I was speaking to a company here in the UK who manufactures engine to
gearbox adapter plates (mainly for the kit car market). They do an adapter
for the existing Vanagon gearbox to mate to European Ford engines, namely,
the 2.0 litre OHC, the 1800 CVH and the 2.0 litre 16V Zetec.  Bearing in
mind that the adapter plate plus steel modified flywheel is 200UKP ($300)
and I can buy a complete Zetec with injection, wiring and ECU for 450UKP
it's quite an inexpensive upgrade. The conversion retains the standard
starter motor. Are there any unique space / compatibility issues bearing in
mind that mine is an '88 Syncro. The adapter manufacturer also sell modified
sumps so that the engine can be tilted to one side to avoid raising the
engine deck. They will also manufacture bespoke adapter plates as they have
most patterns and can even do one-offs if they are provided with the engine
and box.

I would far rather go the Audi 5-cyl route but cannot find the conversion
parts here and importing from the US doesn't make sense when the parts
originate in SA. Are there any other sources for the Audi bellhousing in
Europe?

Malcolm.