Used Caravan of the Week: 1960s Cheltenham Sable

by Chris Jefferies
In keeping with the spirit of the London 2012 Olympics, we’ve found a very stylish used caravan that, at first glance, appears to be sporting the Team GB colours.
On closer inspection the roof is actually matt black, but a quick coat of paint will easily fix that.
This Cheltenham Sable is more than a fixer-upper, it’s halfway there, as the owner has made a great start with the restoration work, and it looks like only a few finishing touches are needed to turn this into a really classy caravan.
With black and white chequered lino and a fitted drinks cabinet, this 1960s model has a real American diner charm to it.

Click here to view our photo gallery of this 1960s Cheltenham Sable used caravan for sale

History
Taking its name from the African antelope, rather than the women’s decorative fur, the Sable is a perfect example of why Cheltenham was such a prestigious caravan make in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
This two-berth layout features a rear kitchenette, front dinette and side bathroom, resulting in quite a compact length of 12’9″ – ideal for owners with smaller driveways.
The Cheltenham Caravan Company had a reputation for keeping the weights down, and this is no exception, weighing in at just under 650kg – so it’s hard to imagine that this tourer would pose any serious problems for a mid-size family car.
Having passed through several hands over the years, this Sable doesn’t appear to have any service history or documentation, but the eBay seller has recently given the interior a new coat of white emulsion and fitted new chequered flooring (although it has not yet been glued down).
Kit and caboodle

As you might expect from a 1960s caravan, the provisions are fairly sparse, with 12V interior strip lights and the working breaklights representing the only electrical components.
The untested hob, oven, grill and even the fridge all run off gas, which could see you use up your butane supply pretty quickly, but given the list price of just £500, we imagine that most serious buyers would be left with plenty of room in their budget for a few choice equipment upgrades.
Perhaps the most dated thing about this particular model is the portapotti, although the seller describes it as “very clean” and it comes with a removable cassette.
The beige sink also looks quite outmoded, but the fold-down cover offers some valuable extra surface space, while the Paisley upholstery is just the right side of kitsch.
Thrown into the deal is a spare tyre, jack, door step and gas bottle, but not that radio you can see on the kitchen top.
The exterior paint also needs a bit of a seeing to, but all in all this looks like a really tempting prospect and a unique way to show your patriotism this summer.