CaravanTimes‘ take on some of the highlights of Motorhome & Caravan Show 2014
It feels like a cloud of gloom and despair has descended over CaravanTimes Towers, and we’re not talking about Hurricane Gonzalo here either. No, it’s all because the Motorhome & Caravan Show is over. But who are we to just sit there and dwell on the past? We know that you, just like us, can’t resist one last chance to relive everything the show had to offer, so here’s a round up of all the highlights, launches and much much more that wowed us at the NEC in Birmingham this year.
Day one started off with a big bang of futuristic proportions, as Nigel Mansell and Fiona Bruce opened the show alongside the caravan of the future, the Caravisio. That was only the beginning of celebrity appearances at the NEC though, with British Touring Car Champion, Matt Neal, making a special guest appearance, comic genius Rowland Rivron and President of The Camping and Caravanning Club Julia Bradbury all sharing their love of-what else -caravanning!
Product launches throughout the week kept the festivities in full swing, as well as the debut appearance of a new premium motorhome from Elddis, the Encore; promising us sporty looks and improved handling, Elddis certainly delivered in terms of this as well as providing luxury on wheels.
But wait, there’s more! Bailey of Bristol‘s new Approach Autograph and Unicorn models certainly went down well with all who took a look at their spacious layouts, with Bailey offering a lot more space inside the new third generation Unicorns for 2015. It was also quite a moment when we got to interview Mat Neal, three-time British Touring Car champ who, along with teammate, Gordon Shedden, took control of a Bailey Pursuit 550-4 earlier this summer.
And who could have gone to the show without taking a good long look at Swift‘s new 2015 Rio range? With a fully opening rear tailgate and everything you could possibly need, the Rio 320 and 240 left us pretty impressed. We were also excited by Swift’s take on flexible living by way of the S Pod, along with the company’s other offerings including the Espirt, Bolero, Kon-Tiki, Escape and Autocruise motorhomes, as well as new caravan offerings for 2015 including the Challenger Sport and Challenger SE, Conqueror and Elegance.
Those of you who were at the show will be wondering why we haven’t mentioned it yet, but don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten the personal luxury bubble that is the 2015 Flair motorhome from Niesmann + Bischoff.
It wasn’t all fun and games though, the Motorhome & Caravan Show means business. That was certainly proved with the signing of a tri-party agreement by the Highways Agency, The Caravan Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club. The three organisations pooled their collective focus on road safety and commitment to easy and fun caravanning with the agreement, which included objectives on sharing more information and a closer collaboration to create a better environment for caravanners and motorhomers on the road.
We could go on, but now it’s time to hear what your highlights of the 2014 Motorhome and Caravan Show were. Whether it was simply having a look at what 2015 has in store in the world of motorhomes or caravans, or buying anything from a Specialised Cover to a brand spanking new home on wheels, whatever it is, we want to know!
