No End in Sight

 The invasion of European RVs continues unabated. There also continues to be a high proportion of off road types, which continue to baffle observers. Where do they find places to run these heavy duty rigs?

The Mercedes I saw at the Walmart June 5 was another that would looks a bit like a Dakar racer, prepared to blast across the Sahara.It wears a license plate from France and the "box" appears to be demountable..

 

Of course there are more genteel looking RVs too, less likely to draw attention to themselves, but worth a second look. I believe this Carthago from Switzerland is built on a Fiat chassis.

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More of them

 The European RVs keep rolling in (by ship). After a few days in bond they are cleared by Customs and head off into deepest darkest North America. Some recent examples:

Not a converted bread truck, this is a Niesmann + Bischoff luxury build. (The company is a subdidiary of Hymer.)

 

We don't see too many VW vans. This one may be a DIY. Is that a solar panel on the roof?

 Fiats are more common - this cab / chassis unit was the basis for a Franka RV body.

Even rarer are Jeeps from Europe - it would be interesting to learn the history of that one on the right with the folding roof top tent.

A giant Mercedes-based Eura Mobil would provide luxury transportation -  with staggering gas bills.

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RVs again

 Another European RV spotted today was this FIAT Ducato with Carthago Chic C-Line RV body.

Buyers have the choice of the FIAT or Mercedes Sprinter chassis. The front plate gives me no clue as to its country of origin.

A new (to me) brand of RV was also to be seen around Halifax today, but this one was not from overseas. A product of the RV manufacturing capital of the US, Elkhard, IN, the Georgetown, Model 5 Series GT 5 comes from Forest River RVs, a division of Forest River Inc (a Berkshire Hathaway company) maker of many recreational products. It was wearing Ontario plates.

I would like to have seen it in better weather, with the pull out section and awnings in use.

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RVs keep rolling in

 The flood of European RVs is at its peak with at least two dozen arriving this week alone. They arrive at the PSA Fairview Cove terminal on Atlantic Container Line ships and are lined up in the terminal awaiting the owners to clear them through Border Services.

Today's crop included a large Magirus, which I just missed, so I had to make do with a number of smaller rigs.

Mitsubishi Fuso is a rare choice for RV. This one appears to be a commercial van body conversion on a Canter cab / chassis.

FIATs are a popular choice and this one with a Euro Mobil RV body sports tandem rear axles.

 IVECOs are often used for the expedition / off road types.

 Some have made a small concession to aerodynamic streamlining, but most are just boxes with wheels.

For those with a more relaxed approach there is this nicely appointed Mercedes with Mirage Sprinter RV body.

All of the above were from Germany, and are likely to spend the entire summer in North America - some even heading to South America or Alaska.

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They're Back - 2023

 The annual invasion of RVs from Europe is well underway. Dozens of the vehicles have been arriving on Atlantic Container Line ships over the past few weeks, at the PSA Fairview Cove terminal in north end Halifax. Once they clear Customs they may linger for a while in the parking lot as the owners get organized. But they are soon underway for destinations as far afield as Alaska.

One nice Mercedes / Doepfer from Switzerland that I saw on April 12 had a map painted on the back, ready to trace out its travels.

Most of the RVs are from Germany, and are built on a variety of European chassis. Fiat is one of the most popular. This one had a Carado mobil RV body. The miniature bull bar should be a great defence against mice on the road.

There are always a few heavy duty expedition type all terrain units. This MAN is perhaps a bit larger than some. it has an Action mobil RV package.

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Still more

 It now seems that there are a lot of domestic RVs on the scene, but they have a definite European air to them.

This ancient shorty Sprinter, from British Columbia, has many of the attributes of a stealth vehicle, but the roll up awning is a giveaway - maybe the surf board too.

When Chrysler had to give up the Sprinter, they came up with the Ram Van (which is a lightly disguised Fiat) and this 2500 model is a worthy replacement. The raised roof version gives it RV capability.

The big German RV maker Hymer, inserts their own logo on Fiat vans. Although common in Europe, this is first domestic Hymer I've seen - it carries Virginia plates and could almost be mistaken for a Dodge (especially with the hood up: How do you get spare parts for a Fiat?
Just follow another one around..)

