“You can call me stupid if you like, but I saw that caravan and just fell in love with it,” says John Anderson in the kind of voice you normally only hear from an excited schoolboy.
With his first child born only a few months ago and a busy day job in London as a design director, it would be logical to assume that John has more than enough on his plate at the moment, but nonetheless he and his wife Gem are about to embark on a year-long caravan renovation project.
John spotted this 1973 Carlight Caribbean (pictured right) on Caravan Times earlier this summer, when it was featured as Used Caravan of the Week, and he impulsively decided to snap it up for the bargain price of £650.
Despite his rookie status (John has never owned a caravan before and doesn’t even have a suitable towcar yet), he is beginning his epic project with plenty of optimism, due to previous experience doing up Victorian apartments and classic cars, such as VW Beetles.
A family affair
“I got the idea from my wife,” he explains. “She used to go caravanning with her family years ago, and her dad still has a caravan in France.
“Since the baby came along, we realised we wouldn’t be able to take as many big holidays in far-flung locations, so this seemed like a great way to enjoy breaks closer to home.”
This weekend, John is due to collect his prize tourer from its former owner, who used to live in it as her permanent home.
Over the winter he plans to “chip away” at the list of things that need work, but he is already starting to realise the historic quality of the caravan that he has managed to get his hands on.
The Rolls Royce of caravans
Carlight caravans are widely regarded as the epitome of touring luxury, from the coachbuilt quality to the extremely well-appointed interiors.
These models also have significant historical pedigree, as they have been carefully crafted in the UK since before World War Two.
At the turn of the century production came to a shuddering halt, but earlier this summer, the Lincolnshire-based manufacturers set to work again, with a brand new range, the Continental, being launched to considerable industry acclaim.
John is very conscious of the venerable legacy that his new tourer belongs to and hopes to do the Carlight badge proud with his ambitious plans.
“I’d like to do justice to it and do it properly, the pressure is on now. It needs some serious work doing, so I just hope we can pull it off. It’s still early days, but I’m sure there are people out there who know how to get the right bits and pieces,” he said.
John has already announced the beginning of his project in the Caravan Times forum, and we will be following him every step of the way on what promises to be a fascinating renovation job.
