More pop-up toasters than Currys and Robert Dyas put together.

And here’s the story so far – from 1947 to 2007. From left to right we have the original rear-engined van concept, the T1, T2, T3, T4 and current T5:

And here’s a closer look at the original – the Plattenwagen. This was used to transport heavy loads at the VW plant in Wolfsburg, and gave Ben Pon, a Dutch car dealer and VW importer, an idea! He’s the one that thought a metal body might improve the overall design – the man was a genius!

But they didn’t all have metal bodies. I couldn’t quite make out the German sign that went with this van, but from what I can tell this wooden example was among a handful of factory-built T1s from the early 50s. I could be wrong though, and I look forward to hearing from you if I am.

And here’s another wooden one – although I’m pretty sure that this one wasn’t a factory build! It was however one of several rather unusual vans on show.

Take this for example – which is certainly one of the more unusual examples I’ve seen. I’m going to hazard a guess that this lightweight fibreglass roof-rack wasn’t a factory option.

Meet Chris Redford from Eastbourne, who is undoubtedly one of the biggest VW fans out there. However, despite his obvious passion for the model, and one of the most striking vans at the event, he failed to make it into the central arena. Then again this might have had something to do with some of the slogans painted on the van, which included “My other ride is your mum”.

This stretched T1 bus was certainly the longest van on show.

And looked like this inside:

And this was one of the smallest. Having said that, its €1000+ price tag was far from small.

Can anybody tell me what this is? It looks like it might have been developed for Deutsche Poste, but I could be wrong.

I have since been reliably informed by people autoshite and retro-rides that it is in fact a Fridolin, and here's a link to the UK club.

I wasn’t the only one to be impressed by John Bailey’s amazing 1956 T1, which attracted plenty of camera flashes. The van, which started out in life as a Californian kennel van, comes complete with its original paintwork. John told me the journey from Folkestone to Hannover was a long one, and that he expected the return leg to be even longer on account of a dodgy transmission.

As much as I liked John’s Kennel van, I have to admit that this was my favourite. Well it’s the only one that kept my attention for several hours!

Whereas my lovely girlfriend Meredith, who didn’t complain at all about being forced to view all 4,500 vans, voted this one as her favourite:

Here’s another British van to attract the crowds – and one of the most unique paint jobs (or lack of!)
Owner Mossie says he spent 7 weeks in a cloud of paint and filler stripping his 1955 T1 back to its bare metal. He asked me to give a plug to SBS UK – so I have.

Pristine vans were abundant, but it was the rusty ones that drew the biggest crowds. How cool is this?

This doesn’t need any explanation.

Although there were plenty of 1990s T4s on show, this Mexican-built 1996 van was definitely the newest T2 we spotted. Although they do of course still make them in Brazil – albeit with a water cooled engine.

One of the highlights of the event was a performance by The Who – especially their performance of Magic Bus, which was accompanied by original early 1950s footage of the vans rolling off the production line.

Pete Townshend announced that he’s a big fan of the VW bus, and says he recently bought a Brazilian-built T2 camper. He also told the crowd about the importance of using the internet for the right reasons.

Last minute preparation before the judges made their decisions.

It took me ages to spot this heavily camouflaged T3 – which just blends into the background. Can you spot it?

How’s this for a nice outfit?

And here’s another highly original matching bus and trailer combination.

I spotted this diagram on the side of a T3 camper. This is a copy of the original plans drawn up by Ben Pon. Clever man and great designer he might have been, but brilliant artist he definitely was not.

This chap (whose name I forgot to get on account of me spending too long examining the Becks van) converted this American imported 1961 T1 to right-hand drive using the front of an Australian van. He had clearly spent a fortune on the vehicle, which looked absolutely stunning.

And here is an arty view of the same van which I achieved by laying on my back - which had nothing to do with the beer.

This unrestored Luton is owned by the Volkswagen museum.

Check out this old dog (nearest the camera) – the T3 was one of well over 1,000 examples on display.

Luckily I didn’t require any medical assistance!

Unlike this decapitated Bulli which had clearly had a serious accident.

I am reliably informed that this Lufthansa Bulli was one of the prize winners.

And in case you were wondering how it got its nickname, here’s a brief explanation from the press pack. And I quote:

“A VW Transporter, either as a van or a bus, was a Bulli. Because it had a beefy, stocky build and because it could be used as a bus or a van. So the first two letters of the type reference (Bus-Lieferwagen), Bu-Li, were linked. And to make the name trip off the tongue more easily, the hyphen was replaced by another “I”.

It goes on to say:

“This is how incorrigible Bulli worshippers relate the history of the christening of the vehicle, which has turned out to be a classic more of the German economic miracle after the last war.”