handle! VeeDubbin followed and yet again another trophy, Best in Show, some say this is a cop out award, personally I think this is the highest praise.

Cornwall Jamboree next, really good weekend and guess what, another trophy, best modified type 2.

So in Frankie's first year, so far, 7 trophies, and hopefully more to come. Hopefully you will all agree this is truly a labour of love, money, determination and skill, a true phoenix from the flame, Arizona to Taunton, Cactus juice to Cider.

A recent feature car in Volksworld Frankie, Jerome and Derek are truly leg ends in their own lunch time, and I think I'm great too. I have no doubt that there will be more to come, but we will just have to wait and see.

A special hug, kiss and one of Jerome's many trophies goes to Derek , Gunner, Spaz (Neilly Wheely), Derek, Lokes, Barry, Derek, Panos, Catherine, Ang and all that have added their thrupence worth in the restoration of Frankie. Enjoy the photos and e-mail Derek if you want advice and to pay him to restore your pride and joy.

This site was last updated 05/16/09