1963 Dormobile

The first sensation that runs down my spine when entering Vaalplasie, is that of classic camping, and what better way to confirm this feeling than finding dozens of rare and unique VW kombi’s proudly contributing to the atmosphere on the banks of the Vaal River.

The Kaapse Kombi Kult Museum is more than just a Museum, it is a place where friends that share the same passion can exchange stories around the campfire and reminisce about past and future journeys and leading this convoy of enthusiasts is Christian Figenschou, aka Fig.

It all started more than two decades ago when Christian bought his first Beetle. It didn’t stop there, however, and soon he got bitten by a much bigger bug, or should I say “Kombi addiction”. There is no denying how practical Type 2’s are and this is what appealed to Christian. He purchased his first Kombi in 1990 and there was no turning back, as he proved when he and his wife, Gisela, drove from South Africa to Germany in 2001, but that’s a story for another day.

At the centre of Christian’s impressive collection is a 1963 Dormobile. In the 1950’s a well established company called Martin Walter in the UK saw the opportunity to provide a way for families to go on affordable holidays. Volkswagen had already proven how reliable and affordable their cars were, and all that was now left to do was for Martin Walter to convert it into a functional house on wheels.

Volkswagen weren’t the only cars to be converted into Dormobile. Among others were Austin/Morris, Bedford, Commer, Fiat, Ford, Land Rover, Leyland, Standard Atlas and Toyota.

One of the main characteristics of the Dormobile became the pop-up roof. This feature didn’t pop up on both sides like most other company’s roofs did, but instead only one side popped up. Another unique feature and probably my favourite are the seats’ ability to fold into countless different positions, to accommodate its master’s every need. Martin Walter soon realized that their clients were going to need more than just fancy fold out beds and answered this need by adding a stove and wash basin. It soon became clear that you could enjoy your everyday work car in the great outdoors with the family.

Unfortunately, it all started coming to an end in the late 1960’s. Sales started dropping as new package holidays and imposition of VAT raised its head. The company that was established in 1773 finally had to close its doors in 1994, due to a new era that dawned. This, however, doesn’t mean that one cannot enjoy these air-cooled wonders anymore.

Christian has proved this by travelling all over Southern Africa with his two daughters. And like all Kombi’s, this Dormobile has seen it all. Adventure is all about taking risks and pushing the boundaries, and this is exactly what happened on one of the journeys up the West Coast. Like all curious travellers, they wanted to see what lies on the other side of the dunes. It wasn’t to be this time and the inevitable happened – they got stuck! It took Christian 12 hours to get out of the desert sand, but this made for a memorable evening under the African stars.