Period MotorCaravans feat.Josteins Bluebird

[Jostein]

Well, the layout on mine are therefore as follows:

- one five berth with one hammock (with brackets in the windows, less cupboards at ceiling height above the hammock)

- one four berth without the said brackets (and full lenght cupboards at ceiling height on both sides)

Interestingly, the 5 berth one (sadly the poor one of the two) came with a sewn-together padding "matress" in the original cloth which covered the seats at the back. This was clearly intended to be used in the cab - stretched across the two seats and the engine cover. This had a thicker padding in the middle (for the engine cover) and thinner padding on the sides (for the seats, as these sit higher than the engine cover) to make a flat sleeping surface. Suppose this would make another bonus bed, but possibly too short to count as a full lenght one ?

 

[Moley]

Hi Jostien, love seeing the brochure close up. Brian has the tall wardrobe one side and the toilet the other side so has the shorter seat only behind the drivers seat, so that makes the double so with the hammock we will become a three birth.... sorry to the rest of CVF fans I guess we will still not be able to be have a massive sleepover in Brian

Moley and Brian the Snail

 

[Jostein]

I think that rather narrow bed behind the driver's seat actually is meant to be for two people. I haven't tested this, as I haven't yet been able to go camping in either of mine, sadly.

Reading the text in the aforementioned brochure, at least this seems to be the intention - where the "PA" Bluebird Highwayman for model year 1966 (production from August/September 1965, I believe) is referred to as sleeping 5 persons in standard form - in two "double" beds and one bunk. I know that yours and both mine are the series IIa 1500 from 1965, but I don't think the layout was changed at all for the PA base introduced in autumn 1965.

So it could be a squeeze, but seems to be intended to sleep 5 - at least now when you've sourced the original bunk for yours