Fibreglass franklins

[bradngem]

Hi Jodel,
I don't have any definate proff of the age of our Franklin, but it is different to the ones in the broucher that have been posted . I still think that it may be a early 1960's van, at first we thought a late 1950's but the fridge is about a 1963 we don't have a electrical ticket on our van but tucky had one on his and both our vans were the same shape. Sorry i can't help more.
Gem

[Don Ricardo]

Franklin Fibreglass advertised on Ebay in March 2011:















This is the same van as shown in Reply #13 above, and possibly also in Reply #14, but I have posted these photos because they show the interior, even though it is incomplete.

The van was sold as an 'Executive Deluxe', but it is likely that that is a sticker put on it by a caravan dealer, such as Doug Thorley, at some stage.

Don Ricardo

[73kenworth]

i have a mid 60s? fibreglass franklin i believe it is a franklin futura as shown on our touring past. in the process of painting it black to match my car. john

[grimace68]

I bought the 18ft franklin fibreglass caravan from ebay. Got it in Corowa. Now in northern suburbs of Victoria. It did have a styline executive deluxe sticker. The sticker seemed to be under the white paint on the roof. Having sanded it back i assume it was an original sticker placed on it before it was painted over.

There was a sticker on its drawer bar which was very old and worn out. It said Thorley on it or something. The draw bar has franklin caravans welded onto it.

Iv repainted it a complete different colour combo of white, black and phantom blue mica. Also redoing the interior. Not a fan of original equipment unless its in good shape which it was not. Pimp my caravan here we go... Good old van... no metal...no rust!

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Grimace68,

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on the purchase of a pretty unusual van.

The Styleline Executive sticker was put on the van by Doug Thorley who was a caravan dealer. He sold used caravans, but I think may also have sold new vans such as Jaycos. As we understand it, Doug Thorley put his Styleline sticker on every second hand van he sold, irrespective of who they were built by.

There's more info in the Down History Lane section here.

Enjoy your van. We look forward to seeing some before and after pics.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

Following are the photos of an 18 ft 6 in tandem Franklin Regent fibreglass van, currently listed on Ebay, and posted on behalf of Hughdeani.  (The van is advertised as a 'Doug Thorley Viscount', and Doug Thorley's sticker can be seen on the rear.)



















Previous examples of fibreglass Franklin Regents (see above for examples) we've seen are single axle, not tandems, so that makes this caravan quite an interesting example. As can be deduced from the photos, this van has been used on-site and had a permanent annexe attached, which is why the flash down the near side has been painted over. The van appears to retain much of its original layout and fittings (apart from the floor covering), although Hughdeani may like to comment on that.

Don Ricardo

[bigkel]

Doug Thorley Viscount , was a caravan dealer in Croydon Vic and i think Broadmeadows , i purchased a near new 23footer Viscount at the croydon yard in 1977.shag pile and all .

cheers kel

[Don Ricardo]

G'day Bigkel,

Shag pile, eh? Just perfect for that beach holiday with a bit of sand being tramped in on the thongs!

The Franklin Regent would have been sold by Doug Thorley as a second hand van. He followed the practice of putting his sticker on every van he sold, and most often replaced the brand name with his own 'Executive Styleline' brand. There are an awful lot of so-called 'Executive Styleline' vans around, in Victoria at least, and some have been re-registered as such which is a bit confusing for new V V'ers.

Any shag pile in your current van?

Don Ricardo