The 15th International Portafold & Ansfold Gathering) (i.e. 2024)

Our annual gathering will be returning to the Newbury Retrofestival.

So put the dates 9th, 10th & 11th of August 2024 in your diary now and get those dates booked off work early.

Show Address: Newbury Showground, Priors Court, Hermitage, Thatcham, West Berkshire, RG18 9QZ

Don't book direct with the show organisers it will cost you more money, just contact me (07771544419) to get your pitch saved.

1978 Ansfold for sale - NOW SOLD

Items now sold.
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Location: Christchurch, Dorset

1978 Ansfold for sale - NOW SOLD

Post by Admin » Sun, 19 Jul 2020, 11:56 pm

Here we have the sad sale of a very individual 1978 Ansfold folding caravan. Based on the earlier Portafold, the Ansfold has a few design changes, the biggest being the removal of the fins from the roof.

This particular caravan was the 100th Ansfold ever built, and was produced in March 1978. It has been rescued and restored back to a useable condition by a very good longstanding friend of mine, and who is now unfortunately having to sell it due to illness. Being an engineer, he has also made numerous modifications to improve its practicality, including a sprung handbrake, double gas bottle locker, cupboards, wardrobe, 12v lighting, electric pump fed sink, twin hob stove and a proper sized gas fridge! He is also the biggest contributor to the Portafold forum with his technical knowledge being invaluable to so many people over the years.


When Steve acquired the caravan, it was in a shocking state and the hull was kinked in the middle, so it required lots of extra bracing and reengineering underneath to make it safe again. Steve was exactly the right man for the job and fixed the hull and braced the underside. Details of this work can be read about here:

http://portafold.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=173


Once he had fixed the chassis and straightened the hull, he then set about fitting the fridge, sink, cooker and cupboards. Being Steve, he didn’t just do a half job, he did it properly, with properly thought out engineered solutions. The cupboard units all fold flat so they can be stored away when you fold down. They’re a work of art. You can see all the details here:

http://portafold.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=78


He then set about fixing a problem all Portafolds and Ansfolds have, which is the handbrake is not sprung, so when you require the breakaway cable to pull on the brakes, they will snatch on and then immediately free off again. Not much good in an emergency! Anyway, this Ansfold has the only sprung handbrake I’ve seen, and it works brilliantly. Also, he’s improved the efficiency of the handbrake so the brakes work superbly, the best I’ve seen.

http://portafold.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41



To get a good idea of what the inside looks like, and how it all looks when it’s been assembled there are a load of pictures on this page:

http://portafold.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=326


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Portafolds and Ansfolds are known for being quick to erect, now I’d be lying if I said you’ll have this up and all set up in a couple of minutes, but quite frankly, you won’t get this amount of luxuries in an Ansfold without a bit of setup time. I’ve now got the caravan back at my house and I’ve only put all the extras together once and I know that if I had to do it again, I’d be able to do it all from scratch in less than 30 minutes. To be honest, I spend that long setting up and dressing my Portafold, and I don’t have a range of useful cupboards, a working sink or a gas fridge! I will obviously give you a full tuition on how to disassemble and assemble all the extras that Steve has fitted. And Steve is more than willing to talk you through any questions you have over the phone if you get it home and can’t figure anything out. But, there are lots of little notes/instructions written onto everything he’s made, and they help you screw things, and fix braces, into all the right places. But it’s all been so well thought out that it becomes obvious when you’ve done it once.

It comes complete with a ‘NR Awnings’ modern style porch awning, that has also been modified to fit the Ansfold so the door opens properly. Again, a common fault that Steve has fixed by engineering a couple of extender brackets that fix to the roof.


The caravan basically gives you the full camping kit setup:

It comes with three good tyres, a leisure battery, gas bottles (both full I think), 4 new custom leather straps, a three-tier food steamer set, bowls, battery charger, grey water container, aqua roll fresh water container, clothes hangers, solar panel charger, unused spare wheel, sink with microswitched tap and electric Whale pump, plates, frying pan, saucepan, gas igniter, matches, mugs, Bulldog Hitchcock, toilet chemicals, awning (with draught skirt), windup torch, wine glasses, original tri-legged table, kettle, cutlery, cooking utensils, step. And there’s probably other bits I’ve missed. Obviously, the personal items in the photos aren’t included (clothes, toiletries, food, etc.)


It’s not a caravan that will suit everyone, but for some people it will hit just the right notes. Yes, it’s not been painted in pretty colours, or decorated in chabby chic décor, it’s an Ansfold that if not for Steve it would’ve been scrapped. Remember, it’s been built by an engineer, not an interior decorator. But now it’s a charming Ansfold that has plenty of useful luxuries and I have to say, it tows beautifully. It’s not a caravan that you’d want to do a touring holiday staying one night at each campsite, as I imagine you’d get quite fed up unpacking and setting up each day, only to pack it all away again. This is ideal for a couple of night stays or longer.

It does have some ‘rough and ready’ repairs to the gelcoat on the corners of the roof. It’s completely water-tight but some might be put off by it. I do have a very good GRP man just round the corner from me, so if you won the eBay auction and wanted the roof all fixed up before you took it home I could get you a quote and possibly arrange for these repairs to be completed for you before you take it away and use it for the first time. Steve worked on the basis that if the roof looked a bit rough it might make it less attractive to thieves when he’s parked at somewhere like motorway services. An engineers viewpoint as a pretty roof doesn't make it work any better!


Viewing before the end of the auction is more than just recommended, it’s almost compulsory. You’ll need to assure yourself that fixing everything in place is going to be something you’ll be happy to do. It’s located at my house in Christchurch, Dorset, BH23. Viewing available anytime, just message me or call me on 07771544419 to arrange a time.

If you don’t have a tow bar yet, I can deliver for free up to 50 miles, any further ask me and we can come to an agreement. But I won’t be delivering unless it’s been paid for in full. And payment is only in cash, NO PAYPAL.

I repeat, it is CASH on collection only. And ideally I could do with it being collected within 7 days of the end of the auction, but, talk to me, I may be able to sit on it for a while if that doesn’t suit your circumstances.

If I hear nothing from you within 48 hours of the end of the auction I will relist and report you to eBay.

Any newbies to eBay with less that 20 feedback, or anyone with less than 98% positive feedback, will have their bids removed unless you contact me first.

I am selling this on behalf of my good friend who is not well enough to sell it himself. I can answer 99% of all questions, but I may have to contact Steve to get some answers.

Listed on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143661228814
Matthew
portafold.co.uk
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Wanted: Any original Portafold, Ansfold or Mini-Motel brochures, adverts or magazine articles.
Also, any chassis numbers for the above caravans!

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