Old Renaults never die...
You'll be interested in this pair of motorcaravans that have covered more ground than some silly dealers think they are capable of: and what ground: over 350,000 miles between them!
This time, I'm indebted to reader Bob Deane for sending details of two Renault Traffic-based motorcaravans with which he is familiar. He owned the Rapport (pictured, below) for four years before selling it with more than a 100,000 miles on the clock! Throughout his ownership, the Renault 1.7 petrol engine and drive train beavered
away reliably. The only repair required of any note (i.e. one which was relatively expensive) was the replacement of the ignition module.
The second Renault is a more basic motorcaravan than the Rapport. It was owned by Peter King who used it for his courier business and slept in a hammock suspended from the roof. This Trafic (originally a Leisuredrive conversion) was powered by a naturally-aspirated diesel and had racked up 250,000 miles when Peter retired and went touring in his other motorhome, an American RV.
Wagon wheels conversions
I received an email the other day from reader Nick Rogers, who told me that he had spoken to someone who said that they had seen a motorhome conversion of the
side-door 'van version of the Suzuki Wagon R. Had I come across that conversion, and did I know of any firm that supplies them?
Well, I know of several firms which convert the Suzuki SuperCarry and one other that converts the Suzuki Wagon R. I have tested products from the manufacturers mentioned below and have found the models I tried to be very good.
Wheelhome converts both vans and seems the most popular choice of converter. It keeps a range of demonstrator 'vans at its premises and was the winner of this year's Practical Motorhome Sovereign Awards as judged by buyers of new motorhomes (see p129 to vote this year).
Drivelodge, meanwhile, converts the Supercarry and
is usually able to build to your design. The firm is experienced at building motorcaravans
and special needs vehicles for local authorities.
A new 'van show comes to London
This year, there will be a new show for motorcaravanners and it is planned to be held
at a new venue: the ExCel centre in London's Docklands will host the London Caravan and Outdoor Show between the 27 and 30 October. This is the week before the Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show
(1-6 November) held, as usual, at London's Earls Court.
Inside Communications is organising the new show and the company hopes it will compliment its existing February show, the National Boat, Caravan and Outdoor Show at Birmingham's NEC.
The timing of the two London shows does seem controversial - I would have thought that their proximity, date-wise, would make it impossible for exhibitors to transfer from one show to another. Instead, they will have to build two separate stands or choose between the two shows. The rival organisers' gloves must be well and truly off by now!
Recently, an invitation to attend a pre-exhibition meeting at the new venue dropped through the letterbox here at Bancroft Towers. As I hadn't been to Docklands since it stopped being 'the docks', I thought it was about time I ventured forth.
Right from my first glance of the venue, it impressed. Arriving by the excellent Docklands Light Railway, the transfer from Custom House Station was all under shelter.
The venue and surrounding transport infra-structure have been designed to include shallow-gradient ramps and wide central aisles to facilitate use by wheelchair wheelers, mobility scooter jockeys and pram pilots. There is oodles
of car parking space and for the duration of this show the Camping and Caravanning Club will be organising
overnight camping nearby.
The exhibition halls themselves have no central columns to get in the way of the exhibits, and a state-of-the-art air conditioning system should ensure that the atmosphere is less 'fugacious' than at some other venues.
Essentially, the venue consists of two variable-volume exhibition areas situated on either side of a central plaza. The latter contains a mind-blowing array of competitively-priced catering facilities. All are run by highly-regarded companies and everything is on offer, from a pasty and a cuppa, to a five-star belt-buster.
Nearby hotel accommodation is plentiful and different hostelries offer a range of rooms, from budget to luxurious, all at commensurate prices. Obviously, one of the major advantages of this location is its pleasant waterside situation and its proximity to Canary Wharf which has over 200 bars and restaurants from which to choose.
There is an informative website (see information panel) for the venue which is packed with interesting statistics on ExCel itself and on the surrounding urban redevelopment, which even an old cynic like me has to admit is ambitiously breathtaking in its vision and features world leading architecture and design.
At the time of writing, take
-up of exhibition space for the show has been brisk, with several big hitters already committed. See you there!
It's a stick-up to smarten your 'van
I'm always being asked how to smarten up dull or dirty motorhome walls. So, at this year's NEC show, Stick and Go tiles (pictured, below) became my favourite accessory.
With these tiles you just press one onto the wall and butt the next up to it. No mess, no adhesive and no grouting, and the tiles may be cut to shape with a pair of scissors. The resulting surface is water resistant, but not waterproof, so don't use them in a showering area.
A friend of mine has already pinched the few samples I had to smarten up the table in his old coachbuilt.
A website for enthusiasts
Recently, I rediscovered
World of Motorhomes - an informative website (see panel, right) run by an enthusiastic team of motorcaravanners
for the benefit of other enthusiasts. Although it was launched two years ago, it has since developed strongly.
The site is sub-divided into several areas, each featuring some aspect of motorcaravanning, including sites, travel, insurance, accessory reviews and mobility. Fortunately for those of us stuck in the 'slow lane' of the information highway, the site is a doddle to navigate, even for the most challenged technophobe such as myself.
Happy motorcaravanning!
Gentleman Jack Bancroft |
