The Vauxhall/Bedford CA

 Those residents outside of the UK might be unfamiliar with the light commercial van chassis launched in 1952 by Vauxhall in the Britain. 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of a vehicle which would not only change the face of deliveries in the UK,  but would create a new base for a campervan, that would come to be known as the 'Dormobile'.

The brainchild of Martin Walter Ltd, based in Folkestone,  the Bedford CA Dormobile would bring the outdoor leisure lifestyle to postwar Britain. It would also alter the face of road transport in the UK as it became a familiar sight in various formats, from basic delivery van, works van, builders van and pickup, mobile shop, gown van, furniture removal van, mobile water bowser, ice cream van and everything in between. The CA was produced at the Vauxhall plant based in Luton, and left the factory by the thousands throughout the 1950s and 60s, until it was replaced by the Bedford CF in 1969.

Although Martin Walter Ltd (Dormobile) were by far the biggest producers of campervans based on the Bedford CA base, they were certainly not the only UK converter, with Calthorpe, Bedmobile, Kenex, Hadrian, Webster and Pegasus all building campervan conversions in their own unique style, in an attempt to rival the Dormobile. None came close of course to matching the high volume production achieved by the Martin Walter factory in Folkestone, Kent.

The early 1960s press picture above shows the elegant 'Hadrian' motorhome, based on the Bedford CA. Produced in the North-East of England, it was one of the more successful examples produced in coachbuilt form.

The 1957 press release picture above is the 'Calthorpe Home-Cruiser' motorhome, an example which retained only the front body section of the original Bedford, with the living area being of a coachbuilt construction, of aluminium panels over a wooden frame, but with the addition of the familiar 'Calthorpe' arched rising roof.

Several one-off Bedford CA motorhomes appeared throughout the 50s and 60s, such as the one above. These were often constructed by trailer caravan manufacturers or boat builders. The origins of this particular example are unknown.

The example pictured above is the 'Pegasus', and MKI, MKII and MKIII versions of this model were produced throughout the 1960s in the UK.

Without doubt the best selling #motorhome' during the 1960s was the Bedford Dormobile Debonair, released in 1964. Retaining the distinctive front end of the CA Bedford, but using a complete glass-fibre rear shell for the living area.

If you want to learn more about the Bedford CA in campervan and motorhome form, then why not check out my two hardback books on the subject. Within both books you will find information and pictures of every conversion carried out on the popular Vauxhall-Bedford light commercial chassis between 1952 and 1969. Now out of print, these books are still available from a variety of sources such as Amazon and eBay and many on-line bookstores.