Tuesday 5 November 2013

New Wedding Car Decor Items!

A short post to update on some new wedding car decor items available for customers who hire Sunshine as their vintage wedding car. This is just a small part of our stash of new items that will be made available in the near future ;)





We had brought these beautifully handmade wedding decor items back from our last trip to Germany. It was a chance encounter that brought us to this unique shop in Salzburg and really couldn't resist buying these lovely things.  These and helium balloons are now available as add-ons (a small fee applies) for both our actual wedding day customers or as props for photoshoots. 

In addition, we now provide both fresh and faux floral car decor services for our customers. Will be posting more on these but in the meantime, do email us for details if required. 

Cheers! 

Thursday 3 October 2013

Monday 23 September 2013

Junaidi & Gwyneth's Lovely Wedding

Jun & Gwyn's wedding is as lovely as they come. The day was sunny and surrounded by the blessings of their love ones (some of whom flew down specially for the event), they celebrate their union as husband & wife.

Our best wishes to Jun & Gwyn, may your days together be filled with love and Sunshine :)

Brothers unite!

That's what we call going brotherhood, going through the 'bitter' & 'sweet' together, ;)

Ain't the bride lovely!

Arriving at the church in style

One of their first pics as husband & wife :) 

Lovely composition, the ladies are really photogenic (ok the guys too)


At the lobby of the hotel, the couple attracted lotsa attention from other guests!

Symbolizing the couple setting off to a whole new life together

Aww.. the bride can't bear to leave Sunshine.  The groom got some stiff competition here ;)

Bespoke Ang Bao


Tuesday 17 September 2013

Busy Wedding Weekend!

Sunshine has had a busy weekend with back-to-back weddings to attend. Though busy, the boy looked like he had thoroughly enjoyed himself, basking in the attention given ;)

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the two couples, Marcus & Qijia and Shawn & Dewi for letting Sunshine be part of their big day.

Marcus & Qijia's wedding has a happy balance of tradition and fun that is a very endearing combination which both satisfies the elders' requirement to maintain traditional customs and yet remain a fun and unique event for the guests (take a look at the carnival dressing code for the brothers & sisters which Sunshine look just at home in).

Note the bride's dress for a nice modern take on the red gua for 'returning home'

The fun and good natured group!

For Shawn & Dewi, their solemnization ceremony is a formal and romantic affair which touches the heart. And though Sunshine's participation is relatively short, it added a casual and fun vibe to the event which we opined, showcased the couple's fun loving nature :)  

I just love the bride's dress, what a lovely color!

Our heartiest congratulations to both couples!


Monday 9 September 2013

We are back!

Time flies and it has been "gasp" a week since we came back from our Germany trip!  It has been a really fun trip with all the good food, automobile museums, shopping (for the wifey) and most importantly, good weather (sunshine with little or almost no rain barring the last two days of the trip)!

What particularly struck me during this trip was the dedication the Germans has towards automobiles, as proven by the various auto museums and can you beat this, a whole theme park devoted entirely towards automobiles!

This theme park, "The Autostadt" was conceived and launched by Volkswagen to create a unique location where knowledge, culture, art and design could be shared in a natural location. In the Autostadt, there is a museum which chronicles the history, development and future of automobiles, different art and cultural events dedicated to a different theme each year, fun activities for the children and many good restaurants! This huge theme park, which also serve as a delivery centre for VW cars (wouldn't it be great if we have one in Singapore too..) is located in Wolfsburg, next to the main Volkswagen plant and we think, well worth a visit if you were to go Germany.

Here are some of the pics we took at the Autostadt!

Main VW plant adjacent to the Autostadt
One of the very first cars
Most bling beetle ever..
Building beetles in the sand

Standing on top of a 3D globe
Car delivery centre

Best strawberry ice cream ever!

Summer night event,  reminds me of Las Vagas

Monday 12 August 2013

Germany Holiday!

Hihi, just a small note to say that we will be away for the next two weeks till end August to where Sunshine is born, Germany! As such, please pardon us if replies to emails are a bit tardy during this period ;) 

Friday 12 July 2013

June Wedding Updates!

Hihi!

Time passed really fast and its being more than a month since our last update on this blog.. June had been a super busy month with both business (preparing for the start-up of a floral business, we will be able to provide floral decor for Sunshine and other cars soon, keep tune ;) and personal commitments (more on this next time)...

Moving on to Sunshine,  it has had two weddings in June! One Malay and one Chinese, both beautiful and touching :) One is vintage/retro inspired whilst the other modern but both fun with Sunshine adding on just the right amount of uniqueness and focal point.

Here are some of the pics! Enjoy~

Wedding One

Unmistakeable gaze of love

Fun posing with Sunshine

Wedding Two
Love the rabbits which we customized

Beaming with happiness

Stolen moment

Bridesmaid's fresh flower wrist corsage (we did that too ;) ) 

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Hourly Rental Now Available!

Dear all,

Good news to all those good people who had repeatedly requested us to introduce hourly rental for Sunshine!

Starting from June 2013, Sunshine will be available for hourly rental :)

Do email us if you require more details.

Cheers!





Tuesday 2 April 2013

Sunshine's Family Tree

We are often being asked by folks unfamiliar with the VW Kombi history on why Sunshine look so similar yet different from the Splits (1st generation Kombi) and Bays (2nd generation) and we think it would be nice to write a post on the heritage of Sunshine. Beware though, this is one lengthy post...


Family Photo
The concept of Kombi was first conceived in the late '40s as a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) that can be used by the tradesmen transporting goods during the weekdays with detachable seats installed for the weekends getaway. During those early days, people were still recovering from the economic fallout of WWII and people had to be thrifty with their monies. This provides the perfect backdrop for the rise of of the what we believe, the first true MPV of the world.

