This DON caravan was recently on eBay and it created a flurry of interest because it was listed as a DON caravan. I had several emails from people asking if I thought it was original or not, and it even had me scratching my head for a couple of minutes till I asked the seller a question and had a good look at the photos.
The sellers comment on the caravan.
DON caravan, requires a lot of attention, this is a rare find, and very collectable, for its age, it’s in reasonable condition, the exterior is covered in foil which has helped preserve it. The interior is untidy but all there, the window frames will require some repairs or replacement, original lead light/ stained glass windows are there and may also require work, sold as is.
Looking at the caravan it has a lot of the Don Features, externally it has the typical Don shape, leadlight windows, and the big rounded wheel arches. Internally again the main feature that jumps out is the signature DON fold away wash basin in the wardrobe.
But does this make it a Don? Well sadly for the seller NO. At first glance it looks like a Don but once you have been in a few DON caravans it is fairly easy to tell the difference. Firstly I sent an email to the seller asking if there was a DON ID badge on the outside near the door or one inside above the stove area. The sellers reply was no, but this isn’t always a way to tell as the badges were sometimes removed to repaint and never replaced. DON caravans were a hand crafted caravan built by craftsmen, even through the flaking paint and dirty interior it is easy to tell that the craftsmanship just isn’t there.
Now to get into the nitty gritty.
Outside.
• Looking at the front and back windows the flat panes of glass recessed into the curve of the front and back of the body, where on a Don they are actually built out at the top and bottom, forming a little veranda if you like, and are flush in the middle
• There is a timber beading around the wheel arch, which on a Don is actually galvanised iron formed from the wheel arch box.
• The leadlight windows aren’t the typical DON diamond pattern. The diamond pattern used on the DON caravans is actually a strong way to build the leadlight windows, if you have a look at the window at the front of this caravan because the window isn’t vertical the leadlight has sagged under its own weight as well as wind pressure on the front of the van.
• The very distinctive DON coupling is not there, which again could have been removed. The draw bar is also missing the DON handles to help manoeuvre the van.
Inside.
• The ceiling lining has been constructed from three sheets of Masonite running from front to back. On a DON the ceiling is lined with several panels of “Canite”.
• The kitchen layout is different and the sink is missing a water tank behind it. It would not of had one originally as this would block off half the window.
• The overhead cupboard layout and construction is very simple.
• Missing the distinctive DON 12 volt lamps which have a type of green plastic shade stitched on a frame.
• The wash basin door/shelf in the wardrobe is again constructed very simply.
It would be a bit tough to blame the seller for false advertising the caravan as it is a very good home built version of a DON caravan, and to someone researching vintage caravans for the first time they could not be blamed for thinking that this was a DON. It just goes to show that a little bit of research is needed if you intend to purchase a particular make, but most importantly if you are unsure you can always ask.