Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[trailerman]

Another van some of you may like. A 1950's Bluebird, all original. The owner tells me 'it needs some work' but judging by some of the restorations you enthusiasts take on, this one looks a doddle to me!
http://gypsytrailercaravans.webeden.co.uk/#/16-bluebird/4543040754

[gresham flyer]

This looks just like one my parents had at Chapel St Leonards in the mid sixties.

We kept it at Tomlinsons trailer park,I remember a row of small bungalows on the site nearby.

I would sit our family car at night listening to the radio and the pirate radio stations out in the North sea,thinking they were just over the horizon.

And a club house that seemed to rock on a Friday and Saturday night,although we were too young to go inside.

It was great watching all the people leave on a Saturday morning,and the new arrivals on a Saturday afternoon,knowing you were there for a lot longer.

I would even cycle all the way to Skegness and watch the arrivals at the train station,then along the seafront past the clock tower,past Butlins camp on the way to Ingoldmells,before getting back to Chapel St Leonards for tea. I would be about nine years old.

Those were the days

We would go for about 4/5 weeks in the summer holiday`s from school.

Loking at the photo`s reminded me of our other Bluebird we also had at that time,a touring model purchased after it returned from the Earls Court Show in 1963.

We went all over the UK in that van,my dad would like to wild camp some nights,this was better than caravan sites,we could light a fire,this gave me the caravanning bug later in life.

Did anyone else frequent this area in the sixties.

Gresham.

[Swampthing]

That looks like a mk1 sunparlor to me, check out the pictures that i posted a while back from Belvoir castle in may there was a mk 2 sunparlor there in creem and green. the mk 2 bluebird sunparlor is booked for the classic caravan record challenge this bank holiday if you want to have a good look at it. Nich
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Nobody saw me do it, you can't prove a thing!!

[moggy]

It is a MK11 with the deeper windows Very early 60s

[Swampthing]

moggy have a look at the one in the belvoir pictures. the owners of the creem and green one think its a mk 2, let me know what you think. it might be older than they think, any advice appreciated Nich
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Nobody saw me do it, you can't prove a thing!!

[moggy]

Hi Swampthing ,The one on your pics at belvoir castle colour green and white is the definately Mk1approx 1958 the other one for sale by trailerman is a Mk2 60/63 with the deeper windows ,Check out this link its one of my early ones
http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/forum/phpbb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=30337&highlight=#30337
and look at the depth of windows you will see the difference,

[Swampthing]

Thanks moggy, will send a link to the owner's of the green and cream one that I and they thaught was a mk 2. Nich
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Nobody saw me do it, you can't prove a thing!!

[gresham flyer]

I saw the caravan in question and met the owners at Belvoir.

They have made a lovely job of it,if its the same one .

Took me staight back to the mid sixties and my childhood.

Gresham.

[Swampthing]

The guy that restored that bluebird at belvoir has just found another bluebird approx 24 foot, has asked me to transport it from linconshire back to his home nr Melton Mowbray, looking forward to seeing what state its in , that green one was rotten threw and threw and had had the interior coverd in several coats of white gloss, including the woodwork and uphplstiry, the A frame was that rotten I had to use the straight bar lashed to the axle and rachet strapped to the chassis and frame just to pull it from were it had stood, you have seen the morris that i towed it free with.
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Nobody saw me do it, you can't prove a thing!!

[moggy]

very interesting swampthing . Any pictures ?

[Swampthing]

Not yet,I dont even know what model it is he's up there this weekend funnily enough. he should be bringing some photo's back, although, and gresham should like this. It is actulaly on a postcard he showed me taken on the east coast of linconshire. I told him to asertain the condition properly this time though, so as i can diside wether or not i need to hire a lowloader and scrounge a tractor unit for the day or do i just need to take some wheels and tyre's and make the brakes work for the jurney back to Melton Mowbray. I will post some pictures if he brings some back and gives me permision to show them.
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Nobody saw me do it, you can't prove a thing!!