The Paralanian Motor-Home

When I left school in the 1960's, my first job was working in the sales department at Central Garage , which at the time was a large Austin Motor Car Distributor for the area with a car showroom in the centre of the city and a large commercial and body-shop department at Parry Lane on the outskirts of the city.

As well as selling commercial vehicles the Parry Lane, which had previously been a bus garage, the depot also manufactured, in their body-shop, the Paralanian Motor-Home which in its day was always thought of as the “Rolls Royce' of motor-homes

The Suez Crisis in the late 1950’s had slowed sales and Central Garage needed to find new markets. Clifford Hobson, the Works Director at Central Garage was experienced in the design and build of cabin cruisers pre-war and fitting out motor torpedo boats during hostilities, he identified a niche in the market for a luxury motor caravan, and so, in Parry Lane, Bradford, Britain’s first new generation coach-built Motor-home was born, the ‘Paralanian’ (named after where it was built).

Exhibited in 1957 at the motor show in London, the Paralanian attracted orders.

A change taxation rules in 1958 gave more favourable licensing to motorised caravans and encouraged sales.

In its day the vehicle had a very high specification, albeit not up to standards of today. Here is a picture of the interior with polished walnut furniture and Axminster carpets

The exterior was really well constructed on an Austin J2 Chassis/Cab we a choice of colours to the owners taste.

I can still remember looking around the vehicle storage area we had in an old mill, about three years after production of the Paralania had stopped and saw a J2 chassis/cab finished in primer hidden in a corner. The problem with this vehicle, and the reason it had been sold on, was the fact that it was left hand drive and an automatic model.....a really unusual specification ordered by someone who wanted his Paralanian to use abroad but then cancelled the order. We had been all scratching our heads trying to find something to do with it and contemplating scrapping it, then someone had the bright idea of making a milk-float out of it.....brilliant! It sold straight away....perfect for the job and we could have sold more but it was decided to stop while we were ahead!

Here is a picture of a similar one:

 

These were forward-control base vehicles with the engine between the cab seats, and being left hand drive and automatic was just right for the job for delivering milk.

That so many survive today is a tribute to the highly skilled, time-served workforce.