 The RV season  must be coming to a close very soon, as cold weather is arriving and even the hardy Germans and Swiss are unlikely to want to be here in the winter.

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They're Back continued

 Even more European RVs appeared on the streets today. I am wondering if perhaps these are arrivals - in time to see the fall colours, then head south for warm winter weather. In no particular order:

Dakar Ready Looking like a refugee from the famed North African off road rally, this M.A.N. beast looks ready to take on any kind of terrain.

It is big enough to rate two pictures.

The tilting crew cab, giant fuel tank and lots of brighteners give the rig a distinctive look.

Carado Reisemobile from Germany re-badges the Fiat cab/chassis with their own grille logo on this T-Series unit.

At the lower end of Carado's range of RVs, this one is priced at €54,198 - which looks like about $72,000 CAN.
 

Citro Vees Those upside down Vees are enough to identify Citroën without the need for wording - in Europe anyway. The evolution of that logo has taken another step in 2022 - see: CitroV

Pössl on the other hand plasters its name on all sides of their Vario 545 model camper van conversion. It is also available on a Fiat chassis.

Another Citroën of unknown conversion was partly shaded. It is based on the "Jumper" model delivery van.

 The shadow was created by its neighbour (Jumper next to Sprinter)

 

This high clearance Merc is an Iglhaut Allrad  AWD conversion from a standard two wheel drive Sprinter. The horns are an interesting touch - they do not appear in Iglhaut's literature - but would likely scare the daylights out of any wayward cyclists. Not so sure about moose or elk.

I notice also the high breather on the driver's side A-pillar - maybe the Sprinter is also a Swimmer?

 

I see very few de-mountable pickup based campers from Europe, mostly because European car/truck manufacturers are not noted for their pickup trucks. Enter Japanese pickup makers such as Nissan, who provided this truck for a Tischer camper.

This one appears to be the winner of the "Sticker Competition". I spotted Jasper and Lake Louise stickers and the Newfoundland and Canada flags. I believe I also detect the Greek flag.

Of course there are also well appointed domestic RVs on the roads, such as the Canadream Ford in the background and some unusual "Canadian" trucks too - such as this imported Suzuki RHD steroidal motorcycle pickup. I'd love to see a camper converison on this:

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EuroRV invasion

 The toursit season for European RVs is in full swing, and typically many unusual looking trucks (not to mention RV conversions) can be seem coming through the gates at the Fairview Cove terminal. The vehicles arrive on ships of the Atlantic Container Line and this week's ship, the Atlantic Sky probably had between 25 and 35 RVs from what I could see.

 Outside the gates this morning, after clearing Customs, there were about a dozen more of all shapes and sizes:

Fiat van with Rapido V55 camper conversion.

 

Toyota pickup and ExKab 5S "drop on"

 

Mercedes and Nova LaStrada conversion.

 

Iveco model 55S 17W with Bimobil expedition body.

 

Nissan extended cab pickup with Tisher drop in camper.

Citroen raised roof van conversion.

Some of these trucks may have dealer support in North America, but I suspect most are very far away from service. Many appear to be new, but warrantees don't stretch across the Atlantic. 

Some vehicles don't appear to be RVs exactly, but this Swiss offroader, equipped with a heavy skid plate, immense driving lights and high breather looks ready for some serious back road travel. I hope he finds someplace to ski.

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RV Catch Up

The yearly influx of RVs from Europe continues, and I was able to catch a few of them during the summer.

Mercedes Sprinter types remain favourites including this very North American looking LMC Liberty.

A rare MB100D small van dates from 1992-1995. Note the two handled side door.

Ivecos remain popular too. This much travelled unit, sports a Mobilvetta Icaro 510 RV body.

Carado rebrands their RVs, at least with the radiator badge, but the hubcaps still have the Fiat name.

Not all RVs are from Europe. The North American visitors, often from the US, are usually fairly typical, but there are occasional odd balls.

 

Isuzu "stealth" RV from Oregon sports a tiny exhaust stack. The small side window is a bit of a giveaway, but so is the tail board with bike stowage and propane bottles below. It looks like there might be some solar panels on the roof.

Back in May I caught this early season visitor an unusual Merc "dually". Not sure I've ever seen a double rear axle on such a small vehicle, but it does serve a useful purpose for a light suspension chassis. And yes those rear axles have single tires -not duals.

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