The post Optimus Subprime first appeared on squob | RVs | travel trailers | expedition vehicles.

The caravanning website Out & About Live was equally impressed. They reckon “The upholstery is probably the most supportive and comfortable we’ve ever encountered and the lighting—especially the ambient LED strips under the lockers—is exceptional.”

Steady on, guys! There’s nothing much revolutionary about the Nova range, apart from smart aesthetics on the outside and ‘moderne’ design on the inside. The furnishing scheme looks slick, using a ‘Toscana’ cherry wood finish with leather-look inlays. But the Nova 580 SL on sale in the UK sticks with a very conventional layout, with a U-shaped seating group at the front, twin beds, a washroom and a separate shower at the back.

You do get a ‘Lugano pear wood’ finish and a high gloss granite look for kitchen. But believe us, the Nova works better in pictures than in words. Enjoy.

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Tabbert offers even more luxury with its avant garde, bad-ass Paganini model. Hymer’s own Forever Young has more style, with a retro tinge.

The post Hymer Nova 580: Obama-van? first appeared on squob | RVs | travel trailers | expedition vehicles.

Yes, they do things differently in Europe. Forget the usual rear-entry toy hauler arrangement: Volkner Mobil has created space between the axles and equipped its RV with a car-sized hydraulic platform that lowers itself to the ground.

You drive your car onto the platform, press a few buttons, and watch it disappear into the warm, metallic underbelly of the coach. It’s neat and it’s clever. If you’d feel foolish towing a Saturn Vue behind your Class A, this baby is for you.

The smallest model is 35 feet (10.5m) long, but only has enough room for a Mini Cooper. Go up a couple of feet to the next size, and you’ve got room for a Mercedes SLK or Audi TT.

The biggest 40-foot model (12.3m) model has three axles, and gives you considerably more flexibility. Volkner Mobil suggests a Porsche 911, a Jaguar XK8 or BMW 6-Series convertible, or that Maserati Quattroporte. By our calculations, a Chevy Volt will fit too—if GM is still operating in two years.

The other stats are equally impressive. The engine pumps out 338 KW (460 bhp)—and it’s a pusher, as with most US-built Class A motorhomes. Water capacity is an incredible thousand liters, some of which feeds the massage showers in the luxurious bathroom. (There’s underfloor heating, of course.)

Talking of floors, you can specify parquet floors in wenge wood with maple inserts. Or marble floors with granite inserts. Other options include a slide-out external grill and a remote-controlled generator, which is totally enclosed for soundproofing.

It’s all very high tech. So, fortunately, the heart of this RV is the Volkner Brainpilot system. It’s a computer connected by fiber optics to modules scattered around the vehicle, putting everything from the heating systems to the solar panels under your control.

Even before Top Gear happened across this RV, Volkner Mobil was famous in Europe for producing crazy motorhomes for racing teams. Check out the Racing Car Truck: it’s based on a Mercedes Travego coach, and comes with a crane at the back to lift the car into a mini-garage.

But if you haven’t heard of Volkner Mobil, that’s perfectly understandable. It’s a relatively young company, based in the picturesque town of Wuppertal, near the German-French border. It started out building custom trucks for the garbage and construction industries in the 70s, but has since moved on to bigger things.

The price? Don’t ask. Volkner Mobil builds each Performance RV to order. If you’re serious, drop company boss Gerhard a line. Otherwise, enjoy the pictures …

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If you need to haul vehicles in style, check out Airstream’s recent PanAmerica. Open the gullwing door at the back and you’ll find an 11-foot garage with wheel clamps and tie-downs for motorcycles, kayaks and mountain bikes. With a sticker price of $85,000, it’s a little cheaper than the Volkner too.

The post Volkner: Dude, where’s my car? first appeared on squob | RVs | travel trailers | expedition vehicles.

These awe-inspiring vehicles were designed by the legendary Harley Earl. Their story begins in 1933, when General Motors was persuaded to create a traveling technology roadshow. The first ‘Parade of Progress’ hit the road in 1936, and in 1940 twelve ‘first generation’ Futurliners appeared.

Are they still around? Fo’ shizzle. In 2006, one sold for a cool US$4m at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona, and earlier this year, another was delivered to a new owner in Sweden.

The Futurliners carried up to 90 gallons of gas—oh, those were the days—but the first incarnations only had four-cylinder diesels for motive power.

