My '68 Sprite 400 Canned Ham

[TheresaD]

This is my 1968 Sprite 400 Caravan sitting in my friend's back yard as it had been for close to 30 years prior to me adopting it and putting it to use.


The trailer was offered to me and I scooped it up gladly. I gave it a good clean out, redid the bearings and put on new tires, and got basic wiring done so that I could have the lights working so that I could tow it legally. Other than that I haven't done much to it.

Here are a couple more exterior views. For some reason I don't have any interior pics of it as of yet. I'll work on that in the spring when I uncover it.

The maiden voyage in June of this year after I adopted it in May.



Another shot from a trip in August



The interior of the trailer features a closet/wardrobe to the left just inside the door which also houses a heater. There's a bench/bed to the right of the door. Directly in front as you go in the door is a kitchenette w/ 2 burner stove, sink, cabinets above, and iceboxbelow. In the rear there's a dinette which converts to approx a full sized bed with cabinets above.

I love this little trailer and had a blast with it this past camping season. I will need to do some work to it in a few areas where there has been some water damage. Before I start tearing anything apart on it though, I'm hoping to get some more info about how these cute little British born trailers were built frame wise etc. Hopefully Andrew or some of our other friends may know a bit more about the Sprite than I do!

[Wimperdink]

That is very sweet. It has an english? caravan look to it.

[angib]

The Sprite Alpine was the first mass-produced 'caravan' (=travel trailer) in Britain in the 1960s. A guy called Sam Alper reckoned there was a bigger market than for the hand-made caravans up to then. He was right and you could say he single-handedly turned caravanning into a leisure pursuit for anyone.

Things to look up are Sam Alper by name, 'Caravans International' (CI) was the company name that made the Sprite from the 1960s to the 1980s - confusingly it is now used by an Italian motorhome manufacturer! The Sprite name has been relaunched but from a different manufacturer. Some Sprite model names to look up are Alpine, Cadet, Musketeer and of course 400.

I guess Theresa had better pre-order this book due out in 2001: The Story of Sprite Caravans



I think CI built your caravan in the US, but it clearly has many fittings from British caravans of that period so you might want to make contact with suitable classic caravan forums.

And, to end on a sad note, what happend to all those many old Sprite caravans in Britain? Here are the answers.

[len19070]

Theresa

I love the story about your trailer about the differences between the ones built in the UK (though I know yours is Canadian) for the UK and the ones built for use in the States.

The trailer is so cemetrical that the ones for the UK are mounted with the dinette to the front, and the ones for the States are mounted with the dinette to the rear.

And this is done by simply turning and mounting the "Box" 180 degrees. This puts the door on the proper side for each country.

No design changes nothing...just flip the "Box"

Brilliant!!

Happy Trails

Len

[angib]

And this is done by simply turning and mounting the "Box" 180 degrees. This puts the door on the proper side for each country.

The Polish moulded fibreglass Niewiadow caravan that was sold in Canada as the Cadet has always done that so they could sell models in Britian. But I don't think Sprite would have done this - by the time of Theresa's model, they were building in mainland Europe (drive on the right) as well as in Canada and the US, so building a door-on-the-right model wasn't new to them. These old photos show both UK and European models, always with the door in front of the wheel, so a mirror-image layout not a rotated-180deg layout.

[TheresaD]

Thanks for the replies! It's great to get more info on my little caravan. As to where it was manufactured... According to the VIN # plate on the trailer it was made in New Market, England. From what I have been told, Sprites were imported from England into Canada during the mid to late 60's. They later started being manufactured in the U.S. sometime late 60's early 70's... Like I said .. this is what I have been told. Not sure if it's 100% accurate though.
Andrew thanks for the heads up on the book! I'll definitely be looking for that one!
I'll let you all know if I find out any more about my little trailer.

[angib]

Yes, Newmarket was the main Sprite factory in eastern England.

Here are some pages of a book about British caravans from 1960 - it's out of print and copies go for over $100:

http://tinyurl.com/2vjbjx5

There are even a photo of export (right-door) 400s lined up outside the factory but i think they are the model previous to yours.

[TheresaD]

Oh Andrew Thank You!!! What a great link! I've been searching the web for info like this and have't found anything nearly as informative. It's wonderful to be able to see some of the production pics to get an idea of what the inner framework is like inside the walls of my caravan. Once I finish with all my baking and cooking for Christmas I'm going to sit down with a cup of tea and read this thoroughly. You sir are a goldmine of information. Thank you so much for sharing!

[matthfam]

Hi Theresa:
I just bought a Sprite. (1974) I realize your post is 3 years old but I wanted to share some info. My trailer had dried-out broken trim around the windows. I looked all over NA for replacement parts. It being originally a British design, I also looked in UK. I did find a source and the product worked like a charm. It is rubber as compared to plastic, and I had to remove a tube (they call it a "bulb") at the outside, as the bulk wouldn't allow the window to close, but it works well. That is one of the points to look at - the window trim. They often leak there. (The company is Seals+ Direct. The item is # CS1679)

The other item I plan to tackle it the aluminum trim outside where the walls and roof meet. This seal sometimes leaks and you don't always notice until the walls start rotting. I believe there is much better sealant, putty strip, or other out there today that wasn't there 30 - 40 years ago. But that's a job for summer.
Ray M.

[matthfam]

Hi Theresa:
A question. Have you removed any of the ceiling. I would like to know if the roof is just a skin of aluminum over a structure of studs or if it has something more secure. I am mounting a solar panel on the roof so must find something secure to fasten to. I assume that it is a framework of wood with styrofoam filling the gaps. If so I guess I'll have to use a stud finder to find the studs to anchor to. Anyone know?
Ray M.

[annoddonna]

I have that exact same camper Theresa. Do you have any of the canvas that came with it?

[TheresaD]

Wow! I just saw that I missed Ray's question from last year as well as yours annoddonna. Sorry about that!
Ray to your question about the roof in case you haven't already figured it out... The ceiling us made up of a few studs and the aluminum skin floats on that. If you still need info let me know and I'll send you some pics of what it looks like.

Anno... Are you referring to the canvas awning with the sides? If so, no. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to score one of those. I did consider trying to get one from England from someone in the vintage caravan community but never did. I think I'm going to have Marti make an awning with removable sides for me.

[Wisconsin Deetster]

Theresa,
I just bought a Sprite Alpine shell.I'm so excited to get to work on it,but the weather doesn't want to warm up here in WI.Of course,we din't get nearly as much snow as you(thankfully)Not sure of the year,but it has the door on the US side and after some research,I see they were only built here from '68-'72.Any Idea where I can find the exact date?Is thers some kind of manufacture tag on the frame?It's a 12 footer,so would that be considered a 3 bunk?This is going to be such a fun project!!!Are there any Sprite "reunions"in the country?I look forward to letting everyone see my progress.Thanks for any help you can give me!!!

Stay warm!!!

Regards,
Terry

[TheresaD]

Glad to hear of another Sprite owner out there Terry. Do you have any pics of your's? Certain details help to distinguish the years on them. I might be able to help you get an idea of the year. I also highly recommend you check out this book written by Andrew Jenkinson. He's a wealth of knowledge on these caravans and the book has a lot of great info in it. I bought it a couple years ago. http://www.amazon.com/Story-Sprite-Caravans-Andrew-Jenkinson/dp/1845843584.

[Wisconsin Deetster]

Theresa,
Thanks for the book info.I a couple of pix for you to see.I just put it up on cribbing and took the wheels off.I'm going to start on the frame and work my way up to get the outside done first.Do you know where to get parts for these?I need some siding and all of the interior.