Andy & Jamie with their 1987 VW Syncro
Photos: Sonia BromanLet’s start with the basics—who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Andy Shenkman, and I work in Technical Service Operations at Tesla Motors. But I can’t claim the Syncro as solely mine. It’s been a passion project between my wife and I. Her name is Jamie McGlinchey; she runs her own interior design studio called NoN Studio here in Brooklyn.
Car culture often finds its way into people’s lives at a young age. When did your passion for cars first take hold, and what is it about them that draws you in?
My Dad owned a small VW and Audi repair shop in New Jersey called Marty’s VW and Audi Service, so in a lot of ways, I’ve loved cars since before I could talk. My siblings and I would go down to the shop on summer days and hit junked out Bugs with hammers for fun; but at some point my Dad gave me a wrench and I’ve been building, buying and breaking cars ever since.
What draws me in? Honestly - working on cars has always been my escape. My dad sold the shop a few years ago, so I lost my lift, but rain or shine, hot or cold, I go out and work on any one of my cars, laying on the ground tinkering with this or that for the whole day. I won’t get hungry, I won’t get cold, I’m content to just keep working for hours - sometimes until my flashlight dies and I can’t stay outside any longer.
The VW Syncro is a standout choice. When did you fall in love with the VW Syncro? How did it happen?
The Syncro was actually my Dad’s. I grew up camping in it, and can remember when I was about 6 or 7 him trying to tell me how rare and special it was because of the 4 wheel drive. Cool story Dad. A few years later at the Maple Grove VW show he drove it, diff locked, up a steep muddy hill at the campground next to the show, while about 20 VW heads cheered us on, mud flying everywhere. We entered the show, fully caked in mud and won first place. I was hooked. He parked the van in 2000 from some small issue and I spent the next 15 years asking him if I could have it while the Syncro sat in his yard collecting rust, rodents, snakes and junk. However, when Jamie and I got married back in 2017 - inside our wedding card was the title to the Syncro. For her, it was not love at first sight, but she and I have spent the last 8 years rebuilding nearly every piece of the bus, and over time it’s become a major part of our lives and feels like our second home.
What about this car encapsulates ‘you’?
The Syncro was in rough shape when we got it. So every single nut and bolt has been gone through. I’ve poured thousands of hours into every little detail - and Jamie has done a real lot too. You want to test your marriage? Try spending hours slamming your hands on 1980s rubber gasket window seals, screaming “push!” until you finally pound the windows back in. There are little pieces of us everywhere if you look hard enough - some you will never see. We are a complex and odd couple, and the van represents that perfectly.
What’s the ideal way to experience your Syncro in Brooklyn? Are there any specific routes or spots around Brooklyn that highlight what makes this car special to you?
The van is so silly in concept that just driving it around and watching people smile and point is a great time. Come on, it’s a lifted 4 wheel drive VW bus. Behind the driver seat is a full set of cutlery packed under a kitchen - it’s ridiculous. The horn does not honk, it “meeps.” So I often just give it a little “meep meep” while cruising around Greenpoint on busy days for no reason other than I think it’s hilarious and will make people smile. If you know the pencil factory and have hung out there while the outdoor seating is open - you have likely been meeped at - hang around long enough, you will be meeped at again. Nobody is safe.
We used to love taking it to the Greenpoint drive in with friends. While everyone else sat in chairs or in their sedans, we brought a rolling apartment - fully stocked with drinks, a pizza from Paulie Gees, and enough seating to fit the whole group. Surround sound etc. Watching from the upper level was awesome. Too bad that place sold. Miss your cars and coffee there too.
Brooklyn isn’t exactly known for being a place where four-wheel drive campers thrive. Why the Syncro?
The Syncro is an anomaly, for sure; but it’s very much part of who we are. It’s not our only car in Brooklyn, far from it, so it’s parked most weeks over in Greenpoint while the other, I guess you could call them “more practical” cars are used. However, to answer “Why the Syncro” - what other car with a locking differential allows you to bring your living room with you when you cross the GW?
Did you find this car in pristine condition, or have you rolled up your sleeves and made it your own? If so, what work did you put into it to make it uniquely yours?
The van had not run for 17 years when we first got it - so it’s taken a long long time to get it where it is. I have list of parts and modifications a mile long that have taken place since we started rebuilding it - and nothing has been left untouched. The motor and everything that touches it is new or rebuilt, the trans/diff too. The suspension is lifted and fully built for off-road, the sound system is completely custom, there is an aux lithium battery system, solar, a modern fridge, diff locks and decoupler and all sorts of other bits. However, my personal favorite modification is the interior. I took a set of mkII VW GLI Recaros and fabricated on the original vanagon arm rests, and then used the GLI fabric to color match everything including the rears and bed cushions. It’s subtle - and it looks completely stock. OEM+. I was originally going to leave the rest stock, but with Jamie being a designer, that was never going to happen. So now it’s got hardwood floors, darker carpeting and of course, a disco ball.
