camperfanatic

Illustration of the Bedford CA panel van conversion by Maurice Calthorpe Produced at Vauxhall's Luton plant, the Bedford CF was introduced to the UK market in 1969, replacing the CA model which had been in production since 1952. In this pictorial blog I will display some of the best British campervan conversions produced on the Bedford CF. Pictured above is the rising roof conversion by 'Auto-Sleeper' of Worcestershire. This company began to produce campervans in 1961 on the Austin-Morris 152/J2 chassis, switching to the Rootes/Chrysler Commer in 1963. The Bedford Freeway model seen above featured the distinctive Dormobile roof, with its candy-stripe fabric glass-fibre roof capping. The Freeway was an extremely popular model in the UK throughout the 1970s. Another one from Dormobile of Folkestone, England. The larger Dormobile Landcruiser, with its glass-fibre rear living body. The same body style/design had been used by them for their 'Debonair...

During the current worldwide virus pandemic I'm sure that many people who are self isolating, or living in areas of lockdown are spending far more time perusing internet and social media content as a way of passing the time. Those of you with an interest in retro/vintage camping might be interested in some fabulous old videos available on Youtube, though I realise that not all YT content is available in every counntry, so apologies if you are in one of these. Stay safe people, follow the Government and health specialist advice for your country, and together we can all get through this current world crisis. Enjoy the vid's The Classic Camper club The Rootes/Chrysler Commer

I'm not a full-time writer/author, it is purely a hobby which pays very little, but does give me a great deal of satisfaction. I began my writing exploits back in the early 1990s, copy editing letters which had been sent to a motorhome magazine Editor in the UK; I had no previous experience of such work at that time. The main reason I had been invited by him to assist with copy editing, was my years of motorhome experience, I knew my subject, and most of the letters did require answers to motorhome related questions. I did this for quite some time, without my name appearing within the magazine, but eventually I was invited by the Editor to put my name to a section of the publication relating to technical queries. If I was unable to answer a particular question, then I had several 'experts' to call upon who were specialists in their field; these pages were a popular section of the magazine (and still are), and extended to around four/five pages in Britains most popular motor...

        Celebrating 60 years of the Rootes Commer 3/4 ton FC For owners and enthusiasts of the Rootes Commer 3/4 ton light commercial, this year marks a special anniversary; 60 years since the launch. Light commercial chassis in 1960 Britain was limited to the Bedford CA, Austin-Morris 152/J2, Ford Thames, Standard Atlas, Morris J-type, and the Austin-Morris J4 (also launched in 1960). Let us not forget the iconic split-screen VW, popular not only in the UK, but around the world.The vehicle of choice, and certainly the most popular in the UK in 1960, was the Vauxhall-Bedford CA, which had been introduced in 1952, and would continue in production until 1969 (when the CF was released). As with most light commercials, the Commer was available a basic delivery van, pickup, minibus, gown van, milk float, with many other configurations made available by specialist coachbuilders, such as a camera vehicle for film and tv work, and tv detector van. My main focus of int...

Those who have followed my camper-related blogs will know about the 1964 Commer Maidstone which both me and my father owned, and the story of how my father came to own the camper three times! Well talk about history repeating itself, this really was a case of deja vu, but this times the tables were turned on me, not my father... We had purchased the Fiat camper, and were indeed getting great enjoyment from it, but as we were heavily involved in the UK classic vehicle scene, we did feel like a couple of frauds using a 1988 model when our friends were all camping in vehicles built in the 60s and 70s. By coincidence around this time, we had a letter from the owners of our old Commer Car-Camper informing us that they were going to sell it, and did we know of anyone who might be interested? By now readers, you are already one step ahead of me aren't you! Yes, of course, we took all of several minutes to decide, we wanted the lovely old blue girl back in our lives, even if it was a...

Someone asked recently if I could feature a few more 'profiles' on specific 'vans; and after a quick flick through my files, I stumbled upon an awful lot of Talbot Rambler pics, so what better place to start. The Rambler was a popular high-top van conversion by Auto-Sleeper of Worcestershire UK (they remain Britain's longest running converters). Based on the Talbot Express van, 2lt petrol, which was in production until 1994 (also in Citroen, Peugeot & Fiat derivatives). Fitted with a spacious high-top, the Rambler was a five door model, so plenty of access, and the sliding side door allowed for a drive-away awning to be fitted to either side or rear of 'van. The example on display here also had a pull-out side awning fitted (see above), and of course a Fiamma privacy room can be attached/zipped onto this. This picture also illustrates the small sliding windows to the high-top roof, and 240v inlet flap toward the rear quarter. Auto-Sleeper conversions of th...

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...