World War II put the brakes on the Parade, and the Futurliners were mothballed. After the war, they resurfaced in Detroit for another parade, this time commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the automobile.

In ’53, no doubt embarrassed by the lethargic performance of its dream machines, the General sent the Futurliners back into the workshop. They were rebuilt and upgraded, and the Parade of Progress started up again. This time, the Futurliners had a more appropriate 302 cubes, and four-speed Hydramatics to drive through. But three years later, television provided a better window on the world than the Parade, and GM sold or gave away its Futurliners.

For some of these vehicles, the history is a little murky: most are accounted for, but four are apparently beyond restoration. Much as we like originality, we’d love to see one of these RV forerunners given a modern drivetrain, and a chassis to match the extraordinary looks—top speed in original trim is only around 40mph (65kph). And then perhaps Airstream interior design guru Christopher Deam could weave his magic on the interior …

In fact, one Futurliner has already been converted into a motorhome by a guy called Bob Valdez, who did most of the work himself. Bob put his rig up for sale earlier this year, and if you’ve got more than a million in the bank and a taste for leather, chrome and maroon velvet, it might not be too late to call him.

See also:
GM stunned the RV world again in 1972 with the GMC Motorhome. It’s Thunderbirds and The A-Team rolled into one, a low and sleek sportscoach that was also years ahead of its time.

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For around $380,000, Global Expedition Vehicles can sell you a Unimog U500 that’s tough enough for the most demanding military applications (see pictures below). But it’s kitted out with a luxurious interior and self-sufficiency systems designed to take you off-the-grid for years to come.

Unfortunately, the two U500s that GXV has in stock will be the last ‘new’ Unimog expedition vehicles sold in the US. Because this mightiest of all trucks has been felled by new fuel regulations.

It’s sad, because the GXV Unimog is a seriously competent vehicle. A couple of months ago, Truck Trend ran a GXV test report and declared it the “most incredible purpose-built off-road machine we have ever seen.”

GXV is based in Ozark, Missouri, and is the only US manufacturer that builds a big, all-wheel-drive ‘extreme RV’. Which makes it a serious home-grown competitor for the European Unicat and Action Mobil behemoths.

GXV’s two remaining ’Mogs are powered by 6.4-liter turbodiesels running through 16-speed transmissions. They’re built to last: GXV boss Mike Van Pelt says, “All of our electrical, from wiring to connections, is marine grade to resist corrosion. All our appliances are marine-grade. Everything used in the vehicles is yacht quality. With proper care, a GXV will last many, many years.”

In some cases GXV fits triplicate electrical systems: 12v, 120v and 230v, giving aircraft-style redundancy. It also installs solar panels on the roof that charge a humongous 510 Ah gel battery bank.

The fuel situation that’s finally finished off the U500 in the USA is ironic. Hardcore expedition vehicles offer their drivers an extraordinary amount of freedom—between gas stations, that is. And in the remotest corners of our planet, fuel quality isn’t exactly consistent.

That’s one reason GXV and armies love the Unimog U500: it’s not a fussy drinker. It can run on pretty much any kind of diesel, irrespective of the sulfur content.

Your U500 can drink the ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) being sold in the States, as well as the regular low-sulfur diesel that’s common in Europe and South East Asia. It tolerates the dirty, old-style diesel found in Russia and less-developed countries—which can contain up to forty times as much sulfur. And you can even fill it up with biodiesel if necessary.

But in 2007, the US emission regulations changed, to require a catalytic converter and a particulate filter. On a Unimog, this new combined unit would be over five feet long. And if you’ve ever dug around the innards of a ’Mog, you’ll know that the chassis is packed real tight.

The tiny 31-foot turning circle doesn’t leave much room between the axles, and fitting a combined converter and filter would require some serious spannerwork. So Freightliner, the official importer, has pulled the Unimog out of the US market.

Mike Van Pelt is now planning to base his future GXV expedition vehicles on the Western Star, International and Freightliner truck platforms. All three manufacturers build “million mile” medium-duty trucks that come with 4×4 or 6×6 from the factory.

The Western Star 4900 SA also has locking front and rear differentials, and you can even get the same tires as the Unimog—giving it an equally towering 20 inches of ground clearance.

