To Boldly Go

Fancy driving where no man has gone before? Then you need to be behind the wheel of a T6 Swamper; here’s one that can do just that

- Simon Cooke

It’s Wales—about as far West as you can go without falling into the Irish Sea—and its Autumn. So obviously, it’s absolutely chucking it down. I’m already doing an Oscar-winning impression of a drowned rat just going from my driver’s seat to the boot of the car to sort out my camera kit for the upcoming photoshoot. There’s no suitable cover for miles around and the nearest multi-storey car park is probably 100 miles away; I should have listened to my mum when she told me to get a proper job; its a bit late now.

When you run a company called VW T5 Upgrades, a company that has carved itself a big slice of the Swamper market, you don’t expect them to rock up in anything less than an OTT Swamper. The boss, Matt Brooke, doesn’t disappoint. He set up the company in 2016, it sells wheels, tyres, suspension and styling parts to name just a few items on the inventory. Naturally his T6 demo van is a walking, talking advert for his company and its numerous products. Well, to be totally honest, it doesn’t walk and talk—but you get the idea.

Matt has found over the past couple of years that a lot of owners are getting a bit fed up of driving lowered vans. Vans that are not much good for going off-road, even if only into a camping field, now there is a swing to the other— Swamper—extreme. He’s more than happy to grab a large slice of that niche market. Originally he thought that many people were swapping, or should that be swamping? for practical reasons, because they wanted some off-grid adventures. He now thinks some people are changing because they just like the OTT look.