Timeless piece

REVIEW
REVIEW
timeless caravan
timeless caravan
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Timeless piece
Words Robyn Dallimore
W
hen some people
say, “I’ve been
thinking…”
everyone around
them cringes.
Carlene Redshaw, wife of Kevin
Redshaw from Timeless Auto
Restorations, must be one of those
people. In fact, Carlene, who was the
driving force behind the birth of the
Timeless caravan project, commented,
“I won’t think out loud again”, when we
met. It started with an idle wish for a
caravan the family could enjoy over
holiday periods. Brought up caravanning
as a child, Carlene’s parents had a
Furnware caravan in the 80s. When the
them came through. Next step was the
purchase of a 1957 caravan, which was
sliced, diced, and lengthened by Kevin,
with the help of fellow Wanganui Road
Rodder members Willy Pelzers from
WilPro Engineering and John Fearn of
Gunzzini Kitchens in Whanganui. This
created the basis for a new mold to be
built with the latest fiberglass
technology; unfortunately, this stage also
takes hundreds of hours before the first
exterior mold can be taken.
A wooden plug and bog starts the
process of making a mold. It takes
hundreds of hours to make the mold
exactly right and, when it is perfect, the
exterior mold is taken from that. This
These two are passionate hot-rodders, displaying almost
obsessive attention to detail.
couple started their own family, they
happily carried on the tradition. They run
a business dedicated to auto
restorations; building muscle cars, hot
rods and restoring classic cars, so it is
not surprising that their taste in caravans
displays a bent toward the classic. A
search began in earnest, with a lot of
research in the “My Cool Caravan” book
that Carlene received for Christmas one
year. Over time they defined their likes
and dislikes in design, drew countless
pictures incorporating all the individual
things they liked, until the perfect unit for
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initial process took over 2 years of
development. Once the mold was taken,
Kevin built the fiberglass body, complete
with a gel coat finish. WilPro Engineering
built the galvanized chassis and hydraulic
brake system, while John Fearn ›
01 Finished off with a classy tyre cover 02 Kevin and Carlene, happy to have made the Christchurch Motorhome show 03 Old school style is a winner 04 Hundreds of sketches over 2
years 05 /06 The first mold takes shape and grows 07 Simple lines, but with modern pull out cupboards, storage and oven unit.
rv & motorhome lifestyle | 37
REVIEW
timeless caravan
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08 Modern gas stove, fridge and microwave - a must for todays campers 09 Spacious layout and smooth flowing lines 10 Smooth
classic lines had people lining up to view the new caravan
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crafted the interior fit-out of this
prototype model. Carlene and Kevin had
committed to the project as an
extension to their existing business, and
felt they could offer a product for those
that share the love of the old-school
caravan look, but with the advantages of
brand new and modern fixtures, fitting’s
and building processes. Offering a fresh
look, modern colour options and quality
fabrics and furnishings, you can choose
a décor to suit your style. It could be art
deco and funky, or ultra modern like a
swish Auckland apartment. The four
berth, 16 ft base model is
comprehensively fitted out, with every
convenience including 90 litres of fresh
water, 120 litre grey waste tank, 9 litre
hot water system, full size oven, fridge/
freezer, microwave, 19” LCD/DVD, pull
out pantry and a list of standard features
that will tick most boxes. The
permanent double bed is a modern
feature, and boasts 60-80mm space
around the sides, making it easy to
make up. No shower/toilet unit is fitted
in this prototype, but the Redshaws will
happily accommodate any purchaser’s
personal requirements and alter layouts
38 | rv & motorhome lifestyle
to suit, including bathroom installation if
desired. These two are passionate hot
rodders, displaying almost obsessive
attention to detail. They would like to
sow a seed for the future by making a
caravan that will be a future collector’s
piece, with each caravan having a
custom ID plaque. Each caravan can be
individually and totally, colour
coordinated to match your vehicle (they
even supply 2 litres of your gel coat for
touch ups in the future). Finished with
customised mag wheels, front road and
windshield cover, spare wheel and
cover, plus an interior décor to your own
taste, this little unit is a treasure. After
the long two year initial development
the team undertook a frantic race over 6
months to get finished in time to be ‘on
show’ at the Christchurch Motorhome
Show in October 2010. They made it,
and the crowds and I enjoyed the
chance to view this lovely “timeless”
piece. If this old-school or retro look is
for you, you have to talk to the
Redshaw’s, or check out their website
www.timelesscaravans.co.nz for
information on this caravan and their
other work.
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TechSpec:
Model reviewed
• 1 piece fibreglass body - gel coat finish
• Galvanised Chassis
• 4 berth - permanent dble bed & mattress (front
sofa converts to bed)
• Under-bed storage
• Curtains & Insulation
• 19” LCD TV/DVD player & aerial
• Large wardrobe & storage cabinets
• Full stove/oven/griller - built in safety gas shut-off
• Range hood 12v
• Pull out pantry
• 9 ltr hot water system
• 90 ltr fresh tank, 110 ltr grey tank
• Twin tank monitors
• Microwave & Fridge Freezer
• CD MP3 player
• Gas / knock out gas detector
• Battery & charger
• 12v water pump
• 9 kg gas bottle & regulator
• 4 way roof vent
• Dining table
• Hydraulic brakes
• Front Road & Windshield covers
• 2 Chrome wheels with 8 ply tyres
• Spare wheel & Cover
Price: $58,000.00