Type II T1, aka the split-screen was the first to emerge and manufactured between 1950-67. Kombi (short for Kombinationskraftwagen, german speak for combination motor vehicle) with side windows and removable rear seats, doubled as both a passenger and cargo vehicle. It was meant to be utilitarian and sturdy enough to be abused like a tool through the years.

Over the years, increasing safety regulations such as lights to be placed higher, signals more distinct, windows to be enlarged for enhanced visibility and more importantly, T1 being long in the tooth, gave rise to the birth of T2.

T2, aka baywindow was the second generation of kombis built between 1968-79. The split-screen gave way to a curved single piece windshield with signal lights either on lower part of front (early bay) or higher part (late bay). Though the engine configuration remained the same, output were progressively raised with bigger air-cooled engines. Brakes were improved with front disc and rear drums, similar to many modern vehicles.

(Technical note: VWs of earlier eras were based off an air-cooled engine (no radiator) placed in the rear of the vehicle, transmitting power to the rear wheels. This concept is totally different from modern day cars with a water-cooled engine placed in front driving the front wheels. In addition, the engines were of a boxer-configuration (think of both your fists clenched, trying to move towards each other but missed!) whereas the most common configuration these days would be the in-line (where your fists alternate between hitting up in the air and moving down)).

Actual advertisement of a Vanagon when it was launched

By 1976, ideas were abound for a replacement for T2 as rising affluence made VW aware that it need to further change its product offering to entice consumers. Thus, T3 aka Sunshine era which surfaced in late 79 and production lasted through 1991. It was an interesting phase of Kombi development as VW grapples with different configurations to find the winning formula. The early phase of T3 (like our beloved Sunshine) still retained the rear air-cooled engine layout which emits a distinctive engine sound enthusiasts deemed as music to their ears and the changing design was also reflective of the nascent change from the hippie 70s to the techno 80s. A bit of a crossover product for the two very different eras which explains its very interesting aura. We opined that it is a bit like the babies born in the late 70s to early 80s, we have distinct memories of a much gentler and slower pace of life but yet we were right on the onset of an explosion in technological advances.

It was also during this time that VW finally ditched its over 40 years rearward air-cooled engine concept for a front water-cooled engine driving the front wheels for certain models like the Mk I Golf (a worthy replacement for the venerable VW Beetle, aka Type I) and subsequently, all later T3s were manufactured with rearward water-cooled and even turbo-charged diesel engine at some point.


Comfort, prestige and style was top on VW's mind when the concept of T3 was hatched. It was noted for the roomiest cabin, plusher cabin seats for long distance travel as many doubled as a campervan for the weekends rather than for its goods transportation purpose in earlier years. Middle row sliding windows (interchangeably with T2) were standard with some markets even having last row sliding windows (these original items are highly sought after these days). Air-conditioning could either be fitted as standard or retrofitted (we must thank the Thais for they were the ones whom had continuously improved the aircon equivalent with modern day cars). Other creature comforts include power steering (unheard of back in the late 70s!) and automatic sidestep to allow better ingress/egress. A late development was the 4x4 capability (believed to be shared with Audi Quattro) in T3 designated as Synchros.

In the U.S., VW wanted a new name and Vanagon arose (combining Van and wagon) and is almost exclusively used for T3, thus giving rise to the name we used in our blog. Other names were used in different parts of Europe, people used Bus, Caravelle and Transporter, continuing the tradition of the hippie bus, van, kombi... As an ending note to this lengthy post, we are proud to note that our Sunshine could be the one and only air-cooled T3 left in Singapore. 

Thursday 21 February 2013

Promotion! Rent a VW Bus for Photoshoot at only S$238!


Dear all, 

In celebration of the Chinese Valentine's Day on 24 February (15th of the Lunar New Year month), we are having a special promotion of S$238 to rent Sunshine as a prop/model for 2 hours! And this is inclusive of an array of vintage look-alike props for your choosing! Conditions are, the booking has to be done by 31 March 2013 and the photo shoot has to happen on a weekday (non-public holiday).

Do contact us soon to book your dates!

Cheers!



Wednesday 20 February 2013

2013 VW Show at Bangkok

Sunshine is sort of addictive. It somehow encourages and leads you to gather all sorts of information related to it and friends (by that we mean the other vw family) and of course, related merchandise such posters, t-shirts, books, mugs etc. And so when we hear of the annual VW show being held in Bangkok, we feel that we just have to attend..

This is our first time attending a VW show and boy, were we excited to see so many kombis, beetles and various other VW types from different eras congregating at one place!

Tickets to the Show

The atmosphere was extremely carnival like with enthusiasts exchanging and selling all sorts of VW parts, merchandise and of course plenty of food and drinks to keep everyone going. The event was also enhanced by the presence of many cool fashionistas, male and female alike whom all turned up dressed for the occasion. Of course, as always, the spotlight was on the various VW vehicles and we were very much impressed with the creativity and ingenuity of the Thai VW owners manifesting in the coolest vehicles imaginable. We have the photos to prove..

Cars rolling into the show all ready to party!


All lined up!


Crowds thronging the stalls.

I was pretty happy with the shopping...
Look what i got from the stalls, basket included!
Live band!
The special ones..

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Angelo & Ashley's Vintage Inspired Wedding at Fullerton (Sneak Preview)

Hihi,

Hitting the roads to Fullerton! 

Here's a sneak preview on some photos of Sunshine taken with the lovely couple, Angelo & Ashley for their vintage inspired actual day wedding at Fullerton Hotel. We will be posting on the details with photos once they are in. Stay tuned!

Focal point of many a tourists...
Beaming!
Photogenic couple :)
Time for some serious modeling!
May the couple's life be filled with Sunshine!