First caravan and tow car
Was just wondering what was your first caravan and tow car ours was a lunar moonlight we towed it with a sustin maxi the van had foot pump for water a little toilet with pull down sink might of been basic but have to say it was most memorable timed of our
caravaning life weekends away with wife and our two children getting it stuck in gravel at selsey I fiited a 8 track with wire runnig to our car battery for those of a younger generation a 8 track is like a dvd players lol
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You had all that? What luxury!
Bluebird Rambler 1949. No water, no toilet, no fridge, no oven. We had gas lights, a grill and two rings and water was in a container stood on the floor.
The first tow cars were Ford Zephyrs and Zodiacs Mkll before we progressed to the LR Series llA as we got sick of replacing the big ends in the Fords after almost every tow up Haldon Hill.
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A 15' 5-berth Panther caravan with gas mantles and foot pump. Porta Potti, gas fire and clip in tables which lowered down to become part of the beds. Orange, yellow and brown curtains and upholstery and a smell all its own: of fabrics, and tea in melamine
and stovetop cooking and happiness. Pulled over many years by a succession of tow cars: Wolsey Mark IIs, Austin 1800s, Austin ambassador, Austin Princess (rubbish tow car), Rover 3500, Ford Granada, Toyota Crown, Vauxhall Carlton, another Granada and finally
a Mazda 626. And so a love of caravans and big old cars was passed down the generations...0 -
We had a 2nd hand ( or more probably 20th hand) Forest Dean. Foot pump for water, fold down sink, small room for the Porta Potti.
I thought it was absolutely wonderful, after years of camping it seemed luxurious!
We kept it for 5 years and got a good trade in deal when we bought an Elldis Wisp.
Happy Days
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I do not know the maker of my first caravan; it was probably built in the late fifties. It had glass windows and lovely gas mantle lights that also provided some heat. Luxury was provided by a two ring hob and whale foot pump for the one cold tap.
Our first tow-car was an Austin Maxi, happy days.
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Mjh you had a ToYota crown how rich was you I loved those cars 2:8 my boss had one of them
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April 1982 and we had an Austin Maxi and a Rambler with the designation 380-5 From the photo I presume it was 3m 80 cm long and could sleep 5 - there were 2 of us! First trip was up to Club site in Borrowdale so I presume it had a toilet! Can't remember!
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A sprite 400 . Foot pump for cold water only, gas mantle for lighting. The toilet was a thunder box which went in a toilet annex on the Pullman awning. Towed it with a Mk1 VW Golf. We had a cooler box with those blue things which you had to freeze. Generally
when on site you found a friendly shop keeper who would freeze one whilst the other one was in the cooler box, in return you would undertake to buy all your groceries from them. We've still got the cooler box.0 -
Nice thought pliers there even say they had to drive the car thereselfs and only had one level like a bungalow
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1969 Robin caravan circa 1960? gas light (one) ,gas two burner hob, thunder bucket toilet, no heater (used hob and gas light
)
,glass windows ,and double bed folded down from rear wall(next new fad
) towed it with an Austin Cambridge with column change 0 -
1968, Astral Ranger 12 towed by a Morris 1000 Traveller occasionally up to the speed limit of that time of 30mph.
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The make of 'van I can't recall but if one made up the double(ish) bed there was only enough floor space for one person to stand. However, it was possible to cook breakfast without leaving the bed! No pump, no toilet, one gas mantle.
However, having it made me a "caravanner" so when the local car club acquired a Sprite Major to use at events I got the job of towing and looking after it. And all done with an 86" 1600 cc Land Rover Series I.
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We started with four of us in a 10 ft caravan. No heater, no battery, we used the cars, a foot pump for the cold water. We had a toilet area but because of a lack of storage we had to use that as a larder.
Empty toilet compartments were more flexible one colleague turned his into a bunk bed for his son.
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Bit like TW's experience. No more than a tin tent really. The "Van was a Sprite 400 in 1975. It was very 2nd hand in 75 so probably of late 60's vintage. No water, no toilet no nothing really except a two burner hob and two seats which converted to a bed
of sorts. But we must have liked it, because in 2016 we are still at it. ( well caravanning anyway).Tow car was a Morris 1800 land crab.
