Cali-killers....

They stopped making the Karmann colorados I believe,
absolutely mind blowing quality coachbuilt

Tried selling it on here and autotrader many years ago but they were that rare i couldn’t sell it .
Now there worth big money and very sought after
Story of my life
 
4x4 joker said:
Didn’t think it looked as good as the wingamm which they stopped making on the VW base.
Nice option if you want to stick with a T6 base
Click to expand...
Are VW resuming production of the cab chassis then?

VW stopping production of the T6 cab chassis was the reason behind Wingamm having to stop producing the 5.3m long Micros?
 
Azteccamper said:
A growing trend seeing this type of set up on our trip around Spain and Portugal recently. First things they set up is the 3m diameter satellite dish!
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Blast from the past.
I remember this vehicle, it was huge.
Agree seems to be a growing trend everywhere. The vans get bigger each summer, the amount of LWB sprinters and boxer vans appearing. I think people have lost sight about what camping and travelling is all about.

For us, if we felt the need for more creature comfort’s or luxury, we would book a nice hotel…
 
soulstyledevon said:
Blast from the past.
I remember this vehicle, it was huge.
Agree seems to be a growing trend everywhere. The vans get bigger each summer, the amount of LWB sprinters and boxer vans appearing. I think people have lost sight about what camping and travelling is all about.

For us, if we felt the need for more creature comfort’s or luxury, we would book a nice hotel…
Click to expand...
Funny you should say that but we’re the same. We always say we’ll have a few days in a hotel when on a long trip, but never do somehow. But there are times when we’ll have a short break in a hotel or a week in Kefalonia and enjoy that too - gotta mix it up.
 
Azteccamper said:
Funny you should say that but we’re the same. We always say we’ll have a few days in a hotel when on a long trip, but never do somehow. But there are times when we’ll have a short break in a hotel or a week in Kefalonia and enjoy that too - gotta mix it up.
Click to expand...
Same here. Especially when the weather is turning I've learned from experience to accept a nice B&B. Not worth a marriage crisis :happy
 
We’ve hit more hotels over recent years. Found after 6 days-ish we’re ready for a break. Although it’s very weather dependent.
2019 we did a full 3 weeks in the van, but we were blessed with mostly dry weather.
 
Now,

As one who has gone over to the other side ...

Why turn a campervan into a motorhome?

I can't fit one on my drive anyway, my 5.4m Ayers Rock is my limit, but look at that rear overhang.

I love Knaus, but that offers nothing more in terms of space and utilisation than something based on the right sized wheelbase, Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter, Fiat Ducato etc, that would at least give you a wheel at each corner.
 
Calimili said:
I agree. This will be the best candidate by far to attempt to kill the California
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I disagree & can't see why anyone would want one.
It's got to be a pretty niche market, all the disadvantages of a pop top & a coach built without the advantage of being the size of a car.

With that rear overhang its got to be as long as a GC600, the plastic box is wider than a GC if you have transverse beds with no bulging pods & the roof looks to be a fair bit higher than a cali even when shut. Once you are over 2m it doesn't make much difference whether you are 2.1 or 3m.

Normally I would say the best bit of the cali is the way it drives, but lugging that box on the back won't do it any favours. If the back end is that wide you might as well use a crafter/Man cab for the front & have the extra space in the front.
 
andyinluton said:
I disagree & can't see why anyone would want one.
It's got to be a pretty niche market, all the disadvantages of a pop top & a coach built without the advantage of being the size of a car.

With that rear overhang its got to be as long as a GC600, the plastic box is wider than a GC if you have transverse beds with no bulging pods & the roof looks to be a fair bit higher than a cali even when shut. Once you are over 2m it doesn't make much difference whether you are 2.1 or 3m.

Normally I would say the best bit of the cali is the way it drives, but lugging that box on the back won't do it any favours. If the back end is that wide you might as well use a crafter/Man cab for the front & have the extra space in the front.
Click to expand...
it should be less than 6m and not as wide as a GC, because it is squared at the back, so you can sleep sideways, unless a Crafter that has the sides sloping inwards (unlike a Ducato which is also squared).
The pop top is not just a "tent" around the elevated roof, but a new pneumatic concept offering a much bigger thermal and noise insulation. It has 4 proper beds.
Yes I think it will definitely be above 2m, so for parking underground definitely a limitation, but it should help aerodynamically re: consumption.
Please note I said it is a best candidate to attempt to kill a Cali I didn't say it does.
 
Calimili said:
it should be less than 6m and not as wide as a GC, because it is squared at the back, so you can sleep sideways, unless a Crafter that has the sides sloping inwards (unlike a Ducato which is also squared).
Click to expand...
OK you win on the length its a whole 96mm shorter than a GC600 but its 2.2m wide + mirrors.
That is seriously wide compared to a normal cali at 1.904 or a GC at 2.040
 
andyinluton said:
OK you win on the length its a whole 96mm shorter than a GC600 but its 2.2m wide + mirrors.
That is seriously wide compared to a normal cali at 1.904 or a GC at 2.040
Click to expand...
True. During our holidays I don't want to be limited by the width, but certainly not by the height. Height barriers are becoming more numerous year after year. More than 2m is not an advantage for the péages in France either. It takes away too much of the advantages of a california and doesn't give us enough in return. This is a regular camper van and not a small camper van. Nice and well found, but a possible cali-killer? Only for those who are thinking of buying bigger than a cali. Everyone has their own opinion on this of course.
 
Not a Cali killer, but still a thought-full and neat design. Was introduced in 2021, not sure if it is stil produced, since FIAT quit their deliveries to campervan builders (acc. to my info) due to the chip delivery problem.

Chausson X550
 
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