"Dahling…
…you were wonderful!” Often heard among thespians, ‘luvvies’, and other professional show-offs, this phrase is more usually used as a greeting rather than an accurate description of an actor’s
on-stage performance. My late Uncle Cecil (an opera singer with Sadlers Wells for nearly 60 years) wasn’t blessed with any ‘shy and retiring’ genes. Instead, he insisted on being centre stage at all times, so he would have been particularly miffed about what happened to me over our May issue
front cover.
Previously, I’d been asked to pose for a cover shot. A further request was made for me to bring along my dog, grandchild, partner and any other ‘hangers-on’. Imagine my pique when after a hard morning’s work standing about with my stomach held in and shoulders straight, I’m nowhere to be seen anywhere on the shot. All the hangers-on are there, but not me – not even on the spine! This is where the old pro in Uncle Cecil would have come to the fore as he always managed to be included in most opera publicity shots, even if his presence wasn’t really relevant. How did he achieve this? Usually by suggesting that the bedroom set was used and then positioning himself offstage in a carefully selected spot to ensure that his reflection could be seen in the dressing table mirror. As he frequently commented: “Better a ‘suggestion’ of an appearance than none at all”.
Before you ask, yes he was
a motorcaravanner! He claims to have had the first 100mph motorcaravan, but more
on that – and on him – in another issue.
All change…
It’s time we started thinking about a replacement motorcaravan: preferably a two- or three-year-old 6.1m (20ft-ish) coachbuilt, not on the Sevel chassis, with at least one forward-facing rear travel seat. We’ve ruled out anything on
a Ducato/Boxer/Relay base because their cab ergonomics just aren’t suited to my shape, and I’d rather like the gearbox to be made of something other than chocolate. To be fair, they have now strengthened the gearbox (having denied, for seven years, that there was
a problem). But premature gearbox failure on early examples is far too common
a problem for my liking.
We are limiting ourselves to this size, and require a rear passenger travel seat because we also use our motorcaravan as a car, and we feel that this is the maximum practicable size for ‘urban dancing’.
Surprisingly, today, the list of possibles is much shorter than when we bought our 1998 Medallion back in 2000. Coachbuilts seem to be getting increasingly larger – and this has not been matched by
a commensurate lengthening of house driveways or campsite pitches. Also, there are now far fewer vans available on alternative chassis.
It wasn’t so long ago that the Explorer Group used to build on the Merc Sprinter, VW Transporter and the Ford ‘Tranny’. Now it’s just Peugeot… take it or leave it. The same goes for Swift: it once built a lovely coachbuilt on the ‘Veedub’, but not anymore. As I write, the choice is Ducato or, um… Ducato.
It’s going to be much later in the year before any examples of T5 coachbuilts appear, and then another two years before they drop into our price range. The snazzy Karmann ones on show at Earls Court were nothing more than mock-ups. They didn’t even have any brakes. Oh well, ’spect
we’ll find summat.
Put the kettle on
Caution: low flying kettles.
No, really, the pictured copper beauty (shown over the page)
is a replacement for our cheap ‘n’ cheerful £2.99 whistling special. Our old one sustained a terminal injury in the line
of duty.
My Fenland Princess was barrelling along a dual carriageway when she suddenly came across an unlit broken-down vehicle blocking the road. Standing on the anchors pulled us up straight and true… just in the nick of time. However, the kettle couldn’t handle the sudden reduction in velocity and, in a final bid for freedom, escaped the oven in which it is stored, circumscribed a perfect arc, smashed itself against the back of the driver’s seat headrest, ricocheted off and hit the dashboard. Apart from causing me to age prematurely, the kettle sustained a large dent in its side.
Now I make sure the oven door is securely shut by looping a bungee strap through the handle, to keep it closed and to stop the assorted pots and pans stored within it from becoming airborne missiles. It gives a whole new meaning to ‘putting the kettle on’, although I guess not many people would read that as actually wearing the darn thing!
Extended families
While spending a few days
at an outdoor show recently,
I was stunned to find so many people wanting to exchange their motorcaravan for something bigger just because they occasionally take their grandchildren with them for
a weekend, or because elderly parents might join them for
a week away every year or so.
Upsizing is not always
a good idea, since it’s very expensive, and you might find yourself lumbered, for the rest of the year, with something that’s much bigger than you really need.
