Modern Caravans Perth

[willyn]

MODERN CARAVANS

Manufactured by Peter Formiatti (born 1900 in Italy)
Wanneroo Road, Tuart Hill
and later Bassendean, Western Australia

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here is a Modern Van
the name is Modern
manufactured in Perth w.a.in 1958
Brian Noble (noblesgarage) a member has totally restored the van inside and out
The original owner of Modern was an immigrant from Italy yugoslavia was assisted to buy the land by the goverment on the main rd from perth to wanneroo
the address being Wanneroo rd tuart hill approximately 5 kilometres from central perth
it was established in the early fiftys and the land was sold for several million dollars in 1997 approx 1 acre
when the owner retired Modern was closed down
the business was a successful venture for 40 years and the land made an excellent retirement fund





Will

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Editorial note: Information posted on the forum subsequently about Modern caravans (see below) has indicated that Noblesgarage's Modern is quite a bit newer than 1958, the date provided by Willyn. The van is most probably late 60's, and possibly 1968 rather than 1958. Don Ricardo

[Franklin1]

1958 Modern caravan photos:





(source: posted by Mark T, Oct 17, 2007.)

[Don Ricardo]

Information provided by Mark T, transferred from a duplicate thread for Modern caravans:

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"Modern" Caravans were a Perth based caravan manufacturer who traded for many years at the corner of Royal Street & Wanneroo roads Tuart Hill WA.

Here's some pics of what I believe to be one of the earliest versions of a "Modern Caravan"......why , because of its crude construction ....rough pop rivetting of ali panels, and "old" design, ie, no rear window, little front window, old round shape.

Its located in WA's sou'west and, because of its local historical significance, belongs in a WA vintage caravan museum.









(source: posted by Mark T, Nov 19, 2007)

[JBJ]

Hi,





I'm posting this couple of picture sent to me by Modern, (Frank & Jackie) of their 59 modern.

JBJ

[Don Ricardo]

1958 Modern owned by Hillbilly and seen at the 2010 Vintage Caravan Nationals in Mildura:

[Daggsey]

Visitors to a mates place last Friday use this Modern on a regular basis...........









It was apparently built as a "dogger's" van. I assume this was for dingo trapping in the 60's.

Daggsey

[Daggsey]

Well spotted OlFarts

The owners did mention to me that the identification plate had been reproduced at some later date with the new 7 digit numbers.

As an aside, I couldn't find a chassis number anywhere.

Daggsey

[dusty]

Some pictures of a "Modern" caravan which has been living in Fremantle, WA.

The pics are from Gumtree via Pinterest (the original Gumtree listing has disappeared) and state that this girl called The Travelling Tinny is 11ft long and built circa 1964.




The door has me wondering if this really IS a Modern though, as they usually have doors which open on the right, rather than the standard left.





And the only shots I could find of the interior features.





Anyway, another one for the knowledge bank

Dusty

[dusty]

I found a whole bunch of lovely Modern photos on Trove. Now I will try to share them and hopefully it works!

Here is very swish, LARGE, Modern from 1957. Original link (in case I muck up the photo-posting process ) innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b2362993#









Huge, right? Fortunately for us, there's also some shots of the interior

Kitchen with full-sized appliances.


Looking towards the back, we can just see the master bedroom. Love the etched-glass kitchen cupboards with the sailboat motif


I wonder if any of these big models have survived?



Dusty

[dusty]

Woohoo, photos worked! Thanks for the tips, Don Ricardo

Here is another large example from 1958. Looks like the Swan river in the background. It has louvred windows throughout, apart from one porthole at the back.
innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b2371195








And the only shot of the interior.

[dusty]

Assorted Moderns on display at the Claremont Showgrounds in 1960. If this was at the Royal Show or another event - like a motor show? - I couldn't say.

Another large model.


Note the skeleton in the foreground!

[dusty]

Two very different (on the outside, at least) Moderns photographed in 1961.
innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b2830056


We are down to a more manageable size now
If only we had photos of the interior


Now we have a brand new shape, wrap-around front windows, and what appears to be unpainted aluminium skin. Modern indeed!

[shesgotthelook]

Excellent research Dusty. I'm sure with time & elbow grease, yours will scrub up like the last pic
thanks for sharing.

