Silver jubilee for Auto-Trail

2007 is Auto-Trail’s 25th birthday, and to celebrate they’ve published a special anniversary booklet telling the story of the company’s creation and how it has progressed through the years. There are some great photographs of some of their early motorhomes, as well as their latest news and plans for the future.

The company started building motorhomes in 1982, having already been trading as an established caravan and motorhome repair centre. The company’s proprietors, Bill Boasman and Barry Holmes wanted to build something that surpassed the luxury of American RVs but in a size that was more suitable for our roads.

While prototype motorhomes were built on Ford A-series chassis-cabs, early production models were based on Mercedes and Bedford CF chassis. A whole raft of new models followed, and soon customers could get a VW LT or even the smallest Auto-Trail ever – based on the Peugeot 504 pick-up truck. At the other end of the scale, their biggest vehicle was based on a Mercedes lorry chassis providing acres of room in a package that wasn’t very handy around town.

By the mid-90s Auto-Trail were also marketing three panel van conversions, which were available with a standard high-top roofline or with a protruding overcab pod.

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