This History of Winnebago Motorhomes
Winnebago, a name synonymous with the American Motorhome commonly known as Winnebago,
RV or ARV is actually a brand name similar to that of Ford, the brand in question
Winnebago Industries. These vehicles have been in enjoyed in America for many years
and have brought many American families years of pleasure. Winnebago Industries
was one of the first companies to manufacture a caravan and very quickly found a
very lucrative market, this market then developed into putting a caravan body onto
a four wheel truck and has so on evolved until today the Winnebago is a fantastic,
luxurious motorhome that can be seen on every American highway. From Winnebago many
companies joined the market place and from this many other famous names have been
introduced such as Damon, Monaco, Fleetwood, Fourwinds, American Coach, and Tiffin
to the ultimate and the world’s most refined motorhome Country Coach.
For this side of the pond our fascination started around the early 70’s and has
since grown seriously into the leisure world and the motorsport fraternity. The
Winnebago and its other names American Motorhome and Recreational Vehicle or RV
for short have also been made famous in the UK via films starring Robert De Niro
and Meet the Fockers, Jack Nicholson’s About Smidt, and most recently Robin Williams
and RV. Every time a new film is made based around the Winnebago, UK sales rocket
and this is because people realise the amount of internal space that an American
Motorhome brings compared to traditional European Motorhome models. This large internal
space is all brought about by the inclusion of slide-outs and in the early 90’s
the American Motorhome started with one slide out and by year 2002 were developing
four or quad slides, the very latest Winnebago’s come equipped of course with the
full wall slide. Which in simple terms extends the entire side of a motorhome outwards
by approx 3 feet and up to 30 feet long?
Winnebago’s for sale or hire are generally equipped to the highest standards of
luxury. All Winnebago’s come complete with amazing kitchens, fantastic lounges,
exquisite bedrooms, and up to 46 inch TV screens, standard equipment includes on
board generators, air conditioning, massive water tanks, in-built LPG tanks and
of course outside entertainment areas, awnings and even speaker systems and external
televisions!
The History of British and European Motorhomes
Motorhomes began in the 1920s, when the horse gave way to the car. Early efforts
by coachbuilders to design a motorhome were not well thought out and subsequently
first attempts failed. In the 1930s, Bertram Hutching’s attempted to bring together
his touring caravan and a car which resulted in a model that proved very unpopular
and cast doubt over future projects. Eventually a company called Jennings produced
a pioneering forerunner to the motorhomes of today, which brought about a motorhome
body mounted on a normal car chassis.
The popularity of motorhomes took off in the UK during the 1950s. Van owners needed
to transport themselves and the tools of their trade during the week. At weekends,
the vehicle was used recreationally, including fishing trips and scenic weekends
away. These needs led to many adaptations to the interior design of the vehicles,
including seats that folded down and turn into a bed. The earlier models had few
creature comforts, but led to much better equipped versions as the decades passed.
Today, British and European motorhomes are designed and equipped with full timing
in mind, with some of the latest manufacturers now incorporating expansion rooms
just like those of the American motorhomes, thus giving you the comfort of space
whilst allowing you to travel a little further into the wilderness without the fear
of restrictions.