THERE IS A REAL love affair between classic cars and vintage caravans. They were just made to go together.
Many vintage caravan owners like to tow their retro time machine with a classic car from the same era. And, conversely, many owners of classic cars think of vintage vans as the ultimate car accessory. What else can you buy after you have fully accessorised your car with white wall tyres, wheel spats and tons of chrome? The answer, of course, is
a vintage caravan!
So, if you like to see caravans from the past, car shows are a great place to look. We recently attended a combined car show and swap meet in Cairns, Qld. There were rows of gleaming classic cars and lots of stalls selling car accessories and collectibles. In addition, there were four or five great vintage vans at the event.
We had a chat with Amanda, whose 1965 Pontiac Parisienne was teamed up with an aluminium Valiant caravan from about 1970. The van was nicknamed Boop-oop-a-doop and decked out with Betty Boop memorabilia. It was on display at the show, and had also been slept in at the showground the night before the event.
Parked next to it was a vintage Wilson caravan belonging to Amanda's parents. The Wilson van is believed to be from the 1950s, and has an unusual layout with three single beds.
It was towed by a huge American two-door coupe.
And just in case these vintage caravans convinced you that you should own one, there were some others for sale. We spotted an early 1960s Globetrotter which was in substantially original condition –
tidy inside and repainted outside. It was going for a song and some lucky buyer had already snapped it up.
So, if you are hunting for a vintage caravan, or want to double the visual impact of your beloved classic car, you now know where to look.
WORDS AND PICS Susan and Keith Hall
Written exclusively for Caravan World online
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