VIVID VANS
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P E O P L E

Innovate or die

We are not a normal automotive restoration company and we never will be. We are van nerds. We get to obsess over Vanagons every single day. We believe in contributing to a Maintenance Culture. Volkswagen vans can last for generations when taken care of. We build modern vans for modern times. Who cares!

​Please watch this nice video about vivid vans below:

Straight shooters, not product dealers. We will tell you what works and what doesn't on your vanagons. Our advice is grounded in experience.

Nathan Ryobi Daigle @nathanryobi

Syncro Doka
*biography co authored by J.K. Rowling
It all began with a little white Westfalia.
I used to cycle past this particular van whilst living in Vancouver's West End neighbourhood. I saw it daily and dreamed about it nightly. After some time and savings my partner Kim and I decided that we definitely needed that Westfalia camper in our lives. Then came a much worse van named Marv. Our first Westy was a rescue. She needed a lot of TLC. After many late nights and long weekends wrenching on the streets of the city, I had the opportunity to spend a summer working for The Skylight Guy (and Gal) learning the camper van trade while completing that first van build. Kim and I camped in that Westy from Vancouver to Todos Santos, Baja and some places in between. 
We moved to Vancouver Island where I would continue my anthropology degree at the University of Victoria. Along came the opportunity to keep working with vans and van lifers at a local shop here on the island. It's as if the vans followed me. I acquired my first Syncro on the island. Fit it with the installation of a TDI diesel engine, suspension upgrades, and custom plaid and Pendleton inspired interior. It was my perfect van for exploring the backroads of British Columbia. One day I was approached with a briefcase full of incentives and no longer stimulated by my completed build, I sold that first Syncro to begin all over again.

These days, and a few vans later: I started vivid vans to share my love for, and specialize in Vanagons (and make a few bucks too). I spend my time between the shop and the gravel roads of Vancouver Island, in an endless pursuit of performance and aesthetic perfection. VIVID VANS is the realization of a fever dream crafting off-road vans into automotive and camping excellence.

​California chapter coming soon*


Jay Lefstein

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Jay "the kid" Lefstein has been wrenching on vans longer than you have. He is creator of the legendary grassroots De La Syncro event. And one hell of a nice guy. He runs the Duncan shop.


Hell Pith

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​Helen solves problems. She is not here to please. She is going to tell you what to do and if self-preservation is an instinct that you possess you'd better do it and do it quick. Helen is here to help =)

We are currently building out our new team profiles. Check back later!

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© VANCOUVER ISLAND VEHICLE DESIGN. 2024
​Made in British Columbia/California
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