Here’s a Bus that confounds conventional wisdom – its beauty is way more than skin deep


 


The owner of the Bus you see here, Antonius van Helfteren, put together a simple brief when deciding on the direction his Bus would take. He enjoys spending time at the beach, with a bit of kite surfing thrown in when conditions allow [the weather and his own!]. The Bus interior therefore had to incorporate storage for boards and kites while also acting as a mobile coffee shop, allowing a brew to be prepared at will and a place for Antonius to relax in comfort after his exertions. Well, here’s how that seemingly straightforward remit spiralled into the stunning interior displayed here.


Making way for the ’65 Split back in 2004 was a very desirable Chesil Speedster Antonius had purchased in 2000 and describes as THE 356 replica, and who would argue? Although he feels the occasional pang of regret for allowing the Speedster to move on, the memories the Split Screen evokes of childhood summers in Holland playing in his grandfather’s Camper repair shop certainly help soothe
his conscience. 


Being of South African origin, the Camper was a perfect candidate for importing to the UK. The qualification of this fairly bold statement is simple: RHD and rust-free. On arrival in the UK both these assumptions were found to be true. The Bus was indeed RHD and, more importantly, free of rust. In fact, the Bus could be described as being far more dusty than rusty. To paraphrase the light-hearted comment often found in classic car ads, this Bus had dust in all the usual places and some unusual ones! The presence of all this dust is evidence of the dry environment it had enjoyed and the main reason for its great condition.The original engine, however, was not in such good order, and was replaced with a 1600 unit.
Antonius spent some time working on the Bus when it first arrived, removing window frames for sanding and cleaning before refitting with new seals and also removing all interior panels and half a desert’s worth of dust! There was a certain amount of patina evident but the plan was always to have the Bus repainted. Save for some panel straightening, the only other work the original metal has been treated to is a full respray.


With a freshly painted rolling shell it was time to put into action that simple interior brief. Antonius set about researching to find the company he could entrust to see his vision through to completion. After many dead ends, it was in the pages of our sister mag VolksWorld that Antonius read about the Red Stripe promotional Split and was able to track down the creator of that particular interior in Simon Weitz of Interior Motive [www.interiormotiveuk.com]. 


Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Antonius and Simon set about realising this design! Pretty quickly the notion of using the interior to store boards and kites with some kind of racking system was dropped. 


Simon went through the various options he could provide in the hardware department, which included a Westy-style flip-front seat and also Interior Motive’s own innovative rock ’n’ roll bed that utilises the armrest of the seat to realise maximum use of space for the bed. 


With the bar set at world record breaking heights, the creativity continued to include the curved unit that houses a fridge, gas cooker and sink unit and also doors and drawers for storage. Simon’s choice of material in this instance was birch ply that was manipulated by skilled hands to the desired shape and size before being expertly trimmed in American black walnut veneer. And it doesn’t end there – the worktops are made from a material called Richlite. Not only does it look stunning but, due to the manufacturing process, it’s incredibly strong and lightweight. 


Providing in-car entertainment is a very neat system that employs an iPhone [or iPod] instead of a head-unit. Everything is linked via an amp to a laptop cleverly hidden inside one of the rear armrests. There is also a drop-down TV screen located on the airbox above the front seat. Unfortunately, the complexity of the install proved too much to handle for the local electrical firm Antonius had commissioned and is now having a refit overseen by Simon at Interior Motive. This will include replacement of the laptop and the flip-down TV screen with an iPad, replacing the two separate devices with one that will do the same job. Clever stuff!


Mechanically, the Bus has been treated to a Harry Harpics lowering job employing a narrowed beam in the process, along with IRS and a front disc brake conversion. The 1600cc engine provided by L R Super Beetles worked well as a stopgap before the Camper was booked in at T2D, who provided a 1776cc engine with a full-flow oil system and standard carb set-up, a great combination for reliability and a few extra ponies to move all that multimedia around!


And so, after this absorbing tale of the coming together of owner and supplier to create a truly magnificent interior with craftsmanship that would not look out of place in the back of a Bentley, we are all dying to know how it works down on the beach and where the kite and boards get stashed. Well, for this Antonius bought an Airstream caravan! The way his Split has evolved meant it was way too good for carrying boards covered in seaweed and sewage – save that for the Airstream and keep the easy life for the air-cooled. 


 

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