46 BEHIND THE SCENESwww.volkswagencamper.co.uk
BBT
Behind the scenes:
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS: THEO MOSMANBT is recognisably
present at many
meetings and shows
not only because of
their trade-stand to promote their
product range but also because of
the stunning, and often unique, air-
cooled classics they always bring to
display. Many of our readers have
already seen vehicles from the BBT
car collection and have experienced
the know-how and enthusiasm of
Bob van Heyst and his team. To find
out more about them I visited Bob
and his BBT-team in Sint-Job-in-‘t-
Goor in Belgium in October last year.
BBT is sited close to the highway
near Antwerp on an industrial
estate, a modern building with a
huge sign in front proclaiming this
is the BBT headquarters. From the
entrance you walk directly into a
shop where shiny bits and lots of
wanna-haves are on show to the
visiting customers. As well as the
sales counters, offices and parts
warehouse, this place is also home
to a huge collection of air cooled
classics, but more of that later;
first up I went to talk to Bob about
how the company started and has
developed over the years. As a young
chap Bob was charmed by VWBeetles. He loved the design and,
luckily for little Bob, his parents
drove one in those days. His first car
was an Opel Kadett ( yes, everybody
makes mistakes) but when it failed
its MOT, he bought a 1303 Beetle.
Owning an old Beetle soon meant
Bob became skilled in maintaining
and repairing it, within a year it
was replaced with another 1303
and Bob was hooked on air cooled
VWs. In the early 80s Bob spottedB
a VW Ponton (Type 3) parked by a
local farmer near to where he then
lived. As it looked neglected Bob
approached the house to see if it
was for sale. The daughter of the
farmer (a girl called Arlette van
Dijck) answered the doorbell and
said that it was her car and that she
was planning to repair it for her
own use. However, as the value
of Pontons in those days was next
to nothing and too much had to
be done to the notchback to make
it worth the effort and expense,
she reluctantly decided to sell it.
Bob used his skills to restore the
notchback and decided to show the
results of his efforts to previous
owner Arlette. She was very
impressed in both car and mechanic
and a long friendship was born.
Bob’s local reputation about his
knowledge of Volkswagens soon
spread. After a visit to VW Action
in the UK in the early 80s he
returned home laden with Beetle
parts. Though these were for his
own projects, many friends wantedBBT is a familiar name to those of you who are frequently searching
the internet and/or visiting air-cooled meetings in search of parts for
your beloved air-cooled classics.
Take a
clo^ser (^) loo
k!
- The shop and
counter sales area
1