Every car owner has a story where their vehicle surprised them—whether in performance, handling, or just how it feels behind the wheel. Has the Syncro ever done that for you?
The Syncro seems like it would be super top heavy since it’s so high up, but it’s surprisingly nimble and balanced. Jamie and I have been way out in the woods, well off anything you would call a road. I’ve taken it over fallen down trees, down into and out of steep ravines, across streams - all without an issue. Took it into a mud bog once - that stopped it - won’t do that again; but for a VW bus with a kitchen and bedroom in the back, it’s incredibly capable off-road.
If you could take the Syncro on the ultimate road trip, where would it be?
Oh man - we want to hit every national park, for sure. We’ve only done the East coast ones so far, but we take it camping all the time. Eventually - I think one day I’d love to do the Pan American Highway. I don’t know, we’ll see.
What’s the most rewarding part of owning a classic car like the Syncro? How has it influenced your lifestyle or even your perspective on travel?
There was a brilliant ad campaign during the 80s that VW used where they made up German word to explain the bliss of life through driving and feeling connected to your VW - it was called “Fahrvergnügen.” I am not certain if everyone who drove a VW in the 80s experienced it, but it certainly sold a lot of cars. Well, I can say with certainty that if you completely rebuild a Syncro with your hands and you put your heart, and blood and sweat into it, and you get to take your wife, and your cats, and you leave the city, and the windows are down, and the music is blasting, and the front corner window is tilted in because the AC is shit, and the sun is out, and you’re headed into the mountains for a few days, that you will experience Fahrvergnügen. Our favorite author suggested in more than one of his novels that if you find yourself in a moment where you are truly happy, you ought to say out loud “if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” We say it a lot when we’re in the Syncro.
Do you find yourself taking the Syncro outside of NYC often? What are some of the best trips or routes you’ve taken it on that really showcase what this car can do?
Yeah - we go camping all the time when the weather is right; and sometimes when it’s not. We’ve done Acadia, Shenandoah, The Smokey Mountains, Blue Ridge parkway etc. For shorter trips, we love upstate New York and the Berkshires. We use the Hipcamp app a lot because of how private the sites feel, and we can almost always find secluded logging roads that will take us deep into the woods. A few years back we were miles into this private forest in Mass where I really pushed the van to brink trying to get out of a ditch I had driven us into (common occurrence). We were so tilted that it felt like we were laying on our backs in our seats, Jamie was at least a few feet above me with the front right wheel well off the ground, and the two of us staring straight up into the sky like we were ready for launch - thankfully the front end eventually slammed back down and we leveled out - close call. It’ll happen again. For sure.
There’s something uniquely freeing about the balance between city life and the open road. How does driving your Syncro outside of the city change your perspective on life, or even your routine?
Driving any car out on the open road when you live in the city is a freeing experience. Throw in a manual gearbox, a decent sound system, and some twisty roads and you start to touch on something ethereal. Why work a 9 to 5? Is that really what we’re meant to do? Seems a silly thing, the hamster wheel.
Now imagine all that, and imagine that if you needed to, you could just park in a spot and just live for a while. Maybe forever. When we’re traveling in the Syncro, we often play with the idea “what if we just left?” Not that we ever would; but with the Syncro, it feels pretty damn good to know we could if we wanted to. Zombie Apocalypse? We’ll be fine…
What is your favorite memory from inside this car?
I think my favorite memory is the first time I ever got it running. Between sourcing parts and finding the time, it took me three years to get it running.
For Jamie, it was the first morning she woke up in the van on our first camping trip.
If you had to pick one word to summarize your time with your Syncro, what would it be?
Andy: Fahrvergnügen
Jamie: Home
What's the next car project you’re working on?
Right now, my Audi S2 Avant is my main focus. It’s got the infamous Audi 5-cylinder, 20-valve turbo that Audi used in the Group B days. It’s not quite as pricey as an RS2, so I’m not afraid to tune it up and throw my own spin on it. Right now it’s pushing around 400 horsepower, and I’ve got big plans for a handful of other tasteful upgrades. It’ll be at your next show for sure.
Where can we find you in Greenpoint? Cafes. Restaurant, shops, galleries etc.
So many great spots!
Pizza - Paulie Gees Slice Shop
Burger - Gotham Burger at Threes
Bar - Pencil Factory
Clothing - School of Thought or Kai D in Williamsburg
Coffee - Rhythm Zero
Yoga - New Love City
