First Look: Lotus Miniwheeler

Peter Larner, a long-time professional motor racing driver and engineer in Australia and the UK, and his wife Sue, chose the Lotus Miniwheeler because they wanted a small van that was easy to tow, but still had a good amount of storage.

"We liked it because I want to be able to tow it and reverse it as well," Sue told CW on the day she and Peter had travelled to Gateway Caravans in Geelong, Vic, to collect their new Lotus.

"And when we go away, we follow the sunshine, so we weren't planning to spend so much time inside."

Unlike their trackside motorhomes of the past, the Miniwheeler is purely for pleasure, not for long-term living.

"Because of the overhang at the front, even though it's a 15ft van, you've got a lot of living area at the back," said Peter.

The Lotus Miniwheeler is a single axle pop-top design, with a timber frame construction and aluminium cladding. The basic layout features a bed across the front and a kitchen along the offside with a four-burner cooktop, a Dometic RM7401 fridge, LG microwave and a sink with external mains water connection and hand pump. Interior decor was chosen by Sue and is a light natural timber look with sage green upholstery.

Deviating from the standard floorplan, the Larners had the front of the van extended by about 30cm to fit a queen size bed with a right-through storage bin underneath.

They removed the twin bunks at the rear and installed an extra cupboard and an L-shaped lounge/dinette with a storage bin underneath, accessible to the rear of the nearside.

The Miniwheeler has an external length of 14ft 6in (4.42m) and a width of 7ft 6in (2.29m) and is 18ft 6in (5.64m) ball-to-bumper. With a Tare of 1140kg and an ATM of 1440kg, it's a breeze for the Larners to tow with their six-cylinder BF Falcon ute.

Another small Larner modification was the wheels: shiny mags were chosen to match the ute's wheels, in accordance with Peter's racing car driver sensibilities.

The Larners also had a bike rack installed for quick trips to the shops. A small sound system is built in under the bed, with the speakers fitted into overhead cupboards.

The Larners' experience of Lotus Caravans was very positive. "They would do anything for us," Peter says.

Modifications to the standard design were no problem at all. "We love the van and once we've had more experience with it, we could possibly get them to modify it and maybe go a bit bigger, but we'll see how it goes first."

The Eltham, Vic-based Larners took possession of the van in May and couldn't wait to take a lengthy break.

"We've done a lot of miles," Sue says, "but the longest we've been away is six weeks." Their first big trip was likely to be up to Cairns to visit their son and his family, then across to Broome, down to Perth and back across the Nullarbor.

That three-month journey is slated in for some time in 2009. In the meantime, there's a sand-and-surf trip to Qld and back planned for August/September. "We never used to see the sea that often," Sue says. "We both hate flies and dust, so there's no point in going up the centre. I'm much more of a beach person, I like the ocean."

Lotus Caravans
(03) 9305 3907
lotuscaravans@yahoo.com.au

Gateway Caravans
112 Bellarine Highway
Geelong, Vic
(03) 5248 7006