MOVING WITH THE TIMES

Fleetwood caravans celebrates a special anniversary this year.  For 30 years the Suffolk based manufacturer has been producing quality tourers to suit the times.

Founded in the Chadwell Heath area of London, the company spent a short time in Colchester, Essex, before moving to its present base in the small town of Long Melford.  Thirty years on, luxury tourers for home and abroad continue to roll off the Fleetwood production line.

Mick Shaw, the works and design director, has been with Fleetwood from the very beginning.  He recalled that when production began the company was turning out three models, with prices starting at less than £300.

‘There were no electrics in those days, it was all gas lights’ said Mick.  ‘There was no fridge or double glazing and the windows were of real glass.  But we did include a hand pump, a stainless steel bowl and a free standing grill and hob plates.’

How times have changed.

As caravanners’ expectations have grown, so have the specification lists of the Fleetwood tourers.  Today’s luxurious Colchester and Garland models are true ‘home from homes’, with heaters, flyscreens, four-burner hobs, ovens and all other mod cons.

‘Fleetwood has always had a very good name for quality and this has been maintained throughout the years,’ said Mick.  ‘There are still a lot of our tourers out there on the road from the earliest days.  I still get letters from caravanners with Fleetwoods that date from when we started.’

Fittingly for a company that manufactures luxury tourers, the Fleetwood name enjoys classy origins.  Mick explained: ‘The man who owned the company I was working for before the change to Fleetwood owned a black and chrome Cadillac known as a Fleetwood.  He’d bought it from the comedian Peter Sellers and decided to name the company after his car.’

Now part of the Swedish-based Kabe group, the Fleetwood name continues to make its mark throughout Europe.  During the company’s lifetime, Fleetwood has built tourers for most of the countries which are now part of the European community.  At present, the company exports to Holland but also has plans to enter the Danish market in the near future.

Over the past seven years Fleetwood has invested £1m in replacement plant and technology to enable it to continue to innovate in the market place.  Its flexibility has been shown by its recent diversification into the manufacture and market of box trailers and vending and exhibition units.

Richard Allen, commercial manager, summed up Fleetwood’s strategy. ‘The success of this small but thriving business is largely due to the experiences of the management team and the enthusiasm and commitment of the workforce.  Fleetwood has achieved its success by steadily maintaining its course for reliability, style and value for money.’

At its 32 dealerships across the country, Fleetwood looks forward to welcoming customers old and new.

Refinement over the years has produced a splendid 1997 vintage

BUILDING ON EXPERIENCE

Fleetwood tourers are produced at the company’s 50,000 sq.ft factory at Long Melford.  Mick Shaw, the works and design director, is the man responsible for maintaining Fleetwood’s reputation for quality.

‘We have an experienced workforce and the advantage is that everyone knows exactly what’s required and how to get on with the job,’ said Mick ‘After 20 years everybody receives a watch and we now have 15 employees with watches.  It’s like a family; they really are the backbone of the company.’

A supervisor checks and passes the work at each stage of production.  All the appliances, including the fire, fridge and grill, are turned on and checked at the end of each line.

Over the last few years Fleetwood has invested £1 million in new machinery and equipment to help maintain high production standards.

1.        The tourers move along the production line in the centre of the factory.  Final checks on the appliances and the structural strength of the tourer are made at the end of the line.

2.       Furniture is fitted to the tourer and the water pipes and gas pipes connected.

3.       All the wardrobes are made in the factory.  The kit is prepared ready for assembly.

4.       The chassis is assembled in sections and is bolted onto the floor of the caravan.  Once in position, the complete floor is reversed and production moves on to the next stage.

The Colchester name has done a tremendous job of being at the forefront of Fleetwood’s activities, without a break since 1969.  In this special birthday year for the company, the Colchester has reached a new maturity and, like good red wine, has improved with age.  This year’s models have advanced beyond all recognition from the days when those first bearers of the name were themselves such highly desirable item.  What this tells us is that Colchester is one of the most respected and most durable names in caravanning.

For 1997 the Colchester range of eight models has been given a further nudge upmarket, making it easily the best equipped and best looking yet.  Three of the layouts are new to the range: 1500-2L, 1650-EB and 1650EK.

‘We have deliberately moved the Colchester one notch higher than in the previous year,’ said Richard Allen, Fleetwood’s commercial manager.  ‘We are appealing to a relatively stable sector of the market.  Contrary to the trend, we are not getting mixed in with the bottom end of the market.’

In a test report on the Colchester 1500-2EB, CARAVAN MAGAZINE (October 1996) noted that ‘Fleetwood has succeeded in producing an attractive tourer with the look of quality’.

