CARAVANS YET TO BE IDENTIFIED - Help identify these orphans!

[hughdeany]

Hi all,
I’m leaning more and more to Globetrotter with this van,the jacks,the door with the exterior lockable flywire,the curved robe with a single door,the push button cupboard handles,the non Tudor ceiling,the coupling,the shape,the roof hatch.
Cheers
hughdeany


ps,does this van have flywires hinged from the top or bottom?
Globe hinged theirs from the bottom.

[arthur01]

Hi Hughdeany
The flywire's/ flyscreens are hinged at the top. I was cleaning the windows yesterday and it made it quite annoying.
Can I ask if Globetrotter is one word or two? and Did I read somewhere on here that the company started out as Globe and the trotter part was added later?
Thanks for all your help and time you guys are spending on this for me.
Cheers
Anthony

[hughdeany]

Hi Arthur,
Bugger,I thought I was on the right track with the flywires!🤪Globetrotter is one word,and yes I do think it started as Globe.
Cheers
hughdeany

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

A few weeks ago Arthur01 emailed me some additional photos of his grandfather's caravan which has been the subject of quite a bit of discussion on this thread regarding its identity. My apologies to Arthur01 for not posting the photos much earlier, and also to Hughdeany who has been involved in the discussion. November and December have been really ridiculous in relation to the work I do. However, the additional photos are posted below. Look higher up this thread to see the photos posted previously.



     

Note in the left hand photo above the fittings on the walls above the dinette seat to hold a hammock bed. The right hand photo shows the hammock in place.









It's a shame we can't read the date on the electrical inspection sticker in the last photo. At least that would provide one concrete clue about the van.

As part of his email, Arthur01 commented:

Yes I am 100% sure that it doesn’t have a Tudor ceiling and you are correct in saying that it is ply wood both inside and outside.
I had a closer look at the draw bar and even took a wire brush to it and could not find any numbers or letters on it. This would have also made it easier for me to register it in the future.
As I was looking closer I did find a name on the sink inside and it said Cara Rest on it. Not sure if this gives anymore clues to the maker of the van or what exact year it might have been built.
I have included some more pics that might help.

Cararest provided caravan fittings to a number of manufacturers, so I don't think the branding on the sink tell us much unfortunately.

In one of his posts, Hughdeany said that he was 'leaning more and more to Globetrotter', and although I had some doubts at one point, I am leaning that way too - even if the flywires are hinged at the top! The fact that the flywires and hatch are all varnished rather than painted - which is a Globetrotter characteristic - adds to the thought that that is the origin of the van.  As we have discussed, the coupling (see below) is branded Globe. I had thought that that type of coupling - consisting of two hinged halves which clamp together around the tow ball - was an older, 40's style coupling, however I found a photo on the DHL Globetrotter thread of an 'Olympiad' Globetrotter built in 1956 (for the Olympics) which has the same type of coupling, so clearly not as old as I had thought.

Arthur01 stated in his email that he couldn't find any serial number on the drawbar and took a wire brush to it in his search. He must be right, but I could swear that I can see the numbers '25' and possibly '425' or '625' on the drawbar where I've circled!

Any more thoughts about Arthur01's van Hughdeany or anyone else?

Don Ricardo

[kenny]

Hi everyone, found this photo in the National Archives, any idea on brand? Regards kenny,

[hughdeany]

Hi Kenny,
This one looks like a 15 ft tandem Goodtime van,late 50s early 60s.
Cheers
hughdeany

[gigantam]

Hello, hopefully this page is still active as I’d love some feedback and possible identification of my caravan please. I’ve posted on a couple of Facebook groups but had no suggestions at all. I can’t find anything to identify it anywhere, and no chassis number. 

Thanks in advance and hopeful!

Attachments:

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Gigantum,

Yes, I'm pleased to tell you that this thread is still active and gets reviewed fairly often as we try and track down the origins of various caravans.   So, welcome to the forum and thanks for showing us the photos of your van.

As it happens, I saw the photos of your van somewhere on Facebook and have been thinking about it's origins since then. One of the interesting points about the caravan is that it has wooden window frames on the side, but a fairly large aluminium framed window at the front. I think that means that the original wooden-framed front window has been replaced at some point. Wooden-framed windows were superseded by most manufacturers around the mid 50's, so that means that your van was most likely built before (say) 1955.

Another interesting point about your van is the double frame windows on the side at the rear, which are quite unusual and were only used by a handful of manufacturers. One of the manufacturers who used the double framed windows at the rear up until around 1952 was Jennison, and when I first saw your van I played around with the idea that it might be a Jennison Pathfinder, but then dismissed the idea because the shape is just not quite right. However, as luck would have it, for some reason yesterday I checked out the thread for Mac Don caravans, which you will find if you click here. If you have a look at the van shown on that thread you'll see the double framed windows and the similar shape, and you'll also note that we (or actually I) commented at the time that the Mac Don had quite a few styling similarities to a Jennison Pathfinder.

Unfortunately we don't have very much information at all on Mac Don at this point, and I'm not 100% certain that your van is one, but I reckon it's a definite possibility. What do you think?

Mac Dons were built in Mitcham, South Australia. Did you find your van in South Australia, or can you see any South Australian connection, eg rego plate or manufacturer of the tow hitch, etc?  If there is a South Australian link then that would provide some extra possible evidence for the suggestion that it is a Mac Don.