“Essentially, anything that the military gets can be installed on the Western Star,” Van Pelt says. “Snorkels, larger engines … you name it, they can be built.”

An extreme RV based on a Western Star will be more expensive than an International- or Freightliner-based vehicle, but you do get a more powerful 450 bhp motor. Which would be perfect for racing mad sheiks over the Dubai sand dunes.

Still, we’d rather take one of the Unimogs. After all, they have a history going back to 1947 and in the 80s, they used to win the truck classes in the Dakar Rally—while acting as support vehicles to cars and motorbikes!

That’s class, and if you’re quick, money can buy it.

See also:
Check out our profiles of GXV’s main competitors, Action Mobil and Unicat (which has also built expedition vehicles on the Unimog platform). Another US-based extreme RV maker is Earthroamer, which favors Jeeps.

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The one-million-Kronor ($125,000) Glacier is reportedly Europe’s largest caravan. So you won’t be able to pull it with an old Saab 99, even with Stig Blomqvist at the wheel.

In reality, the Glacier is less a caravan and more a mini-lodge aimed at an exclusive market. It’s an alternative to a holiday cabin or large boat. Inside, there are four permanent beds and three rooms. You get 320 square feet of living space, which includes a small sauna, an open fireplace, and a large open-plan kitchen—complete with dishwasher and side-by-side refrigerator and freezer.

You can choose the interior materials and the kind of kitchen you want, and Polar will go out of its way to customize its flagship RV to your tastes.

The Glacier is built in the small town of Dorotea (pop. 1,600) in Lapland, northern Sweden. Nothing exciting has happened here since the local church burnt down in 1932, but Polar ain’t a hillbilly venture: it delivers around 2,000 luxury caravans a year.

Its Finnish parent company, Solifer Group, builds its caravans to withstand the toughest climatic conditions. So all Polar models have under-floor heating and almost two inches of insulation. They’ve been designed on CAD/CAM systems since 1984, and independent German tests have shown them to have the most rigid bodies on the market.

All this makes Polar one of the most highly-sought after brands amongst European caravanners, even those who live in temperate climates. And Solifer now has Kabe, Sweden’s #1 manufacturer, in its sights. Given that Kabe makes Europe’s ugliest caravan, the Royal Tower, we’re rooting for Polar and its good-looking Laplander.

We’ll have our Glacier delivered with some pickled herrings in the fridge, a bottle of good Akvavit to chase ’em down, and a couple of frisky supermodells in the sauna. Okej?

See also:
German maker Tabbert offers more affordable (and towable) luxury with its avant garde, bad-ass Paganini. It’s around ten feet shorter than the Polar Glacier, and half the price. Even smaller is the cute Hymer Forever Young, a luxurious little model that still manages to sleep four.

The post Polar Glacier: Swede Dreams first appeared on squob | RVs | travel trailers | expedition vehicles.

The post Big air first appeared on squob | RVs | travel trailers | expedition vehicles.

Sopranos actor and long time cigar nut Frank Vincent (below) is a fan of the Mobile Cigar Lounge, and rolled up last Father’s Day puffing on his own ‘Frank Vincent Signature Cigar‘. But it’s not just a Man Thing: the Florida-based Lounge is also pitched at laydeez who want to ‘learn how to handle a cigar like a pro.’

Yes, it’s the ultimate tailgater, and if you live in the south-eastern states, it could be at a stadium near you—thanks to a couple of cigar-mad hockey stars.

The original idea came from Juan Guillen, a 20-year veteran of the US cigar industry. Guillen built a prototype in Tallahassee, Florida, using a vintage Airstream that was completely gutted down to the aluminum skin.

He got the sub-floor reinforced and re-welded to withstand heavy traffic, and then removed the interior walls, leaving two support poles to distribute the weight and prop up the roof.

Then Guillen showed his prototype to retired NHL players Stanislav ‘Stan’ Neckar and Dave Andreychuk, and he was ready to roll.

Like most cigar fans, Stan and Dave were annoyed by the USA’s increasingly strict anti-smoking laws. Czech-born defenseman Neckar recalls one particular evening after winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. “Half the team was standing outside having celebratory cigars, and I was thinking, there has got to be a better way.”

So the three wiseguys turned the Airstream into an upscale cigar lounge on wheels. They added two rooftop air conditioning units and—smart move, fellas—a heavy-duty filtration unit. In went five flat screen TVs, each with its own satellite receiver, plus a wet bar and a wine cooler.

