World's oldest motorhome for sale

The "oldest known motor caravan in the world' is going under the hammer at a Bonhams classic vehicle auction in the UK.

According to Bonhams, the unique Ford Model T motorhome "was built in 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War, for a member of the Bentall family, founders of the eponymous British department store chain".

The upmarket RV is based on a Ford Model T chassis, extended and strengthened by Baico, while the motorhome body was built by Dunton of Reading, a company famous for its high quality traditional travellers' caravans.

The vintage motorhome was discovered derelict in the 1970s before undergoing a full restoration and participating in the 1976 HCVC London-Brighton Run, where it won seven awards including the Concours. 

"Amazingly, more than 95 per cent of the original body timbers were found to be reusable," Bonhams says in the auction notes.

It also appeared at the 1986 Camping, Caravan and Holiday Show at Earls Court, and has participated in various other rallies and historic vehicle shows, as well as featuring on television with Royal visitors in attendance.

Delightful period touches are everywhere, from the polished pine floor and deep-buttoned leather bench driver/passenger seat, to the green velvet privacy curtains and Welsh dresser-style piece of furniture.

It sleeps four in the living area, while a wood-burning stove provides heating and cooking facilities.

Also included as part of the sale are interior ornaments, brass lamps, pots and pans, pictures, and antique memorabilia. It also comes with external lamps, a fuel can, spare wheel, spare spark plug, and an old green style logbook.

The indicated price range is £20,000-£30,000 (around AUD$34,000-$51,000).

Also up for grabs at the Beaulieu Sale Collectors Motor Cars & Automobile auction on September 10 is a slightly more modern recreational vehicle, a 1967 Volkswagen Type 2 campervan, which is expected to fetch around £25,000 - £30,000.