Is This For Real????

[Bertha]

...is featured on the cover of the latest RN News. David Pound's awesome 1959 SIIA took third place in the concourse judging at the 2009 British Invasion in Stowe. A crowd favorite.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, by the way!

Agreed....Very nice truck and an even nicer owner. I am really glad he won, he really deserved it, especially because he did the restoration himself.

[TedW]

I am really glad he won, he really deserved it, especially because he did the restoration himself.

Unlike most coucourse entries! Another reason to love Solihull product.

[JayGoss]

I'll show my ignorance here and ask what about that truck makes it a Dormobile conversion? It looks like a pretty stock 109SW with a set of Jerry holders up front and the lights moved to the top of the wing. It certainly isn't a Dormobile in the fashion of TAW's truck.

To each his own but it's just tooo shiny for my tastes.

It really is one- it's just missing the top. P.o. Preferred station wagon top from what I understand. Interior has fold down seats, etc

[Blueboy]

It really is one- it's just missing the top

however, isn't that what makes a Dormie a Dormie?

Jaime

[Leslie]

however, isn't that what makes a Dormie a Dormie?

While, I agree w/ you that the 'characteristic' feature of a Dormobile is the opening roof with the bunks sliding out.... Martin Walter's Dormobiles were on things other than Rovers, too, and, not all of the Rovers had the opening roof.

FWIW....

[Blueboy]

Martin Walter's Dormobiles were on things other than Rover

yes, I had a 80's Vanagon with a pop-up top, yet, again the distinctive feature was the roof.

and while the Carawagons are also very nice, all one gained was headroom.

just seems a Dormie sans the folding roof would be an odd duck.

Jaime

[JayGoss]

I agree with the "odd duck" part. Even though it has the interior and the Martin Walters badges, etc- it bugs me that it doesn't have the top. To be perfectly honest, Lanny and I are friends- and I'm glad for anything the Orvis deal will do to help him and his business...but secretly I was hoping it wouldn't sell so I could somehow buy it without the Orvis markup hoopla. First thing I would have done would be to put on the proper Dormobile top!

[TeriAnn]

however, isn't that what makes a Dormie a Dormie?

That's not an easy question to answer. A rough answer is a a vehicle equipped with any number of caravan conversion items sourced by Martin Walter Ltd. and one can argue including the new Dormobile Ltd. Company.

There were "standard" conversions made with a standard group of premade caravan kits but any conversion could have custom parts. Each truck that was factory converted by Martin Walter was a made to order custom conversion.

The five door Land Rover Dormobile (626) is by far and away the most common version of the Land Rover Dormobile and has a standard configuration with a few common options. The standard kit consisted of a lifting roof with 2 top fold out cots, four seats that fold down into beds, two of which can be set up to face each other with a small table inbetween, A cooker/sink unit in the left rear and either a wardrobe or chest refrigerator at the right rear. The wardrobe had either a fold up jump seat or a toilet. But people could special order different items for these trucks. I've seen one that was factory fitted with a polished natural wood interior. And I think I saw the truck everyone was talking about at the Greek Peak meet in New York, in 1998. If it is the same truck it was light green at the time. The ONLY Martin Walters parts on the truck was the folding seats AND a Martin Walter commision plate that has "SPECIAL" stamped on the plate.

Dormobile conversions built into 109 regulars (625) were a lot less common and all the interiors were basically custom as the standard 262 seats and furniture would not fit. One of the earliest if not the earliest 625 Dormobile was built for Barbra Toy. It was a 1960 Dormobile that only had the raising top and top bunks.

A Land Rover Dormobile can be many things but what they have in common is parts supplied by Martin Walter or Dormbile Ltd. being custom built to order they can differ greatly in which parts were supplied.

Yes, Even Corvairs. And Kits were shipped to Southern California for installation on early 1970's Dodge vans by a California conversion company.

[kevkon]

If anyone is interested I see there is a Dormobile interior for sale on EBay.