I'll be interested to hear your comments.

Don Ricardo

[gigantam]

Thanks so much for your reply and insights. 

The double frame window at the rear is only one side, and the rear window is aluminium the same as the front, it isn’t flush with the rear curve of the body as you can see. Thanks for the link, I’ve had a look, shame there isn’t any more info at the moment on these caravans. There’s no registration plate unfortunately, but I’ve attached some photos of the hitch, and the rear. I think I can just about make out a letter on the draw bar but nothing clear.

Thanks again.

Attachments:

[gigantam]

Sorry I forgot to add that I’m in Gippsland, Vic. I bought it from someone in Moe, he said he’d owned for around 6 months and it was uncovered in his back yard during that time as he couldn’t afford a tarp 😒. He bought it off someone from Wonthaggi I think, South Gippsland. He said he was going to take the sides off and replace with metal sheeting and turn it into a food van! So glad I spotted it on marketplace after looking constantly for something special for the last few months.

[Don Ricardo]

Hi again Gigantum,

Interesting to see the additional photos of your van and to be able to read a bit more about it.

The way the rear window has been placed in the van confirms that the current front and rear windows have replaced the original windows which would have been wood-framed and smaller than the new ones. Whoever put them in has been quite creative with the rear window by building a frame to fit the contours of the wall.

I'm intrigued to see that the off-side side window is single paned. That possibly blows a hole in my theory that the van might be a Mac Don. The fact that you found it in South Gippsland doesn't help with the theory either. Of course it could have been built in SA and then brought to Victoria, but in a high proportion of cases vintage vans the age of yours had an uncanny knack of staying all their lives in the state in which they were built. That was partly because up until the early to mid-60's the caravan industry was very much state based, with manufacturers in most cases only selling vans in the state where they were operating, and the majority of caravanners not traveling interstate as much as many of us do now.

Back to the rear side windows: Is there any indication of which window might be the most original? In other words, does either the double paned window or single paned window seem to be older than the other?

I've had a look at the photo of the A-frame arm as well. There may be something engraved on it which might come to light if you take all the paint off, but I'm not sure. The coupling looks like a pretty standard item, but is there a manufacturer's name on it?

Of course it may be that your van is home built, which could explain why the bondwood panels on the door side are a bit of a patchwork. But let's continue to explore the possibilities.

Don Ricardo

[gigantam]

Hi Don

The two rear side windows are pictured below, they match the front side windows too, all seem to be of the same age and manufacture. Hope to improve the panel patchwork when the panels are replaced.

[reddingo]

Hello members.
I am researching on behalf of my father-in-law.
This van is registered as a 1986 van, but we feel this is incorrect.
Labeled as a Roma, we are keen to find its age and an estimate of its value as he needs to sell in the next few months.
Apologies for my formatting.
Thank you all in advance.


IMG_3672 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3669 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3663 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3668 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3674 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3665 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3683 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3693 2 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3680 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr
IMG_3696 by Adrian Dalton, on Flickr

[hughdeany]

Hi Dalton,
You’re correct,it’s not 1986!
It’s an early sixties 12.6x7 bondwood and aluminium Roma.
If you look in the down history lane section you will see another like yours,but with the standard colours and wheel spats.
Hope this helps
Cheers
hughdeany

[reddingo]

Thank you hughdeany.
The draw bar has what looks like a serial number, hard to make out but looks like CA1213.
Is it worth contacting Roma Caravans direct?
As you can see it needs some work, are these models desirable?
Thank you again.

[hughdeany]

Hi Reddingo,
Don’t bother contacting Roma,I believe they went belly up recently.
They were a standard model,needs a lot of work only you can decide if it’s worth restoring.😉

[reddingo]

Thanks again for your reply.
I will keep the in-laws informed.
Cheers

[bicka]

Hello everyone.

I was hoping that I could draw on your collective knowledge in helping to identify this Franklin Hard Pop Top Caravan. It was a gift and when registered was simply Franklin "Fawn" which I think is the colour and 1900. Which is obviously a placeholder year.

I had to compress the images to get them into the forum but I can supply better or higher resolution on request.

Thank you in advance!

Edit: hoping Google link to high resolution photos will help.

photos.app.goo.gl/716PY7Sb2TkRJ31u8

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[hughdeany]

Hi Bicka,
Your van is one of the last Franklin Snipes with a wooden frame before they changed to the aluminium framed Franklin Roadstar.
The Roadstar was only around for a year before Franklin closed.
Hope this helps
Cheers
hughdeany

[bicka]

Jan 20, 2024 20:35:14 GMT 10 hughdeany said:

Your van is one of the last Franklin Snipes with a wooden frame before they changed to the aluminium framed Franklin Roadstar.
The Roadstar was only around for a year before Franklin closed.

Thanks so much Hugh! I knew someone would be able to help. I've never actually seen a pop top with hard sides before so I wasn't sure how to identify it.
My wife and I intend to sell it soon, but we are not sure how much it would be worth as it seems to be rare. It is a great little van to tow being light but we have outgrown it now.
We recently took it to southern Queensland and back and were able to tow at 110kph on cruise control the whole way without any dramas at all, whoever buys it will have a great little van. The hard pop makes it really secure and quite well-insulated for an old van without insulation We had some huge storms and wild winds and it was rock solid! even with the full annexe attached because it's a heavy-duty canvas. Built to last!