MH Nostalgia - They don't make them like they used to..

magicsurfbus

magicsurfbus

Free Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2010
Posts
4,676
Likes collected
10,131
Location
NW England
Funster No
14,057
MH
Bessacarr Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 1997
..which is probably just as well really, having owned one of them.

I've been literally tearing through a pile of old magazines from the 60s and 70s to extract the adverts for resale, and I happened upon these little gems of Motorhoming nostalgia which I thought I'd share with you. From 1974 and 1978 respectively:

Broken Link Removed

Broken Link Removed
 
The Commer van was a nightmare, I owned one for three months and couldn't get rid of it quick enough!
 
It was that sort of van the CC cater for on their big sites no toilet or shower its time they moved on.
 
I had a Bedford based "thing" with sliding driver/passenger doors which leaked like sieves, no, sieves held more water! Hideous thing but managed to part exchange it for a (by comparison) a luxury Holdsworth Villa on a VW T2. Ever thought how dated our current pride and joys will look in 40 years' time?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I used to drive a yellow commer van for work occasionally. The cornering was amazing - more like being in a boat -and a feeling you were about to capsize. :)

My Parents had an Autohome like the one in the advert except it was Bedford CF. I had many happy trips with them in that.
 
Ive seen a few of those Advantura's. Some are still around. The ones i've seen have almost always been on Ford chassis
 
Look at those prices - goes to show what a good investment a campervan / motorhome is (y)
 
6 berth in a Commer, were people smaller in those days ? (n)
 
I'm sure I once heard Boy George of Culture Club saying he used to drive a Commer Chameleon.

Neil Sedaka used to drive a Commer Downdoobydoodowndown. They were obviously popular among music stars.
 
Spent many an hour crammed into a Commer van with amps, speakers, drums, guitars and sweaty bandmates on the way to and from gigs. Not an experience i would like to repeat.
 
Muddibootz said:
I used to drive a yellow commer van for work occasionally. The cornering was amazing - more like being in a boat -and a feeling you were about to capsize. :)

My Parents had an Autohome like the one in the advert except it was Bedford CF. I had many happy trips with them in that.
Click to expand...
Spot on! 2500cc engine wouldn't pull the skin off a milky rice pudding. I'm sure the track was narrower on the front axle than the rear, used to steer like a drunken pig!
 
Badknee said:
The Commer van was a nightmare, I owned one for three months and couldn't get rid of it quick enough!
Click to expand...
We went to Sweden in one,,,brilliant,,,,,BUSBY,,,

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Badknee said:
Spot on! 2500cc engine wouldn't pull the skin off a milky rice pudding. I'm sure the track was narrower on the front axle than the rear, used to steer like a drunken pig!
Click to expand...
Petrol was a 1750 cc,,same engine as Hillman Minx,,,,,BUSBY,,,
 
This site contains affiliate links for which MHF may be compensated.
Actually, if the CF is a bit too "normal" for you.....



Seems like a good buy at that price, it's certainly unusual!
 
First camper van I remember being in was our Bedford Dormobile. Must have been around 1962 or so.
We had Commer vans at work, one lad found out the hard way, when he tried to do a handbrake turn, that the handbrake operated on the front wheels.
 
First van I bought for work was a commercial, not a camper but a van.
Brings back happy memories
 
This thread brings back a memory or two for me too, as my uncle worked for Birtwistles in Hartford (second ad) and we used to drive past the garage and showroom every day on the way to and from Hartford and Greenbank station to get the train to school. The garage survives as an MoT centre but the showroom has long gone.

Tony
 
Badknee said:
The Commer van was a nightmare, I owned one for three months and couldn't get rid of it quick enough!
Click to expand...
We had one first campervan, loved it, great for weekends away.
 
Saw a Highwayman recently

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
That Commer was the first vehicle I took the engine out of. I was apprenticed in a Rootes Dealership and whilst the engine was removed I had to degrease the engine bay and hand paint it in a Rootes Group light-grey.

Rather like the series 3b Minx it had a 4 speed gear-box, Ist 2nd and 3rd, 3rd being a straight through top-gear.

EL was extra low for really steep hills mostly on a column gear change. It had Lockheed Hydraulic drum twin leading shoe front brakes and cable rear brakes. What a truly bloody awful thing it was to drive.
 
rangitira said:
Saw a Highwayman recently
Click to expand...

There Not that new?.:D Or that fast, and dont have any facilities?.(n)

DickTurpin_on_BlackBess.png

:whistle::whistle::whistle:
 
We went to Sweden in the early 80 s,in a Commer,,,ex British Rail 12 seater mini bus. Six adults and two teenagers plus all the camping gear and two weeks beer supply,,,,It never missed a beat but 50 mph was its cruising speed,,,,BUSBY.
 
Badknee said:
Spot on! 2500cc engine wouldn't pull the skin off a milky rice pudding. I'm sure the track was narrower on the front axle than the rear, used to steer like a drunken pig!
Click to expand...
My Fiat wide track is wider at the back than the front, which was fine until I got on the German autobahns and stuck in the two truck carved tyre grooves on most of the inside lanes. The MH really wants to turn itself inside out on those :(

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top