The Story of Caravans International

The changing fortunes of the largest UK producer of caravans and motorhomes

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Founded in 1963 with the merger of three leading brands – Sprite, Eccles and Bluebird – Caravans International was a formidable combination of British caravan heritage.

Drawing on his unrivalled knowledge of the British caravan industry, Andrew Jenkinson describes the history of the individual brands within CI as well as the growing success of the company as a global brand. He follows the changing fortunes of the company in the face of increased international and UK-based competition until its collapse in 1982. The fall of CI rocked the caravan/motorhome and holiday caravan industry both at home and abroad and, despite a temporary resurgence through a management buy-out, the company was completely finished by the early 1990s.

The author describes the wide variety of vehicles that were produced under the various CI brands, some of them highly innovative, and he also draws on first-hand interviews with company employees and a remarkable collection of photographs and leaflets. With his unique access to the CI archives, including interviews with the founder of Sprite and Caravans International, Andrew Jenkinson has written the definitive history covering the highs and lows of one of Britain’s leading caravan and motorhome manufacturing brands.