[Roehm3108]

Interesting pics dusty. Those two large vans seem to have the same tow vehicle

[dusty]

Certainly does look like the same car - must have belonged to Mr & Mrs Modern

[humpyboy]

I'm surprised to see those two large vans both on a single axle.

[dusty]

Just found some more pics on Trove. Hopefully this will happen more and more for everybody as old articles and photos are archived

So here are two photos of Moderns taken on the 8th of October, 1956. It looks like these photos were also taken at the showgrounds.

Another very large van up front, with some regular-sized vans in the background. I do wonder how many of the large vans were really sold. I suspect they were more of a flagship model with only one or two made per year. Of course I have no facts with which to back up this supposition




A different angle showing the regular-sized vans. I can't make out the lettering of two signs on the left, but the one on the right is interesting.

MODERN CARAVANS

PRE-CUT KITS

FOR THE HANDYMAN

So Modern were like the ikea of WA caravans!? Was this a common practice at the time? I wonder if these pre-cut panels came with badges already attached. Could this explain some of the design/quality discrepancies which occasionally crop up? ... Hmmm ...

[Jennison]

Gday Dusty,
Selling vans as kits, or empty shells / rolling chassis' to fit out to your own design or just the plans in order to do the whole job yourself was indeed "common practice" in the 50s' and 60s'......a lot more carpenters, cabinet makers and tradesman oriented types around in those days!
regards
jenno

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Dusty,

Thanks for posting some more photos of Modern caravans. By all appearances, they were going great guns in the mid-50's and doing some interesting things style-wise. As far as I know, they are the only commercial scale Aussie builder who produced van using louvre windows, although they were relatively common in the US.

Looking at the pics, it is interesting to note the different style windows. Bosse & Eunson style windows (with the rounded corners) on the large van, 90 degree cornered wooden windows on the smaller van in the middle, and are they metal/aluminium framed windows on the dark coloured van?

I would also be interested to know what material the "rippled/corrugated" style cladding on the lower half of the Modern vans of the mid-50's were made from. They look almost as if they are made from tin or aluminium, and if the vans were built in the early to mid-60's I would say that's what it is. However, the mid-50's would be extremely early for that type of material (as opposed to flat sheet aluminium that some manufacturers were using by that time).

Any ideas Dusty, or anyone else?

Don Ricardo

[dusty]

Okay, I think this is the last one that Trove has to offer, for now...

Taken on on 10/03/1958. "Modern, the aluminium caravan specialists".



This same van is visible in the photos on second post of this thread. Same Peters ice cream stand, too

Hopefully soon I'll find some nice interior photos. Well, a girl can dream!

[dusty]

Yes, Jennison you're right. And I think the handymen of that era had many talents which unfortunately aren't so common anymore. When I think of the older gents in my own family, they turned out some beautiful pieces of craftsmanship while they were here, things that will last many decades.

I posted the last photo before I saw your comment, Don. They were already advertising as the aluminium specialists in 1958. So those panels could well have been aluminium (?) I don't really know much more than what I have posted, but if Mr Modern (I don't even know the manufacturer's name!) came from Yugoslavia as the first posts says, maybe he brought the technology with him or was importing the corrugated panels? I am clutching at straws a little I would have to look more into what Yugoslavians caravans of the same vintage are like (!) And now I have a teeny headache just thinking about a plunge down THAT rabbit hole..

[humpyboy]

Hello Don R, when I first looked at these pictures the first thing that struck me was the profile on the lower section as well, I liken it to the same profile used on Baravans.

[jasonb92]

I recently purchased a modern caravan called view master, just wondering if anyone can provide with with information such as the age etc.

[Gabriel]

Hi Jasonb92, do you have a picture of the Modern Sticker or plaque on the van, as this could give us a rough idea. Im thinking late 60s due to the bullnose bit above the front window but it could be earlier.

[Gabriel]

Hi Jasonb92
Here's a picture of my Modern, its 1973 so it has a big bullnose. And before I get yelled at for putting it on the Vintage Caravan Forum and not The Classic Caravan Forum, I'm only doing to to show the differences.



But in my picture you can see my Modern Sticker on the front. Red with a shiny silver backing. This was a later style sticker. Hope this helps