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Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:16 pm
by jerryd
This Carawagon has recently surfaced and is for sale, I wonder if they knew Robin had been over for a holiday :roll:

Shame it doesn't have the raising roof.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/as3zuo22dm1j ... G_3350.JPG

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:42 pm
by RMS
Nice, just the sort of condition I like them in - ripe for restoration :cheers:

As you say, shame about the roof, otherwise I might have considered it for the next time I pop down under :wink:

Cheers,
Robin.

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:21 am
by Peaceand
Having baked in my Carawagon on a hot UK summer day, I would hate to have the lift up metal roof on an Australian summers day.

Has anybody spotted a lift up roof Carawagon in Aus before? Perhaps if they were shipped over they were all hard tops?

Maybe with both end windows open with fans blowing/pulling air through, it may just be tolerable...

Patrick

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:22 pm
by flyingant
Having baked in my Carawagon on a hot UK summer day, I would hate to have the lift up metal roof on an Australian summers day.


Which probably explains the greater number of Dormobiles there! :neener:

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:26 pm
by Peaceand
After a bit of searching, it seems Searle never shipped to Aus, the only Carawagons out there were imported privately.

Dormobile seem to have had an assembly plant in Perth on the other hand, at least for the VW version.

I suppose the ideal combination would be a Carawagon rear-awning and a Dormobile roof, plus plenty of ice creams of course.

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:57 pm
by DanC
Peaceand wrote:Carawagon rear-awning and a Dormobile roof, plus plenty of ice creams of course.
What you mean is a Dormobile with optional awning then Patrick :roll:

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:35 pm
by Peaceand
:cheers: When I have time and money I would love to build a 'best of both' vehicle...

The pull out awning on the Carawagon is one of my favourite features, just so quick and easy to extend the living space out past the back door, without needing to put legs down or rummage around in the cupboards for the poles.

Anyway, hopefully whoever gets this one will join the forum!

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:49 pm
by jerryd
flyingant wrote:
Having baked in my Carawagon on a hot UK summer day, I would hate to have the lift up metal roof on an Australian summers day.


Which probably explains the greater number of Dormobiles there! :neener:

I would imagine it would be very hot sleeping in a carawagon bunk on a hot summer's night in oz :shakehead: I only know of three carawagons in oz, one of those was driven over from Germany for an event here. It had the lifting roof, the other one is the swb which I posted pics of previously and this one that's emerged for sale.

I only know of six Dormobiles in oz that are complete, there is a rumour that someone has four tucked away but we think it's a roof assembly and a set of seats only :shrug: . Possibly one that's been in storage for 30 years, again no proof of it's existance and someone fairly local to me who has two daily drivers. Again I don't think they exist, I'm pretty sure it's people seeing an old land rover and then thinking that "Old Fred's Rover" was a dormobile :shrug:

I'm pretty sure that these six dormobiles were driven overland to oz from the uk too.

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:44 am
by flyingant
Peaceand wrote:Dormobile seem to have had an assembly plant in Perth.
That would surprise me. I don't think MW assembled any Dormobiles outside Folkestone. You may be thinking of the German converter Westphalia, who used Dormobile roofs on their first VW campers?

Re: Carawagon Down Under.........

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:35 pm
by Peaceand
flyingant wrote:
Peaceand wrote:Dormobile seem to have had an assembly plant in Perth.
That would surprise me. I don't think MW assembled any Dormobiles outside Folkestone. You may be thinking of the German converter Westphalia, who used Dormobile roofs on their first VW campers?
Purely based on a thread I found on a VW forum somewhere, they mentioned a Dormobile assembly plant outside Perth. Could easily have been Dormobile roofs on Westphalia VW camper conversion.
jerryd wrote: I'm pretty sure that these six dormobiles were driven overland to oz from the uk too.
Was that all in one convoy? It must have been quite a trip.