Bailey hits the ground running with its first-ever campervan – a spacious two-berth in a compact six-metre Ford Transit
Words & pictures ❚ Peter Vaughan
This is no ordinary motorhome launch. In fact, I drove this prototype of the long-awaited Bailey campervan back in March, months before its NEC unveiling in October. But our test is not in the environs of Bristol, nor even Britain. This test took place as part of the company’s Sahara Challenge 2 – a 19-day, 2,735-mile odyssey to Morocco and back.
So it was that I stepped off a BA flight to Marrakech and battled through a melee of suicidal pedestrians and crazy mopeds to arrive at Ourika-Camp, where I met my home from home for four nights for the very first time – and in very unfamiliar surroundings. All I knew in advance was that Bailey’s first-ever campervan would be based on Ford’s Transit – this far ahead of its debut, even the vehicle’s inclusion in the Sahara Challenge was a closely guarded secret.
It feels like history repeating itself. For years prior to Bailey’s first motorhome in 2011, there were constant rumours that this leading caravan brand was to enter the motorised market. Now, in 2023, it feels like there’s been the same anticipation regarding the campervan. But no more. In fading light, I’m standing in front of the very first prototype Bailey Endeavour. This is the B62 – a six-metre, rear lounge, two-berth model, while a B64 with front lounge and four berths (thanks to a pop-top) is also coming.
First impressions are good. It ticks the boxes externally with its black alloy wheels, metallic blue paint (the only colour on offer) and an overcab sunroof (which, it is hoped, will be glass instead of plastic and with a slightly larger aperture in production). Internally, too, I may be jaded and weary from travel but that only seems to enhance the attraction of those long rear sofas in a layout of classic appeal. I can’t wait to put my feet up.
A FIELD OF ONE
The selection of rear lounge campervans in the UK is already almost as bewildering as the confectionary choice in your local filling station – big brands such as Auto-Sleepers, Auto-Trail and Swift all offer a choice of models, before you include the campervan specialists such as Consort, IH and Vantage. But Sevel vans (Fiats and Peugeots) rule the category.
Bailey has gone its own way, using the Ford Transit. That created its own challenges, not least because of reduced interior width and wheelarch positions, but it
