From Techy Shed To Retro Retreat

Faye Bates and Simon Shelton’s Ci Europa has been transformed from a hi-tech hideaway into a cosy, quirky home on wheels.

- Bryony Symes

ALTHOUGH THIS 1976 Ci Europa was far from being wasted as a garden shed, Faye and Simon decided to take it on and restore the classic tourer to its original use so they could travel the country with their son, Finn.

A Little Guesswork

This was no ordinary garden shed, though: it was clearly the previous owner’s pride and joy, a bolt hole where they could relax in comfort. It had state-of-the-art gadgetry and all the spider’s web of cables that goes with it. It even had a house alarm – with that much technology housed on board, it needed some protection.

“We call the wall by the wardrobe the ‘flight deck’ because there are so many wires and buttons,” says Simon. “We don’t even know what some of them do – we’re still working our way through! They gave us a lot of surprises as we started to do up the caravan.”

Faye and Simon had spent a lot of time looking around for a suitable van. They live in Looe in Cornwall, where they run a café, and want to travel around in their spare time, but on a budget. With that in mind, they scoured eBay until they came across this retro gem not far away. After paying just £789, they began work.