Conversions based on the Kombi, Microrubus and Panel Van were available to order but customers could also take their own vehicles for conversion.

All the fittings were detachable like the Pitt’s Open Plan design which meant there were a variety of layouts that were possible.  The cooker units were freestanding which meant that you could cook inside or outside but due the UK customs regulations specified that equipment in a motor home must be fixed so Danbury had to redesign this so that it was secure.  Sets of cutlery and crockery  which included a teapot, frying pan and saucepan were also standard to the Danbury whereas other companies did not include these items as standard equipment.

In 1969 Danbury came up with a different design with the advent of the Bay Window models and this was aimed at the dual-purpose user, a bit like the Multicar.  This included 2 forward facing seats aswell as a rear bench seat.    Unlike previous Danbury conversions the more modern ones offered the option of a pop-top roof.

Danbury was only one of three officially VW approved UK conversions in the late 1960‘s (along with Dormobile and Devon).  Although in 1972 they lost this approval when Devon entered into an exclusive contract but in 1977 they regained their status.

The Danbury was fairly basic but in 1977 a new version was produced with a very different layout known as the Danbury Volkswagen Deluxe and included the elevating roof as standard.  Along with other standard fitments it had a removable carpet which was laid over the vinyl flooring.

Danbury continued to be a VW approved converter over a number of years until the late 1980’s when they ceased operating.

Beetles UK began converting Brasilian Type 2 Buses in to Campers in 2002 and went on to buy up the name Danbury to use for their own conversions.  There were 2 versions of the Bay Window Type 2 and had all the looks of the original but with updated modern technology.

A multi purpose version  called the Rio  which was often called a ‘day van‘.  There was also the Surf which was the full on Camper for those who wanted a double bed, This design differed from most other VW Campervan conversions as you could gain access to the kitchen even with the bed being down.  In addition to all the standard updated fittings these were even fitted with a TV cabinet which had a flat screen TV and DVD player.

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The Campmobile

There were six Campmobile kits available that could be fitted to existing panel vans, Kombis and Microbuses. For each model there was a basic and deluxe version which included some very interesting accessories. One was a huge pull out sun awning which had roll down sides which could be mounted above the loading doors. There was another option of an 8 foot square free standing Cabana tent. The roof rack with ladder doubled as a sun deck and there was an option of a tent fitted onto this for penthouse style sleeping known as the Campette option. Another option was a shower enclosure and shower unit.

They continued to market the Campmobile until 1972.

The Canadiana

From 1963 similar to the American version although more basic VW Canada retailed is own campers called the the Canadiana Vacationer. A distinctive feature however was on the cupboards where bakelite handles and chrome hinges were used. Also there was a scalloped wood trim pelmet running around at curtain track height. It did however have a very useful feature of a pull out slide step and also fitted as standard was a Hupp gas heater which was a necessity for the cold Canadian winters. It was marketed as affordable with no frills and built for those who wanted to tackle the Canadian wilderness. If you are interested in buying a vw campervans then visit vw campervans for sale.

They did this for a couple of years honing their skills and designs before they returned to England in 1977 and rented a garage in Reigate, Surrey to continue their business and soon after they moved to their present site in South Godstone. 

The Marlfield was a bay window VW Campervan conversion and was named after the road on which the business was sited.

Bilbo continued during the 1980’s converting second vans but in 1987 they began to convert new vehicles and in the early 1990’s gained VW approval to turn out well appointed popular conversions.

Their T25 range consisted of the Arragon, Arragon Coda and Arragon 2, Marlfield and Weekender.  They were built to customers special requirements with regard to upholstery, coachwork, curtains and flooring to create individual looks. 

The first of their new T25 conversions kept the original name of the Marlfield.  The Arragon line was the top end of the range which had more accessories and fitments.  The Weekender was a multi purpose which was both luxurious and spacious.

Bilbo’s also developed their own range of roofs which could be fitted to their conversions.  The Astron was a fixed high top which contained another double bed and this could be fitted to any Bilbo T25 conversion.  The Westpoint was  side hinged three quarter elevating roof which gave extra storage as it had a front moulded over cab section.   The Westpoint plus was a full length version of the same roof and both could be fitted with the optional “upstairs package” and the WestPoint Plus could also be fitted with an extra childs berth over the front cab.

T4 Campers
There were 4 models in the T4 range which were The Kompak, The Breakaway, The Celeste which was the top of the range and The Nektar.

T5 Campers

These are the new range of campers and comprised of the Komba, Nexa and Celex. The Which Motorcaravan tested the 5 campers in 2004 and the   The Celex which was based on the T4 Celeste was voted by Which Motorcaravan the winner with the best bed, the best kitchen the best dining arrangements and the best roof so it proved to be a worthy winner. Despite this the early models are hard to come by and you can search for one at VW Campervans For Sale.

In the 1970’s there were three versions of the Campmobile from VW Australia which were the Cruiser, the Adventurer and a Dormobile manufactured under licence. The US encountered many problems importing enough Westfalias but Australia found it even harder. VW Australia was established in 1958 at Clayton, Victoria and in 1961 had moved from assembling  kits into full scale productions making their own components. The Campmobile was produced based on a Westfalia design and in 1968 they launched an Australian version of the Campmobile called the Adventurer. There were three versions, the Adventurer, the Adventurer Traveller and the Adventurer Deluxe. All these had kangaroo bars, spare wheel and elevating roof.  The Adventurer was the economy model and had no cooker or fridge. The traveller had a 2 burner gas hob, a fridge, external side access door for the gas bottle, roof rack, retractable side step and portable box seat included.  The Deluxe had a foot plate, extra fluorescent light in the rear, a fold down exterior table with bottle rack and cloth trim for the seats and side walls. Also included were additional accessories such as mosquito nets, tent awning, a screened sliding window, grill covers, headlight guards, rear window demister, sun visor and towbar. There was also an optional dust free air cleaner for those wanting a real desert or outback adventure. 