As an alternative to upsizing, I thought I would outline a few of the different types of motorcaravan extensions. These will enable you to keep what you’ve got, (including most of that dosh you were planning to spend on upsizing) yet allow you the space to survive a week in the Lake District with Great Uncle Nelson, or with Tarquin and Shardonnay, the terrible twins!
My first suggestion would be to actually put more beds
in the existing motorcaravan. Even if it is a two-berth, it’s still possible to rig up a simple stretcher bunk using canvas, and aluminium poles, either
in the residential portion or transversely across the cab.
However, if you’re just after more space, the most obvious extension is an awning. These can be transformed into
a bedroom by putting sides and a front onto a wind-out awning, or by purchasing
a free-standing version. The latter has the advantage that it can be left intact on site if you want to go out for the day.
Other canvas possibilities include pup tents, dome-type tents and traditional frame tents. Dome tents have an advantage in that they usually employ GRP flexi-poles, which are extremely light.
This month though, our featured ‘extension’ is a touring caravan. Late 1970s and early 1980s touring caravans can
be purchased for as little as
a couple of hundred pounds and – bingo! – your guests
will have their own self-contained accommodation.
This is how we usually go
mob-handed motorcaravanning. Our ancient (1965) Cheltenham touring caravan was given to me on the condition that I brought it back to life. It’s a flyweight and tows like a dream despite the fact that it will be 40 years old next year.
Purchase
price nil, depreciation nil, running costs almost nil… definitely my sort of thing!
Puzzling pacer
I was rummaging about in the archives the other day, when I came across some photos of a British-built Pacer A-class motorhome that belonged, for a while, to some colleagues of ours in the Anglia group of the Motor Caravanners’ Club, Joseph and Gwen Strickson. Joe bought the Pacer in around 1996 with the intention of renovating it, but he sadly died before he could make a start on the works.
The trouble is, I can’t remember anything about who built this van. I’m guessing that it was probably converted in the early 1980s and the chassis was definitely
a Ford A-series with a York diesel engine. The legend on the side read ‘Pacer by Mac’. Can anybody out there shed any more light on this
unusual motorcaravan? Do you know anybody who has owned it since? If it’s still around, I’d really love to hear from anyone who knows anything about it.
In a previous life
A couple of months ago,
I mentioned a friend’s motorhome that had enjoyed a previous existence as a horsebox, and
I asked you to send in photos of any other motorcaravans you’ve seen that started out in life as something else. There’s not been much of a response
so far, so here is another from my archives (see above). You don’t need the deduction skills of Sherlock Holmes to guess what it once was. Converting ambulances used to be a popular activity, whether they had been front-line ambulances
(such as the Bedford pictured) or the welfare-type used for patient transport.
Near miss
Here is my regular look at motorhomes that deserved to make it, but failed to achieve the popularity they deserved.
This month’s near-miss is
a puzzling one, since the Autocruise Macy shared the same layout as the very popular Autocruise Vista. In fact, it really was a Vista with
a silver-grey techno interior, and different exterior graphics.
The Macy also scored on equipment with several useful accessories included as standard, such as the exterior window security/night blinds.
It was rumoured that the Macy had been designed to
be attractive to younger buyers. My daughter certainly fell in love with it, as did
most visitors to the 2000 British international Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC (where this picture [see below] was taken). I bet only one or two were built – a future classic, methinks.
Be in it to win it
For many years past it has been a great privilege and an honour to be a judge at the Caravan Club Design and Drive competition.
The winners have already been announced. For more details turn to our ‘Forecourt Deals’ section on pages 45-48. For now, though, I would just like to mention the Compass Avantgarde 300. It didn’t win its group, but I feel it deserves a mention. If you want a roomy family motorcaravan, do take a look at this British-built belter. Its doppelgänger, the Elddis Autoquest 300, is also well worth a look.
It was great to see so many entrants taking part in the competition this year, but at the same time it was disappointing that there was nothing from (among others) the Swift Group, or Hymer UK. And, despite being practically next door to the Newark showground where the competition was being held, there was also nothing entered by major importer Brownhills (of Newark) and Lowdham Leisureworld (which is just a hop, skip and
a jump away at nearby Gunthorpe). Funny, that.
Happy motorcaravanning!
Gentleman Jack Bancroft |
