. . . AND FINALLY
His passion for older vehicles is quite apparent, as Cobie Kemp from Letsitele in Limpopo visits campsites with his vintage towing combination.
I came across the 1971 Mercedes-Benz W108 280SE about 18 years ago. It used to be the company vehicle for the director of a firm in Johannesburg. When the gentleman passed away, the company kept the car in storage before eventually deciding to sell it. Because it had been locked away, the car was in good condition; but most importantly it was still original, as nobody had ever restored it. I came across this 1965 Gypsey, also known as an Africaravan, five years ago when a friend of mine alerted me to the deceased estate of what can only be described as an elderly pair of hermits – and also mentioned that there’d be some old cars up for grabs. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the caravan, because you rarely come across one as old as this that’s in fairly complete condition. When I checked out the interior, everything was in its place and seemed stuck in the 1960s, from the cupboards and old Electrolux refrigerator to the mosquito nets and even the original venetian blinds. There’s also the original ice tray, in which there are individual ice block moulds. We had to spruce up the upholstery, including replacing the foam in the cushions, but otherwise we have left it as is. Even the main cabin light, which originally operated with gas, is still in its spot. But because I wasn’t too keen on the use of gas inside such a confined space, I fitted some wire inside the gas line and installed an LED system. It still gives off the gas-style glow. The project, as all of them do, started off with me thinking that it would be a quick restoration and that the caravan would be a straightforward job given its fairly decent condition versus its age. But after it arrived at home and I started ripping off the panels, I realised that there was a fair amount of wood rot underneath. I had to, unfortunately, put my caravan project on hold for a few years. Fortunately, the first hard lockdown of 2020 allowed me to dedicate much time to the caravan. One of my employees, Freckson Phiri, was my right hand as we embarked on the full restoration. He got his hands dirty with the sanding and painting and so on. I still want to change the registration to Freckson 1 – L in honour of his hard work. We finished the project together in just two months. The combination of the 280SE and old Gypsey drew lots of attention on its maiden voyage when we pulled into the Kruger’s Skukuza Rest Camp in October last year. It brought back lots of happy memories to our fellow campers who came over to admire this caravanning history.