VW Australia also carried out European specification versions for overseas tourists. In the 1970’s there were other Australian conversions which included the following :-  Lanock Motors, Noose Conversions, SunCamper, Sunliner and Trakka.

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There were three basis interior layouts, the Arcona, Arcona C62 (with a traditional dinette layout) and the Arcomobil and Pullman were available with a fixed or elevating roof. There was also a self install kit version of the interior known as the Aria.

Gerhard Grau the son in law took over the running of the business around 1971 and the conversion became known as the Grawomobil. Around 1979 production ceased but Arcomobil elevating roofs have been found on early T25 campers.

Very few of the Arcomobil conversions survive today so finding one will be a difficult task. You can view VW Campervans for sale here.

The Amescador (the Ames Camper) was built during the 1970’s. There were three styles of roof that were available which were the old style Westfalia pop-top, the Martin Walter side hinged elevating Dormobile and a fixed high top roof which ran for two thirds of the length of the bus.

The most different and distinctive design feature of the Amescador was the ability to erect a tent extension on the rear so that people could sleep outside or inside the vehicle. There were 3 different layouts, the EA which could sleep 4 - 5 people, the HA which could sleep 2 people and the AA which could also sleep 4 - 5 people. The upholstery for all models were of a bright coloured modern check fabric with matching curtains and covers for the cab seats which complemented the exterior colour.

By the late 1970’s Ames moved to installing Westfalia kits on imported commercials and adding their own badge and logo. With trade restrictions easing Dutch people were now able to purchase T25 Westfalias at very competitive prices and therefore the demand for the Amescador ceased. To find a good Amescador VW Campervan for sale today therefore is very rare.

Surprisingly it was in a motel carport in Coventry, England that their plans took shape and the first Adventurer was constructed.  Having decided they did no want a pop top roof they built a rigid permanent high roof section.  They did not like the bedding arrangements which were multi cushioned sleeping platforms rather than beds so they built a one piece mattress bed that could be folded away already made up.  They also wanted a proper cooker and fridge rather than portable ones so they built in a propane cooker, fridge and gravity fed water for a sink with drain, a toilet and plenty of storage space.  Once completed they spent the next 17 months travelling taking in 31 countries and covering 40,000 miles.

Ed then decided to start his own VW conversion business and on their return to California in 1965 he began to build Adventurers using his experiences he had learned from living in a van for one and a half years.    However the business did not really get going until 1968 and the Adventurewagon was specifically designed to give people the freedom to explore far flung places without the need for campsites as the vans were fully self contained and comfortable.

They business expanded and  in 1972 Ed felt that it was getting too big and he was unhappy with the way quality was being compromised by high volume sales, so he sold the company, but 18 months later the company went bankrupt due to mismanagement.

1n 1974 Ed started up in business again now trading as Adventurewagon and concentrated on producing limited editions focusing on quality and design.  Between 1974 and 1979 many felt that Ed produced the ultimate VW campervan and his sales were based largely on word of mouth.  The majority of Adventurewagons were tailor made and built to order to customer’s specific requirements.  In 2003/2004 Ed finally carried out his last conversion.

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In 1950 Peter Pitt was responsible for developing the newly expanding motor home market.  He not only was responsible for one of the first full camping conversions on the VW van but also instrumental in getting laws changed to put the motor home on the same footing as a touring caravan.  A motor home was exempt from purchase tax unlike motor vehicles.  Regulations stated that a motor home had to have permanent fittings such as dining areas, beds, cooking equipment, wardrobe space and water carrying facilities.  This caused Danbury to redesign their initial conversion in 1964 to make the cooker permanent.  Pitt designed his VW conversion in 1956 making the arrangement open plan.  UK regulations in the 1950’s designated the VW transporter as a commercial vehicle and therefore it was subject to a top speed of 30 mph in addition to purchase tax. 

In order to gain publicity for this anomaly Pitt took his VW Camper to the Royal Park at Windsor simply because commercial vehicles were prohibited.  As a result he was prosecuted for the offence and the case went to court and the judgment ruled in his favour. It agreed that Pitt’s motor home should be classed as a private car and not a commercial vehicle.  This landmark victory resulted in removal  of commercial vehicle purchase tax and speed restriction. 

1n 1960 Pitt introduced open designs to the interiors which included interlocking interiors such as a dinette or made up into single, double or twin beds, and a fold down sink mounted at the rear. Also in this year he designed an elevated roof calling it the Sunshine Roof which was spring loaded and could be fixed in three positions which meant that bunk beds could be installed to create more sleeping space. 

In 1961 the Pitt Mot-Caravan Company joined forces with Canterbury Sidecars.  In 1963 Pitt refined and designed new layouts and the conversions were so successful that they basically remained unchained over the following years until production stopped.

In 1969 Peter Pitt died and due to business arrangements his designs were manufactured under licence and the production of the Canterbury Pitt Moto-Caravan ceased in September of that year.

Few people know important Pitt was to the development of the VW Campervan.

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