Retro exterior combined with a two-room layout – in a T6.1
WHAT a pretty campervan! It would be hard to have any other reaction to this stunning VW T6.1 LWB from Knights Custom Conversions. We shouldn’t be surprised, because this Lincolnshire-based converter has built up an enviable reputation for building top-quality campers with more than a dash of style. Here, it’s the Mountain Tourer conversion with a retro-inspired blue and white duo-tone exterior and stunning chrome/white wheels.
Inside, it’s equally impressive, with Powder Blue Nappa leather covering both the upgraded cab chairs (featuring much more embracing side bolsters) and the rear RIB Neptune single seats. Floor-level mood lighting, concertina window blinds and Corian kitchen worktops complete the premium feel.
But this isn’t just another VW camper with some added bling. Knights says that this rear kitchen layout has become its best-seller and, while others offer something similar on paper, the Mountain Tourer has some unique touches.
Chiefly, it’s the sliding doors separating the forward seating area from the rear galley that are the USP, and these serve a number of functions.
Firstly, there’s a bench cassette toilet (under a solid oak cover) in the rear offside corner, so these doors provide privacy. More remarkably, there’s a fully enclosed shower screen that can be erected in the aisle, so the back of the camper becomes your on-board bathroom! Water comes from a 27-litre underslung tank, while hot water is supplied by a Webasto diesel-fired system, which also provides 5kW blown-air heating.
At night you may only need a fraction of that output when sleeping downstairs as the doors also create a separate bedroom that’s totally enclosed when the roof bed is lowered into position. You can also choose to sleep singly, or in a double. For twin beds, the rear RIB seats fold flat and your feet go onto the cab seats (with wedge cushions to make them level). As a double, the front seats face each other (rather than facing rearwards) and the rear seats slide together (making a 1.22m-wide bed).
In day mode, you have four individual seats and a central, island leg table. There are twin sliding doors, too – a real boon when using the ’van as a daily driver. And, if you prefer to eat al fresco, there’s a pod on the tailgate containing a pair of outdoor chairs, and an outside table stores on the inside of one sliding door.
The differences continue at the rear, where this Mountain Tourer reveals itself to
