Classic Dormobile Camper Vans

Book excerpt: Dormobile, a name inescapably linked with camper vans, grew out of a Folkestone coachbuilding company called Martin Walter's. In 1957, the first really affordable camper van, the Dormobile, was introduced. It was a great success and within a couple of years, over 10,000 had been sold. The factory produced camper vans in such huge numbers throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s that they were by far the leading producer of motorcaravans within the UK. The pop-up, candy-striped roofs became a common sight at campsites and on beaches all over Britain and abroad. Dormobile used a variety of base vehicles but perhaps the best known are the Bedford CA Romany, the Volkswagen split and bay vans and the Land Rover, all instantly recognizable with their pop-up roofs. The company also made a series of coach-built models including the Debonair and Newlander on Bedford and Toyota chassis.