Diary of a Dormobile
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial|Issue 151
Here’s a Dormobile so original that a guided tour is tempting, but even more fascinating is the paper trail that accompanies ‘Heinrich’ the D4/6. Enter at this point the owner from new until just a few years ago.
RICHARD COPPING
Diary of a Dormobile

For those of us old enough to recall the year 1976 probably our one and only memory will be that the summer was both unusually long and hot. However, when it comes to the featured Dormobile D4/6, now owned by Nigel and Vicky Cooper, there’s enough paperwork to account for a whole Amazonian rain forest ... like a lever arch file crammed with goodies dating back to the progression from various Camper options, to taking delivery of the Dormobile on 1 August 1976 and then, of course, receipts and correspondence relating to life with a D4/6 over a considerable number of years. There’s the brochure that may have convinced Mr Wilfred Homer to purchase ... but becoming acquainted with him as you delve further, you doubt that he would be taken in by marketing speak ... honestly there’s just too much to list; every single piece of the jigsaw of ownership is present and correct.

A neat handwritten sheet sets the scene. Mr Homer records his visit to four dealerships, what they could offer and, of course, what they would charge. One dealership, still in existence today, failed to quote, earning a black (and white clue) mark from Wilfred. Another appeared to favour Devon’s offerings, but for Mr H the choice really was between a Dormobile and a Viking. At the time, the Viking had an all-in price of £4,100 and the best Dormobile offer from long defunct Jem Motor Services (Walsall) Ltd. was £3,907 inc. VAT at 8%. A side note quoting another dealership may have clinched it, for the Viking wasn’t ‘recommended’. It was ‘flashy’, subject to ‘deterioration’ (should that be depreciation?) and ‘not a VW recommended conversion’.

This story is from the Issue 151 edition of Volkswagen Camper and Commercial.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 151 edition of Volkswagen Camper and Commercial.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM VOLKSWAGEN CAMPER AND COMMERCIALView All
Lance & Lisa Beaver tell the story of their...‘Old School' Westfalia Bay
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Lance & Lisa Beaver tell the story of their...‘Old School' Westfalia Bay

The history of our bus is varied. I heard that it used to belong to a soccer player who lived in it for a while, and a tale of a cross country trip that was taken in it. Since we’ve owned it, we have been to numerous car shows with our car club Kahiko Kula and enjoy that immensely, but taking it camping is our joy.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 156
Messing About in Boats
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Messing About in Boats

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 156
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Hector A Cautionary Tale.

We’d wanted a splitscreen bus for years. And first got the bug, after hiring one for a holiday in Cornwall in 2009.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 156
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Ruby Red

Since the tender age of just 3, Joanne Dix has been into splitscreen Volkswagens.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 156
Playing with Fire
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Playing with Fire

‘There we were, all just sitting around the campfire...’

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 156
Four lads take on Le Mans
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Four lads take on Le Mans

We’d had the Le Mans 24 hour race on our bucket list for a long, long time...

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 156
Happy 70th Birthday, Miss Sofie!
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Happy 70th Birthday, Miss Sofie!

This T1 Bulli from 1950 is the world’s oldest street-legal VW bus and is kept in VWCV’s Classic Vehicles collection in Hannover.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 156
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay…
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay…

Lockdown Projects.

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 156
California Dreamin'
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

California Dreamin'

The beginning of our second week and we were being treated to a day out...

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 156
Brochure Line - A 2.6 litre T3!
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Brochure Line - A 2.6 litre T3!

Taking a peep at a highly desirable VW Bus few of us will ever see in its ‘Exclusiv’ finery

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 156