camperfanatic

Vanlife culture has quickly become a modern phenomenon, as the young and not so young look to new adventures and the escapism provided by a home on wheels. Those who convert their own nomadic vehicle, seek inspiration from a variety of sources, including social media, magazines and by looking inside as many vans as they possibly can. With this in mind I thought that I would draw upon my vast photographic and magazine/brochure archive to provide a few interior snapshots of vans from a bygone era. Auto-Sleepers in the UK have been producing quality motorhomes/campervans since 1961; seen here is their classic campervan layout inside the Bedford CF. The Autohome/Motorhome was introduced in 1971 by CI/Autohomes. A living 'module' which was constructed independently of the vehicle, and then fixed to the chassis once completed. Vehicles used included the Bedford CF, Ford Transit MKI and the Commer. The beautifully hand-crafted wooden interior of the Jennings Roadranger, by...

I've written for a few magazines in the UK over the years, and some time ago a reader (realising I was heavily into retro/classic campervans) sent me a copy of an old paperback book (which he wanted returning), together with a selection of photographs he had taken. The photographs depicted an old Cotswold motorhome (British conversion and chassis) which was sitting in a scrap/breakers yard somewhere in Devon, England. The old Cotswold motorhome looked to be in a very sorry state, with parts missing, though the general bodywork looked quite sound and surely restorable. The accompanying letter with the book and photographs made it clear that the author of the said letter had indeed tried in vain to purchase the Cotswold motorhome from the owners of the yard, who insisted that it had to be crushed, and as far as I'm aware, that is exactly what happened. The three pictures above show the Austin Cotswold motorhome sitting in a Devon scrapyard prior to its disposal. (I'm s...

The often forgotten model of the light commercial van range in the UK is the Bedford Midi, first launched in 1984, a long 'tubular' vehicle with a lifting rear tailgate; it ran in production alongside the existing Bedford CF range. Initially fitted with engine options which included a 1.8lt petrol and 2lt diesel, later expanded to 2lt petrol and 2.2lt diesel units, with a more powerful 2.4lt turbo diesel also an option. The wheelbase lengths were SWB of 14.7ft and a LWB of 15.9ft, and with the option of single or twin side loading doors. Unlike the Bedford CF (in production since 1969), the Midi was not available as a chassis-cab, so a coachbuilt motorhome could not be produced, only campervan style models with a glass fibre high top or a rising roof (pop-top). One of the first UK converters to launch a campervan model on the 'new' Midi was Auto-Sleeper of Worcestershire, unveiling their conversion at the 1985 Earls Court Motor Show.  (picture below). The price ...

Torcars were based in Torrington, Devon and produced some cracking campervans from 1968 and throughout the 1970s from their small factory premises. The brand became synonamous with small/micro campervans, first based on the BMC half-ton van and later on the British Leyland Morris Marina van. A Torcars BMC Suntor with its distinctive rising roof; seen here at a rally of the 'Sun-Tor Register', a UK group of enthusiasts keeping the surviving examples on the road. The first prototype of the Sun-Tor, based on the BMC van was produced in 1968, and went into small-time production after favourable reviews for the model at a large motorhome/camping exhibition. It became very popular in the UK for those seeking a campervan more suited to simple weekends away and fishing trips, and with the added bonus that the campervan would fit in the average UK garage (a point made clear in early advertising by Torcars). The Sun-Tor based on the BMC half-ton van ran for around three years, by wh...

"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 ...