Gentleman Jack Needs You!
It's no good looking the other way, it is you I'm talking to! We hope to start an occasional series looking back on motorhomes from the past. Re-printed publicity shots look great but they don't really tell the whole story. It would be preferable to publish a series of photos and some brief comment on your motorhome ownership experiences, going right back to when you started! (Even as a kid.) Don't worry – '60s beehive and 'DA' hair-dos, dodgy '70s perms, flapping flares, 80s power dressing and the like will all be par for the course, as of course will voluminous marquee-style khaki shorts.
As soon as you can, please toddle off to the attic, or that overflowing shoebox under the bed where you keep these memories. Choose a piccy or two for each 'van owned, try to remember the year of manufacture and period of ownership, plus the make and model as well as recalling the best and worst feature of each.
For Flora and me, some of our 'vans are crystal clear in the grey matter, others are more hazy – probably because they are best forgotten!
It matters not a jot whether you send us prints, digital images, transparencies, or even (if you go back that far) glass plates… as long as they are sharp enough for publication. Black-and-white or colour pictures are equally welcome.
Come on don't be shy! See the info panel for my address. I promise to take every care with your pictures and to return them by tracked mail.
Veggie power
The other day I came across Amdro, a specialist van converter offering a product that is genuinely new – or more accurately the ethos behind the company is new. The young management and design team are concerned for the future of the planet and wish to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. In fact, their conversions won't use much fossil fuel at all.
For instance, cooling of food and beverages is by a Peltier-effect-powered coolbox fed by an efficient solar panel. The two-burner hob runs on meths and the engine is powered by vegetable oil. No, really! Amdro specifies the SmartVeg conversion kit which enables modern diesel engines to run on this green alternative.
Vegetable oil is kinder on the wallet because 'new' oil is around 80p per litre while 'used' (from your local chippy) is free and, apparently, easily filtered for engine fuel. Be aware, though, that you will still have to pay around 26p per litre to the Chancellor for helping to save the planet.
Driving a vehicle with a SmartVeg conversion couldn't be simpler. When cold, start it up on diesel and after a few seconds press the dashboard button to effect a change-over to veg oil. Performance and economy are similar to when running on Derv but with the added bonus of drastically reduced particulate emissions.
A warm engine can be started on veg oil but if
you are leaving it overnight, change to diesel before you switch off so that it is ready to go in the morning.
Unlike other alternative fuels, veg oil goes straight into the existing diesel tank. (A small, separate diesel tank is fitted for start-ups.) And, if you get stranded with no supplies of veg oil, you can just put diesel in. No damage will result.
I asked a colleague, who is an expert on diesel-powered automotive engines, about the research his employers have been doing while running engines, long-term, on veg oil. His response was that figures for normal use show no ill effects at all, though there might be a very small reduction in lubricity at sustained optimum engine speeds.
Inside the 'van, Amdro's furniture is birch ply, finished with natural oils and made from wood from sustainable sources. It is based on a modular construction so the layout can be altered to suit, or moved to a newer base vehicle at change-over time.
All materials and dyes used in the conversion have been selected for their low (or zero) impact on the environment. Take the thermal insulation for example. Most converters use chemically-rich styrenes but Amdro uses lambswool.
The pictures (below, left) show a new high-top conversion on a pre-owned long-wheelbase VW Transporter. Amdro also has an elevating-roof conversion on the VW and a compact camper called 'Jump', based on the Citroën Berlingo.
The firm will undertake one of their conversions on your own base vehicle, or supply a quality pre-owned or new one to order. I reckon Amdro deserves our support. I've seen the future, and I like it.
The full ramblings can be found in the January 07 issue of Practical Motorhome
Happy motorhoming!
Jack Bancroft |
