Tommy Asbridge is a keen collector of 1970s memorabilia, and last summer, he found the ultimate time capsule: a 1971/72 Estuary Cavalier
Words: Andrew Jenkinson
BACK IN THE summer, Tommy Asbridge was browsing auction sites when he came across a Cavalier caravan for sale. The listing stated it was from 1971/72, describing it as ‘all original’, with documents proving its history.
Tommy just knew he had to have this 1970s tourer; he loved the idea of spending a weekend away in it with his partner, Kaye, and her son, Seth.
There was one small problem – Tommy doesn’t drive. However, he decided that he could get somebody to put it on a site for the weekend, which would allow him to soak up the genuine ambience of 1970s caravanning.
Before he knew it, Tommy had purchased the Cavalier and organised delivery to his home town of Wigan.
Within days, the tourer was standing on Tommy’s grandfather’s driveway with its steadies down, and Tommy and Kaye could check it over. The Cavalier came with a couple of brochures and other paperwork. Tommy couldn’t believe how original the caravan was.
Now he was keen to track down more information about his newly acquired Cavalier, which was a 1200S model. These were manufactured from 1968 to around 1972 or 1973, and had no washroom – for the latter, you had to go for the 1200T layout.
A heavyweight model
Weighing in with an MTPLM of 780kg, this was a weighty model, given that it was just 3.6m long. The Cavalier could sleep four, and had factory-fitted bunk fixings over the rear end for night-time use.
The lighting was by gas, although the Cavalier did come with a 12V striplight in the ceiling near the entrance door. The gas hob in the kitchen consisted of two burners and a grill, while appliances such as the fridge and the heaters were options back then. A stainless-steel sink and drainer were fitted, while a foot pump drew up cold water.
The rear dinette, meanwhile, came fitted with a special hammock bunk, which slotted into brackets on the side wall – a handy space-saving feature that was commonly seen in many layouts of this period.
The Cavalier’s history
So what was the history behind Tommy’s caravan? Cavalier was part of the Bendix Group, and Cabby Caravans of Sweden – in fact, many Cavalier models were exported to Sweden and the Netherlands.
The distinctive profile of the Cavalier evolved from 1966
