raham Gunn’s first
journey back in 2006
in his newly acquired
crossover Bay was
lengthy and it was soon to be the
story of his Bus’s existence. You see
‘Celia’ (check out her registration
for clues regarding the choice of
name), originally registered in
Bournemouth and later resident
near Barnstaple, was on her
way to Thurso, some 725 miles
further north. And let’s be honest,
everywhere is a long way from
Thurso ... except John O’ Groats! For
example, the nearest VW gathering
is Volksfling at Biggar (290 miles),
while a holiday in the Lake District
(where we met for the photo-shoot)
a cool 400 miles.
The Microbus Danbury, or at least
with the residue of the conversion
installed by the Essex company,
was finished in Niagara Blue under
Pastel White, was powered by a
reliable but basic 1600cc engine, and
sported a red and white striped pop-
top, a three-quarter rock-and-roll
bed, plus a paint blister on one door!
For the best part of three years
‘Celia’ clocked up the miles until Mr
Gunn, dissatisfied with the shabby,
discoloured appearance of the upper
half of the van, decided to give her a
lick of paint. Out came the windows
and that’s where the problems
started, for Celia was rotten. Signs
of the tin worm under the windows
were soon extended, the Bus
revealing a body riddled with rust
the more Graham probed and poked.
Filler in abundance could be found
round the arches and back-panels,
while rust heralded a death sentence
on the early Bay front panel too.
Worse still, for while ‘Celia’ benefited
from belly-pans, her sills had rotted
away completely, their absenceG
Graham Gunn’s old Camper needed
work, serious work, if it was to survive the
Highland climate and provide its owners
with long-distance and reliable leisure
transport. Here’s ‘Celia’s’ story.
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD COPPINGA joint choice
from an extensive
book of swatches
... and it works
wonderfully
Classic early Bay
front ... but what
lengths did Graham
have to go to
achieve this look?Marathon Van
http://www.volkswagencamper.co.uk1971 EX DANBURY^21