Seats were covered with ostrich leather. Woodworkers installed cherry wood cabinetry, cedar ceilings and walls, and a hand-hammered copper sink. On the outside, a complete polish brought back the original mirror shine. The new humidor is, of course, simply enormous.

The Mobile Cigar Lounge is now available for hire, along with the pretty Cigaristas, and proving popular on the party circuit. It comfortably seats up to 20 inside and minimum hire is just three hours, enough time to comfortably smoke a Gran Corona before the big game.

Sounds good, and there’s only one more decision to make if you’re tempted: are you going to give that stogie a V-Cut, or a Straight Cut, as Frank likes it?

See also:
If you like Airstreams, check out our guide to The 7 Essential Airstream Websites. Airstreamâ€s latest model is the PanAmerica toy hauler, and we’ve got the pictures.

The post Airstream: Mobile Cigar Lounge first appeared on squob | RVs | travel trailers | expedition vehicles.

A strange regulatory quirk means the ancient Type 2 Kombi can still be imported into the UK as a new vehicle. These fresh-out-of-the-box campervans look like the originals from the 70s, but there’s a big difference at the back—VW has swapped the air-cooled motor for its new water-cooled 1.4 liter ‘Total Flex’ fuel-injected engine.

The largest (and only ‘Official’) VW Kombi converter in the UK is Danbury, the 70-year-old Bristol company famous for creating the six-wheel-drive Land Rover. Your new Kombi comes with a comforting 3-year warranty, and Danbury told us it’s “the only company in the world that can convert these vehicles to right hand drive using new parts.”

So far, so good. But then there’s the small issue of price. In Brasil, your average Juan can buy a new Kombi for around £11,000 ($18,000). But when it’s been shipped to the UK, modified to meet local regulations, given a lick of paint, and fitted with a campervan interior, the price doubles.

Danbury charges £18,999 (US$31,500) for its basic ‘Amigo’ model. For the top-of-the-range SE, the well-heeled English hippie will need £31,354 ($50,000). Which is enough to put a 2009 Airstream Flying Cloud 19 on your driveway.

And that’s before you’ve perused the massive accessories list—which includes an elevating roof, and will soon feature power steering too. (If you want that conversion to right-hand-drive, add another grand on top.)

Another UK specialist is VW DownUnder, a younger British company that imports Kombis via VW Heritage, the UK’s largest supplier of VW parts. They’re offering kitted out campervans for just under £25,000, and they also stock new ‘old stock’ air-cooled models and secondhand buses.

VW DownUnder’s buses are mostly custom-built: “The vans we convert for our customers are 100% bespoke,” they tell us. “Each one is totally unique and tailored to our clients’ individual needs and requirements. Our big thing is quality–we won’t allow any van to leave the workshop unless it is 100% perfect, something our customers have commented on time and again.”

No matter where you get your ‘new’ Kombi from, the base vehicle is the same. The water-cooled motor is hardly a fireball–it splutters out 80 bhp at an asthmatic 4800 rpm–but it does meet the UK emissions regulations. Top speed has crept up to 130 km/h (80 mph) and it takes a slightly stoned 16 seconds to reach 100 km/h.

Unfortunately VW Brasil fits a new plastic grille on the front of the Type 2 body, and it’s an abomination. It’s needed to supply airflow to the radiator, but the chunky design jars badly with the otherwise smooth, timeless lines of the Type 2. Danbury and VW DownUnder fix this by color-coding the grille to match the body, and Danbury also offers a dummy ‘spare wheel cover’ that allows air to pass through.

Most bodies roll off the South American production line in white, which has a cool, minimalist vibe. But the UK converters can respray your new vehicle in almost any color you want—whether it’s just the lower half, or an all-over tan.

That’s enough for us: we’re sold. We’ll take one in a flat sandy beige with hi-gloss chrome hubcaps. We’ll slap on a couple of discreet Coop decals, cut a loop off the springs, and then take it straight to the neighborhood engine shop for some light head work.

See also:
It’s rumored that VW is going to build a new Microbus in the USA soon. But if the lure of oldtimer camping is too strong, get an instant fix with the rustic Tonke Camper from Holland. (Oh, and thanks to Steven from the VW camper hire outfit Snail Trail for helping with this article.)

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