Among the improvements, the soft furnishing blend  reshaped, contoured upholstery (including bolster and scatter cushions) in maroon and biscuit velour with toning curtains and pelmets, and a maroon carpet.  All base cushions have interior springing as standard.  The combination of the various fabrics and the new-look, beech-effect furniture is redolent of traditional luxury.

All front end roof lockers are now flush fitting, the panelling giving a smooth, uniform line.  Another storage innovation is the introduction of a ‘wet’ locker with exterior access.

Fleetwood has never been frightened to buck the trend when it comes to deciding which brands of equipment to install in its tourers.  For this season, the Colchester has a Belling oven and hob which sits flush with the worktop and has a burgundy and charcoal finish, plus gold-effect handles.  Fleetwood was also the first maker to fit the Belling Malaga gas/electric water heater.

Another twist to the Colchester specification is an Atwood  3kW space heater linked to Carver’s Fanmaster blown-air system.  The heater’s fascia is colour coded with the soft furnishings.

A bigger fridge than before is used: an Electrolux 77-litre model with full-width freezer compartment.

Lighting has been upgraded by having eyeball lights set into the bases of all front end roof lockers.  Blinds and flyscreens have been added to all windows, and the entrance door gets a flyscreen.  Detail improvements have been made to the kitchen extractor fan.

Latest body styling was well received in most quarters last season, so exterior changes have been kept to a minimum.  Apart from introduction of a wet/storage locker, the front gas locker has been treated to a more efficient door mechanism and a bigger aperture to give easy access for two 7kg gas cylinders.  However, the Colchester’s new-look badging and the new Fleetwood logo have done much to raise the company’s profile.

Aluminium cladding is used on the roof and sides, but both end walls are one-piece, acrylic-capped ABS plastics mouldings.  Bonded sandwich construction of the sides (29mm thick) and floor (43mm thick) incorporates Styrofoam insulation.  The roof is laminated.

The Colchester rides on a BPW fully-galvanised steel chassis, equipped with Albe coupling.

Among other items included in the high specification level are: mains/12v electrics with one 12v and two mains sockets, TV station with mains/12v/aerial sockets, TV aerial and booster, battery charger, modular electrical console with RCD, Carver water system with submersible pump and Crystal filter, electric-flush Thetford cassette toilet, shower, inboard rigid water pipes, vitreous enamel sink and drainer, gold-effect taps, clock, barometer and, of course, acrylic double glazing (tinted brown). The Colchester 1850-5 even has a microwave oven.

Fleetwood’s Colchester may not have been on the map for as long as that other Colchester, but the milestones which had to be passed to arrive at this year’s crop of models marked steps forward in the Suffolk manufacturer’s rise to prominence.

Upmarket move for rejuvenated range comes at the right time

GARLAND BURSTS INTO FLOWER

Fleetwood’s Garland series, now comprising eight models, has imposed itself more than ever before on this year’s market for well-equipped caravans at about £10,000 or just over. First unfurled in 1988, the Garland has been upgraded to a notch below that of last season’s Colchester, from which it has inherited certain characteristics.

Firstly, there is the lightish oak-effect furniture, then the mushroom coloured Maxol Monte Carlo oven, Electrolux 4230 70-litre fridge and the fittings and wallboard in the washroom.

Specification has been further enhanced by the fitting of flyscreens/blinds at the kitchen and washroom windows, flyscreens at all other windows, Para Press tinted windows, two front wall lights with pull-cord operation, and a switch to a hardwearing abstract-patterned upholstery fabric from Unique Furnishings. The upholstery fabric is described as Nazaro flat-weave tapestry style fushed with pink pelmets, pink curtains and a bracken carpet.

CARAVAN MAGAZINE observed in a test report on the Garland 165-EK (October 1996) that customer persuasion had convinced Fleetwood that they should bring out an enlarged version of the end-kitchen 148-4EK, which continues to enjoy success after several years. Hence, the 165-EK, the only new layout this time round.

Some of the other improvements are in line with those made to the Colchester. Blinds/flyscreens are fitted at the kitchen and washroom windows, and flyscreens at all other opening windows. The Atwood 3kW space heater, with toning fascia, is fitted with a temperature control but not with the blown-air system.

Family resemblance between the exteriors of the Garland and Colchester is blatantly obvious, even down to the revamped front gas locker with improved door mechanism and larger opening. Plain, sleek styling is seen to good effect, aided considerably by smooth panelling and smart coach-lines. Specifications of the body and chassis are identical.

That the Garland is close on the Colchester’s heels in terms of specification is borne out by some of its other equipment: electrical systems, gas/electric water heater, manual flush Thetford cassette toilet, shower, vitreous enamel sink and drainer, and clock.

Like the Colchester, the Garland is adorned with new-style badging, which reflects the raised profile of this well-bred range, promoted to a league higher than it has ever contested before.

Fleetwood Dealers:- by Choice & Reputation