Black Country engineer vows to get DubFreeze engine roaring once again

A show celebrating the iconic VW Beetle and Campervan brand has been bought by a retired Black Country engineer who has vowed to return the event to its early glory days.

Matt Williams drove all the way from Chichester in his open top Bug to attend the DubFreeze VW Showat Bingley Hall, at the County Showground, Stafford

Thousands of superfans from around the UK converged on Bingley Hall in Stafford for the DubFreeze VW Show – but numbers in recent years have been falling.

Now Stourbridge enthusiast Terry Ball wants to treble attendance figures, building support up from 3,000 or less to the numbers enjoyed in the show's first decade.

VW fan Richard Whitehouse from Newport at the DubFreeze VW Show at Bingley Hall, at the County Showground, Stafford

Wishing him well were two of the event's founders Diane and Bill Bailey who attended the weekend event at the County Showground, which marked the 30th annual DubFreeze at Stafford.

Mr Ball, 68, said: "I've been coming to the show for years but this is my first time as owner. I want to go back to the show's roots and build it up again.

A case of mellow yellow at the DubFreeze VW Show at Bingley Hall, at the County Showground, Stafford

"The former owner lived in Australia and tried to run the show from there and it hasn't really worked. Numbers have been steadily falling, and I want to turn that around by going back to what the show was originally all about."

Mr Ball, 68, who used to restore and race VWs, has been involved in the organisation of similar events.

Keith Taylor with his 1977 Transporter ambulance at the DubFreeze VW Show at Bingley Hall, at the County Showground, Stafford

He started off as a trade stand assistant at the Bug-In show in Malvern, progressing to trade stand manager, and getting involved in the British VW Festival, increasing the number of trader stands from 60 to 350.

He said the DubFreeze show had been straying away from its origins by accepting traders selling non-VW merchandise. He plans to focus 'less on T-shirts, more on carburettors'.

The only view most drivers will get of the sports VW, scene from the DubFreeze VW Show at Bingley Hall, at the County Showground, Stafford

The internet has affected attendances at the event but meeting people in person is more of a guarantee of customers getting what they want, he said.

"I'm a face-to-face sort of person. You can get more of a feel for what people want that way. If I want something in steel or chrome, I don't want a piece of plastic coming through the post. I want to look at it and feel it before I buy."

A Transporter with timber cladding at the DubFreeze VW Show at Bingley Hall, at the County Showground, Stafford

There were VWs of every description at the show, from a 1954 Beetle to the latest T6 Campervan. As well as trade stands, there were show vehicles, a charity auction and a show & shine section for owners.

Mr Ball said the enduring appeal of the Beetle model was difficult to explain. "It was a car ahead of its time, with its curved design. Now they've all got curves because of the aerodynamic effect.

"You look at an early Beetle and it still looks modern compared to an Austin 7, or a Ford Popular or a Morris 8."

Plans for next year's show are already under way, he said.