Spring is in the air, thank goodness, which means recreational vehicles of all sorts are about to emerge from hibernation. Among them the classics I caught last year, in September and October. It’s highly unlikely that their owners will ever find a speeding ticket on their doormat after returning from a trip.
A 1970 Renault Estafette 800, previously owned by the Neuvy-Pailloux fire department, France.
1971 Renault Estafette 1000.
1968 Renault Super Goélette SG2, perfectly leveled! This series of vans and light trucks was built by Saviem, Renault’s truck division of yore.
Upsizing now, big time, with a 1966 DAF A 1300 DA 406.
An identical Frog-DAF, also from 1966.
Originally, both DAF diesel motorhomes must have been military fire trucks with a Kronenburg body.
And the owner of this ol’ DAF prefers to travel light. Vehicle-wise, anyway.
Thanks for this, Johannes; these are delightful. I love the Estafette’s styling, and what a fine camper it makes, although the larger Super Goalette is probably more me-sized.
The DAFs are stunning, but a bit big for my taste.
Yes, the DAFs are rather unwieldy. Better use truck stops as campsites.
Factory, full-size panel vans with raised roofs -Ducato/ProMaster etc.- are a perfect base for DIY or professional camper conversions. Not too small, yet big enough for all the facilities and storage room you’ll need (but you already knew that, of course).
Integrated and semi-integrated motorhomes are impractical once you leave the main roads. Too tall, too wide, too long (unless you’re a professional truck driver). Then there’s the price and the weight aspect, more than 3,500 kg GVWR means that a car driver’s license won’t do.
These days, many Euro-manufacturers offer a wide range of full-size panel van-based motorhomes.
Too many people hire large motorhomes and the size terrifies them so they drive them very sedately, how ever they get delivered by road here and if you see one driven by somebody with a hi viz vest on they really do fly, theres a small truck under the live in part and its a really light load, on a car licence for personal use you can drive a 6000kg vehicle but for hire or reward you need a licence upgrade and a log book and adhere to all those rules and regs, Going too big on a motorhome gets complicated, one of those DAFs would be fine
The rear of the Renault looks very similar to the classic Volkswagen Kombi.
As for DAF, the Leyland-DAFs of the 80s-90s were very reminiscent of the Transits of the second generation.
Originally the Leyland Sherpa, dating back to 1974.
And the entire back van section lifted from the earlier J4 of 1960.
Aha! Must be the reason that the front and rear wheel arches are such a mismatch.
J4s had squarish wheel arches at both ends, they only redesigned the front its a van nobody cared.
Living in the U.S. and having never been overseas I have never actually seen any of these vehicles in real life. However, as a kid I did see Matchbox, Husky, Dinky, and Corgi toy model cars and trucks based on these. The toys were as charming as the real life models appear to be.
There’s a lot of criticism, or at least critique, of the frontal styling of various modern cars. Lexus, Acura, some BMW’s and of course a lot of American pickups, especially the heavy-duty versions. Angry, or caricature are some of the words used. But the Renault and the DAF van look sad, or maybe the word I’m looking for is glum. Not a fetching style like the T1 Volkswagen or neutral like the VW T2 or most Mercedes vans of similar vintage. Though I realize style is subjective. Thanks for ending with the DAF33, which is perky, especially in yellow.