HolidayWagen

He wanted to be King of The Road. The high up driving position made him feel exactly that.​

Erum’s Story

My father bought the Volkswagen T2 Devon Moonraker from his Volkswagen dealer, Smithfields in Digbeth, so he could pick up my mother with their new-born baby, my younger sister, from Solihull hospital in a brand-new car, as was his tradition. On Fridays, mum would say, “Finish your homework.” Meanwhile, she’d be packing our bags into the camper along with sleeping bags, toys, our colouring books and other things we wanted to take. Then, when dad came home from his work, we'd set off to somewhere like Land's End or Scotland or anywhere! Some weekends we’d take the Big Car to Dover and take a day trip on the ferry to Zeebrugge or Boulogne or Calais. My brother would have his seat, which would be directly behind my dad, but facing backwards. So he'd always turn forward and look over Dad's shoulder. My sister would be at the back, in the corner, next to the quarter window, and I would be sitting next to the sink and the cutlery drawer.

Wherever we were, it felt like home

The camper has a pop-up roof with bunk beds either side. I would have the bunk bed on the driver's side and dad would have his bunk bed on the sliding door side. My mum, my brother and my sister would sleep down below. My dad was very kind in that way because, where he slept, it meant that in the morning he would have to get up first and fold his bed because he was above the sink and the cooker. Those things are necessary first thing in the morning, to brush your teeth, wash your face, and have breakfast.

Monkey attack!

Once we went to West Midland Safari Park with my auntie, my father's younger sister. Oh, my goodness, the monkeys went wild. They were all over the camper. They smashed the mini pop-up sunroof. My aunt was screaming, she was so frightened. I remember, during the 90s, there was heavy rain. It was really monsooning out there. Dad went outside and covered the camper in mum’s washing up liquid and gave it a good brush, you know, because it got a free rinse from Mother Nature. We watched from the living room window thinking, only dad.

Disaster strikes

One time I took my dad and my niece to the local picture house. We came back and popped the camper up on the drive as you do. The next day I was doing my morning prayers when my sister-in-law shouted, “Erum, come quick! It’s gone!” I ran downstairs. I remember it was dark still. It was gone.

Reunited at last

We reported it, put it on Facebook, ‘If you see this camper,’ etc. The Police and our insurance company said, “You’ll never find it, it’s probably on the back of a trailer right now going somewhere.” Time passed, then, one day in March 2018, I was riding my motorbike through Peckham and saw a campervan. What intrigued me at first was, why does this camper have 1978 plates? It's too early for those plates. I stopped, looked inside and nothing had changed. Curtains, everything. Even Dad's rather crude extension to the gear shifter which he'd fitted to make changing gear easier for him was there. After some toing and froing with the Police and the insurance company, I got it back. A bad respray and some other attempts to disguise it had left it in a bit of a sorry state, though.

Some well-deserved TLC

I really wanted to restore it for mum and dad because I knew how much they loved it. By the time it had been fully restored, my dad had Parkinson’s Disease and was unable to drive. He was delighted to see the camper all restored, though.

It made me so happy, sitting him up in that cab and watching him start it up. The smile on his face and the joy that must have been in his heart. These little things, I think, add years onto your life. One day I said to him that I needed to go to town and I asked if he fancied a drive around London, and he said, “yeah!” We took the scenic route.

The legacy lives on

Sadly, both of my parents have passed away now, but whenever I put my hands on the same steering wheel that mum and dad touched all those years ago, I feel so close to them.

Even though I've lost them both, when I’m driving the camper it’s like they’re right here with me.

Meet the Volks and their Wagens

This film is dedicated to our fans. Each story within it reflects the sincere affection Volks hold for their Wagens. It includes people from every corner of the country, from all walks of life, driving all kinds of Volkswagens, from vintage Beetles to contemporary SUVs and the all-electric ID Range.