Dubs On The Arm – Celebrating People Carriers

Dubs On The Arm is a celebration of air-cooled people carriers.  These chariots have graced our roads for nearly a century.  Volks Wagen means ‘people’s car’ and was created by Ferdinand Porche in 1934.  He put the idea to Adolf Hitler who wanted a car that was affordable for the citizens of Germany.  It eventually went into production in 1938, and with a hiatus during the war, was prolifically produced from 1945 onwards.  The VW Camper uses the same chassis as the Beetle, and they started production in the late 1940s.

From the 1950s onwards, thousands of these vehicles were produced and found all over the world.  The windscreen design determined their name for a while – a splitty has the divided screen, whereas the bay window came in during the 1970s and gave the fronts of the vehicles a bubble shape.  By the 1980s, the campervans had squarer edges and looked more boxy in appearance.

lined up on the arm

To admire the characters of these VWs, the Harbour Arm is open for you to wander the full length, and chat to the owners about their cars and vans.  It’s always a busy day, as these guys do bring out the crowds.

Dubs On The Arm will be at Folkestone Harbour Arm on 20th June 2026.