CARRY ON CAMPING - IN A 1973 FORD TRANSIT ROADRANGER

In the 1970s, the Great British Camping Holiday was not for the faint of heart. This was a typical scenario:

Holiday Maker 1: What is the weather forecast?

HM2: Force 14 gales for the remainder of the week. Followed by 24 hours of fog, sleet, hail, and snow.

Enter HM3: The camp shop appears to sell nothing but tins of stew with pre-decimal price tags and copies of the local newspaper. This week’s headlines - “Will Alvin Stardust’s Music Corrupt Our Youth?” and “New Lamppost Controversy in High Street”.

HM1: Well, at least the camp entertainment hall is screening a film tonight...

HM2: ...and it is Bob Monkhouse in Dentist on the Job, the hilarious tooth-related comedy from 1961.

Pause.

HM3. How is the escape tunnel under that abandoned 1963 Singer Vogue coming along?

But if you were obliged to endure the rigours of a 1970s camping holiday, a Jennings-bodied Ford Transit Mk.1 Roadranger meant you could do so in comfort. Who would not enjoy a leisurely breakfast while sitting on those ultra-orange seats, even if it involved the joys of coffee made with UHT milk?

London Jackk, the previous custodian of this fascinating example being sold by Anglia Car Auctions, points out that it is not only powered by a 2,494cc V6 engine (hence the ‘bull nose’) but also fitted with an automatic transmission. A Roadranger seemed perfect for touring the Lake District or a jaunt to the Continent; it was the sort of ‘home from home’ that would appeal to a solicitor or a chartered accountant with a Granada GXL in the driveway.

For many years, the Sandbach firm of J. H. Jennings and Sons produced cabs for ERF lorries and specialist commercial vehicle bodywork such as mobile libraries. They created their first motor home in 1934, and the Roadranger debuted in 1965 when the Transit replaced the Thames 400E. Buyers could also opt for a converted BMC J2 or a Commer ‘Spacevan’, but the Transit, as your friendly local Ford dealer would tell you, was the only British commercial vehicle in its class with the road manners of a car.

The Roadranger was “Coachbuilt by Jennings for no more than the price of a good car and customised to your individual taste”. The interior is one of the most appealing aspects of the Transit, down to the sort of curtains that were the height of fashion 51 years ago. Mention should also be made of the most stylish hubcaps of any vehicle of the 1970s.

And with a Ford Transit Roadranger, even the grimmest of 1970s holidays would start to look brighter.

With Thanks To: London Jackk and https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/ for the permission to use their images.