This was my first VW Campervan, it was a 1979 Devon Moonraker with a stock 2.0 ltr aircooled flat four in the back. It was all original, including the rust. I got it around 2001 and had it for a number of years. Then sadly the front windscreen shattered and in the process of removing the trim it revealed the front panel was held together with love, rust and the windscreen trim. It needed a lot of work and at the time I was unable to do it. I hadn’t learnt how to weld at that time and though I’d previously stripped and rebuilt two engines (Ford Escort and Honda CB 250N) this seemed too much for me. I sold it circa 2005 to a mechanic I knew. When I next saw him he said it needed a lot more than even he anticipated so I think I dodged that bullet. Last I heard he got her back on the road and working doing weddings. Old V Dubs don’t die, they survive on the kindness of enthusiasts!
Lady Jessica I
I named her Jess, but her full name was “Lady Jessica” since she was a classy old girl. I do miss this van but I have a lot of fond memories although sadly not many photos. Here is one of the few other photos I can find, parked at my folks house in Kent 2004.
What was quite unique about this build was that the entire roof came up and pivoted on the driver’s side and you can make out three metal hinges on the roof in the above picture. The 2000cc engine also meant she was more than capable and performance wise could sit on the motorway doing 70 comfortably. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart and was the start of my love affair of campervans.
However my first foray into living off-grid was in 1995 when, as a student on industrial placement, I moved to Oxford and lived out the back of a Daihatsu Fourtrack until I found a place to rent. The VW was a lot more comfortable!