Everyone Loves A VW Camper Van

Everybody loves a VW camper van – it conjures up the joie-de-vivre of life eliciting images of sunny fields, carefree persona and a devil-may-care attitude to life.

VW love has endured for many a decade and the reasons for this are tenfold. The sense of freedom that a VW evokes – playfulness, holidays, the great outdoors, living closer to nature, drinking chilled rosé in a sunny field by the van, holidays with your favourite pet, life out on a limb, bucking the trend…. we could go on.

Campervans are about life on the road, going off the beaten track, making home where you find it and being spontaneous. This feeling of adventure, which the camper van awakens, explains the human races’ long-held love and fascination with this manoeuvering, metal home.

The inception of the beloved VW camper van was back in 1947, thanks to a Dutch importer named Ben Pon. Pon observed, whilst traversing the floors of the VW factory, that motorized trollies, which had been built by staff to make the transport of parts around the factory easier, were a type of vehicle that had never been seen before. Inspired by this Pon did a rough sketch of the secret and sassy vehicle – a box-shaped truck-of-sorts with forward control and a rear engine. He did not rest on his laurels following his first sighting and sketching. His persistence to take this further eventually lead to him convincing engineer Heinrich Nordhoff to design a prototype of the wagon.

The first model of this new vehicle was unveiled in secret and quickly earned the nickname ‘Bulli’, which in German refers to its somewhat hulking and sturdy appearance.

Indeed, the VW camper is a solid piece of German engineering and in the first models the engine had a capacity of 1131 ccm, and an output of 18 kW at 3300 rpm. Current models vary greatly in both capacity and price and you can find every variety to suit your personal style. Many come with the full spectrum of cooker, bed, fridge, even loo and shower – yes we can enjoy living in our camper vans for weeks at a time now!

But just a little more history…

Between 1949 and 1967 Volkswagen created the first of many forms of the VW in a version cutely named a ‘Splittie’ due to the split windscreen. In 1951 the Westfalia was introduced. This was named after the contractor who built the vans Westfalia-Werke. The company was based in the Westphalia region of Germany. The Tipsy Pigs’ sensational van is a Westfalia original – no copies or fakes for us! Registered in 1979 the Tipsy was imported to the UK in 2007 and has found its resting place at the auspices of Tipsy Pigs.

Lovingly restored to make way for a plethora of cocktails and fun the Tipsy is the surefire way to elevate your wedding, celebration party or corporate event to a new level of cultivated hipness. This is because Tipsy is run by people with a sense of fun, passion and commitment to pleasure, food perfection and a right, rollicking good time. We are all night party people and absolutely get what makes an event sparkle and fizz.

When we set up Tipsy Pigs we found inspiration in the sense of freedom and joy that a VW campervan inspires. We want to bring that celebration of life to your event. Tipsy currently has a stunning blue canopy over its frame and if you want to savour some of the Tipsy awesomeness at your event whether it be a celebration or promotion, we can work with you to create a canopy that reflects your brand or you. We can create a stunning showpiece for your occasion where guests can feast on cocktails, free-range gourmet meats or vegan delights and an array of gorgeous wines and spirits that match your palate.

Tipsy has already been on the road over the summer months visiting weddings and festivals including the Summer Night Film Festival, which is a festival of film set in beautiful heritage locations in the UK. The Tipsy went down a storm and everyone had a wonderful time. Our mission is to bring the spirit of the VW to all the best parties in the UK – to keep the history alive and to make sure the people we engage with – and hopefully that’s you – share our spirit of adventure and have the same passion for VWs and amazing food and drink.

The beauty of the Westfalia original Tipsy Pig van is that it has a real history and has been adopted by our team of passionate creatives to offer something both inspirational and fun. We don’t just inject diesel into our van – we inject a huge dose of fun and high-spirited professionalism to ensure that every event we are part of is a huge success.