It was last August, at the peak of summer, that we advertised a Cheltenham Sable in our Used Caravan of the Week, if you missed it, it may have been because David Walker set eyes on the 1960s caravan, fell for it and snapped it up before anybody else could.
The caravan was painted in red and white with a matt black top, and although in a reasonable condition it required much attention.
David had always wanted a Sable – after spotting one at a show years before, it stuck with him ever since.
Just under a year after his purchase we have caught up with David to see just how the restoration has come along and if it has become everything he would have hoped for.
The purchase
The Sable cost David just £500, and he says it was the first Cheltenham Sable that he had seen that was within his price range, many he had previously seen advertised were expensive so when this model came along on CaravanTimes, it was like a dream come true.
Coming from a caravanning background, David spent time in his family caravan, a 1970s Sprite Musketeer, up until the age of twelve.
The fond memories have never left him and by purchasing the Sable and became the owner of his first very own caravan.
The day the caravan arrived with David he spent one night in it before restoration begun. He knew he has a long road ahead of him, but after a search of more than 7 years, he was keen to start.
The restoration
After setting up in a barn, restoration begun immediately and has continued from then up until the last day of May.
Inspiration is something that David was not short of as he says for him caravans have an air of ‘nostalgia’ about them.
He explains that his main motivations were that caravan are cost effective and can travel freely to a number of destinations.
David says that “the most difficult part was the preparation,” getting the Sable ready to restore and even more so to spray it was one of the most testing parts of the project.
After getting it ready, David got rid of the original colour scheme, and has opted for a more subtle mint green colour making it perfect for summer trips.
David explains that the Cheltenham Sable is made of quite a few parts made by Hella which are now practically extinct.
Throwing a spanner in the works, David has had to improvise and says there are still parts that he is missing and he hopes to get hold of them somehow.
Problems aside, David claims the model is extremely light, and this is its best feature, making it easy to work with.
He says parts of the restoration were “a lot more straight forward than I expected it to be,” including getting the water pumps operating.
The mammoth job took ten months, but David says it was all worth it.
The result
The 1960s caravan is now almost unrecognisable, with much more work than just a fresh coat of paint, David has managed to transform the model into a stunner.
With a few tweaks here or there, he claims: “finishing was a big sense of achievement, it was a big deal, it was actually a miracle.”
As soon as the restoration was complete, David even managed to take the van on its first outing to Wollaton Classic Car Show, and in the caravan section he was able to show off his pride and joy.
For anybody who has a restoration project ongoing, or for those contemplating it, David has some words of wisdom:
“Take your time, if it’s the one you want, take time be prepared for setbacks, but in long run it will be worth a lot more than you purchased for and you will enjoy it for years to come.”
What comes next?
David has said he plans to visit a few local camp-sites within Derbyshire and he looks forward to travelling freely.
Unfortunately for those reading this, if you have fallen for the newly restored Cheltenham Sable after David’s handy work, you’re out of luck as he has specifically said that it is not for sale.
At the first outing, David received offers aplenty but none could sway him to part from his caravan because it’s definitely a keeper.
Take a look at the pictures below to see how the Cheltenham Sable has progressed through the restoration:
