camperfanatic

  Overview         The Bedford name is one that is synonymous with quality, robust commercial vehicles. First introduced in 1931, Bedford was the brand name given to Vauxhall’s commercial division, and the name of the vehicle marque was derived from the County in which these vehicles were constructed, Bedfordshire , England . In a twenty year period from its inception, Bedford went from strength to strength, attaining excellent sales and an enviable reputation for their range of commercial vehicles. During the years of WW11, Bedford vehicles were in demand by the military, and the formidable Churchill tanks were also built at the factory for use by the British Army.       The year 1952 is the significant milestone in Bedford history, certainly in terms of British-built camper vans. The year 1952, heralded the introduction of the Bedford CA range of light vans, a vehicle which was to become such a familiar sight in Britain o...

"I can't remember the last time I saw one of those" , sound familiar? It's a saying we hear often in relation to once popular vehicles, and I've said it myself on more than one occasion. Camper vans and motorhomes were produced in even smaller numbers than family cars, so the survival of examples from the 1950's and 60's is even more remarkable today. Those of a certain age will recall those light commercial vans of the 50's which were converted to campers, such as the Austin-Morris J2/152, Ford Thames 400E, Bedford CA and Standard Atlas; but what became of the thousands of examples that were produced on those base vehicles? Well, they have survived with varying degrees of success, but in the case of the Standard Atlas, I doubt more than a handful still exist, ands I have not seen one in use in the UK since the 1990's. The two pictures above, show the Dormobile camper van conversion based on the Standard Atlas van. First released in 1958, the ...