Taking place at the South of England Showground for the first time, VolksWorld Show wowed crowds with the best of the air-cooled VW scene last weekend

The UK’s biggest air-cooled VW event, VolksWorld Show, enjoyed a hugely successful start to its new era on Sunday March 23. Taking place at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, for the first time, it overcame the hurdles of an M25 junction closure and the threat of rain to welcome a bumper 4000-strong crowd though the gates, plus twice as many display cars compared to 2024.

Highlights included the iconic VolksWorld Concours, which featured stars cars such as Steve McQueen’s custom Beach Buggy from The Thomas Crown Affair, and a 1952 T2 Bus with furniture and carpet from Winston Churchill’s office. The judging team ultimately awarded 99.5 out of 100 points to winner, Ales Boughen’s Beetle ‘Pickled Perfection’. So high was the standard of cars on display, the top four were separated by just two points.

The 600-plus cars in attendance were spread across dozens of club displays at the show, with awards given out for Best Air-cooled – which went to Steve Fisher’s restored T2 Camper – as well as Best Club Stand, which was won by Paint Scrapers, and Best Transporter, won by Chris Tinsley with his T6. Meanwhile, fans of modified VWs were drawn to the ‘Back To ‘89’ section, showcasing examples of Beetles, Busses and Type 2s modified in the popular 1980s style, inspired by ‘Cal Look’ American cars. The 12-strong display of original and beautifully presented Beetles by The Vintage Guys offered something for purists, and the unveiling of the truly unique Rayvern Ridder project from sponsor, Heritage Parts, was a real crowd-pleaser.

With other highlights including the popular Swap Meet and a kids’ entertainment zone, VolksWorld Show proved to be a fantastic season-opener and well suited to its new home.

“We’re delighted with the positive feedback we’ve had,” said Phil Weeden of show organisers, Kelsey Media. “It was a big gamble moving venue after 30 years, however it appears to have paid off. We had more display cars than ever before, camping was up on last year and there was a great atmosphere from Saturday evening, right the way through Sunday as air-cooled enthusiasts from all over the UK and Europe came together to celebrate the very best classic VWs.”

The show will return in 2026 – keep an eye on VolksWorld’s social media for all updates.