TF
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Apart from the one my parents borrowed - 1967 elderly Sprite Muskateer - we did have a LWB Landy - but generally towed it across Germany, Austria, Italy and France with a Sunbeam Alpine
. I am certain that wouldn't be a match now! But never had any problems and much preferred it as a towcar to the Landy! 0 -
Ah, but Pipper - Do you mean the Sunbeam alpine sports car, or its beautiful predesesser The Sunbeam Alpine based on the earlier Sunbeam Talbot 90 car. It had a bonnet about a mile long with cooling louvres on the top. Very heavy so no chance of exceeding tow limits!
TF
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Werenext a dvd is like a old 8 track player but 8 track plays better music
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I remember 8 track players. We had one in an XJ6.
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Ah, but Pipper - Do you mean the Sunbeam alpine sports car, or its beautiful predesesser The Sunbeam Alpine based on the earlier Sunbeam Talbot 90 car. It had a bonnet about a mile long with cooling louvres on the top. Very heavy so no chance of exceeding tow limits!
TF
Write your comments here...It was the Sports Car TF lovely car! Original D reg - it was my engagement/wedding and 21st birthday present all in one! I don't think I ever got any more presents after that! Perhaps the biggest was £30 worth of tumble dryer when my son was born! (which amazingly is still working 44 years on!)
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Lovely car Pippah, but to those of us in the the business in those days with a reputation of being a "Ladies Car". But later the Rootes Group that made them produced the Sunbeam Tiger! Same body shell but with a V8 engine. Now that was a real sports car!
TF
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Well I am a Lady
and I remember being ragged about my car by a males particularly by a cousin who had the MGB in various models.1700 and something my engine (1775?)- quite powerful enough for a youngster who had only driven 1000 cc before! !0 -
Don't worry about that, - The Alpine was a fine car, its only problem was that it was released at a time when many sports cars were less refined, they delivered brutish power but some took quite a bit of handling. I loved the TR4A but it wasnt' for the
faint hearted! The MGB in both normal sports car mode and GT style was nearer to the Alpine, more comfort but not as quick as the Triumph TR's.Probably the best in those days was the Austin Healey 3000. 3 litres 6 cylinders and shed loads of power. You could kill yourself very quickly in one of those on a wet & greasy road!
The Alpine was more of a classy machine, it looked nice and even featured in a Bond film.
I envy your choice .
TF
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Further to my post above. I had a lovely job in the early 60's.
I worked in a garage in Yeovil Somerset. They were main Jaguar, Triumph and Roots Group dealers. I had passed my test in 1962 in a Jaguar 2.4 Mk2 and by 1965 was emplyed in the sales dept under training. It became my job to go to Taunton about 2-3 times a week to bring back new sports cars which had been delivered to the distributer there.
I guess that I drove nearly every TR4, TR4A, Triumph Spitfire, Triumph GT6 and E type that was sold in our region first! Lovely Job! From time to time dealers would swap stock cars between them, so for example I would drive a new Jaguar 3.4 Mk 2 to a garage in Chelmsford in Essex, swap it with a Jag 3.8 Mk 2 and bring that one back to Yeovil. After a couple of years at that I became a salesman in my own right. In those days you did your own deals, you didnt have to keep going to the sales manager for permission as they do today. You had to live with your mistakes & if you bought in a lemon you had to sell it on yourself! But perhaps that early life explains my love of cars and motoring that remains even today!
TF
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Yes that Alpine certainly coloured my expectations and enjoyment of driving! I can't remember why that was chosen over the MG - I know Rootes was just round the corner from where I lived in London at the time! Yes - I had a boyfriend with the TR4 - lovely
car (that was before I got my Alpine)Don't we all get to like things that are a FIRST in our life - the Acer laptop and internet provider?
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First caravan - A sprite 400 - Foot operated water pump, lightweight - towed like a dream. Just as well as my company car at that time was a Ford Escort Estate.
First motorhome/camper was a Bedford Dormobile with beds in the tilting roof. (Only 16 MPG though).
Both Basic units but as a family we had great fun with them.
K
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