Armed with just camera and an encyclopaedic knowledge of motors, Patrick Cummins begins a new series looking closely at four-wheeled idols in YOUR area.

His one criteria? Only stone cold classics.

Patrick writes:

 I came across the owner  of this lovely Volkswagen Transporter T3 (T25) camper van., Conor O’Connor, in a local Topaz garage near Dublin city centre. It’s an early air-cooled example from 1981 with the 1.6 petrol engine and 4-speed manual gearbox.

The previous owners imported it from the UK four years ago and, after a long search, Conor found it on Donedeal and bought it two years ago.

When bought, it needed a service. Some rust-repair work was carried out by Emilio’s Beetles on the arches and steps and then she passed the NCT. Conor drives it once or twice per week as it is his daily driver when he’s out of town. He keeps it regularly serviced.

It’s not for sale though. He plans to do a few bits to freshen up the interior but wants to keep it as original as possible. Conor doesn’t have a major interest in the festival/show scene but he has taken it to Rockin’ Road and hopes to bring it out a bit more if we get a long spell of good weather this summer.

Pics: Patrick Cummins