Mechanic makes the world's lowest camper van by cutting VW to just 3ft high

An automotive mechanic has driven into the record books - by building the world's lowest van.

Andy Saunders converted a 7ft 8ins high VW Camper into a 3.3ft high version - in just three days.

The 1980 Type 25 camper had 70,000 miles on the clock when Saunders and three friends transformed it.

Madcap: Andy Saunders has built the worlds lowest camper van

The steering had to be lowered and moved to a central position and all the systems altered to make it work.

There are two seats behind the driving position, it is fully road worthy and Saunders believes it could get into car parks by driving under the barrier.

Although it is possible to sleep in the back, the height of the roof could cause claustrophobia.

With a top speed of 80mph the bizarre camper turns heads when Saunders drives it around his home town of Poole in Dorset.

Saunders, 45, who bought the van for �1,000, said: "The challenge was to build the world's lowest van in just three days.

Despite being only one metre high the squashed VW camper is still fully road legal

"We did it in front of an audience at the Bug Jam VW festival in Northamptonshire.

"We were up at 6am and worked for three full days - it was the hardest thing I've ever done.

"The biggest problem was the roof because when we cut a big chunk out there was a 14ins difference because of the tapering.

"Then we had to move the steering into a central position and put in a new steering system.

"We lowered the seat, moved the handbrake and the gear stick and replaced the fuel tank.

"It is roadworthy, does about 80mph and you could throw mattress in the back and sleep in it.

"We've applied to the Guinness Book of Records and they've indicated this is the world's lowest van.

"At the Bug Jam we had an audience for every moment we were working on it and buy the end there were 1,000 people watching."

Man accidentally ejected himself from plane

The South Africa Air Force aerobatic team, the Silver Falcons. A passenger flying with one of the pilots accidentally ejected himself from the plane but survived. Photograph: Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images

It probably is best not to fiddle with switches or controls when riding in the back seat of an air force plane.

A man who failed to obey that principle found himself hurtling out of the cockpit, smashing through the Perspex canopy and into space after grabbing the black- and yellow-striped handle between his legs. He had inadvertently pulled the eject lever and found himself blasted 100 metres into the sky on his rocket-powered seat.

The South African air force has confirmed the incident that took place last Wednesday, when the passenger took off for a flight with an experienced pilot from South Africa's Silver Falcons air display team. Investigators are assuming that the passenger tried to steady himself while the pilot was putting the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II through its paces by grabbing the eject lever.

"Much of the information has yet to be tested, but it is confirmed that a civilian passenger unintentionally ejected from a Silver Falcons Pilatus PC-7 Mk II Astra during a general flying sortie out of Langebaanweg air force base this week," a South African air force spokesman said. "The passenger was recovered [by helicopter] unharmed, and returned to Langebaanweg. The aircraft landed safely."

The spokesman said the flight had been cleared and all procedures adhered to "prior to the passenger boarding the aircraft", making it unlikely charges would follow.

A retired SAAF instructor pilot said the passenger was extremely lucky to have survived the ejection with barely a scratch.

"We train for this and if you don't get it right, and are not in the correct ejection posture, you can sustain severe spinal cord injuries or even worse," he told South Africa's Sunday Times.

He discounted the possibility that the seat fired of its own accord, as too many safety features were built into the system.

"All it takes is for the firing handle [the rubbery black- and yellow-striped loop] to be pulled up about 2.5cm and you're on your way out."

He said the ejection would have been dramatic. "You get one almighty kick under the backside and then you're gone. The seat separates from the pilot automatically and the chute opens," he said. "This is in case the pilot is incapacitated during the ejection."

Passengers would have been briefed on the ejection sequence and warned that the "loop" between his legs was not to be touched unless the pilot called "Eject, eject, eject" during the flight. Such a briefing is done routinely, even when two qualified pilots are involved in the flight. It is likely the rear cockpit was extensively damaged by the firing of the cartridges and rockets during the ejection.

The Silver Falcons are the SAAF's aerobatic team that perform precision formation and aerobatics displays at airshows around the country. The five pilots are all serving instructors at Central Flying School, Langebaanweg.

As one observer said: "What a trip. That guy took off in an Astra, came down in a parachute, and landed back at base in a helicopter. Not bad for a for a single flip."

JOKE: Seamus walks into a bar in Dublin

Seamus walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more. The bartender asks him, "You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time." The Irishman replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I'm here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together." The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way: He orders three pints and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes in and orders two pints. All the other regulars notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss." The Irishman looks confused for a moment, then a light dawns in his eye and he laughs. "Oh, no," he says, "Everyone's fine. I've just quit drinking."