The Bedford Bambi motorhome¹ is one of the biggest, small coach-built Luton² motorhomes still on the road. It is built on the chassis of a Bedford Rascal, a small panel van, although in actual fact the vehicle underneath the camper body is the pick-up version of the van - without the pick-up section. This is removed along with a large weight that is built over the pick-up truck's rear wheels to stop the vehicle tipping over forwards, and the two berth, self-contained camper body is fitted instead.

Background to the Bambi

During the 1980s Autohomes (UK) Ltd was the biggest motor caravan manufacturer in the UK, so when Bedford Commercial Vehicles built the prototype of their new panel van, the Bedford Rascal, it came as no surprise that it was the managing director of Autohomes (Iain MacPherson) they invited to view it early in 1986.

Because the Rascal was thought too small to build a camper on, Iain rejected the idea. However, he then spotted the pick-up truck version of the Rascal. There was already a similar sized camper built on the Suzuki Supercarry pick-up truck, the 'Romahome'. The two vans (Rascal and Supercarry) were a joint venture between Suzuki and General Motors, and all the models between April 1986 and July 1993 were built in the same factory at Luton in Bedfordshire. Iain knew that what could be done to one, could be done to the other, especially as the Bedford was considered to be a better performer. The idea for the Bambi was born.

Within months, the prototype was built and was soon being driven around country lanes at speed in an attempt to break it. Unlike the Romahome it was not demountable; it was fixed to the vehicle. Bumps and potholes couldn't break it, and neither could Iain make it tip over on a roundabout (this has happened to at least one Bambi since then - although it was wet weather, and the driver admits to taking it a bit too fast round the bend). The camper body is the largest that could be fitted onto the Rascal - any bigger and it would be too unstable.

Now that the camper had a design and had been tested, it needed a name so Iain asked his family for help. Due to the small size they all felt that something like 'baby' would be ideal. As that was a bit of a rubbish name for a vehicle, they thought of the Italian for baby - Bambino. That led on to Bambi, which was felt to be perfect.

As Disney owned the copyright to the name 'Bambi', due to their 1942 film, Bambi, permission had to be obtained to use the name. Disney agreed the name and that is why we now have the fully licensed and legally decorated Bedford Bambi, not the Bedford Bambino.

The model was so popular that the waiting list for Bambis was three years. Most Bambis are still on the road (400 were sent to Europe to be sold there, so some of them are still on the opposite side of the road to most of the others) and are helping people to have very happy holidays. Bambis appear to have been exported to Europe - the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium - and as far away as the USA and New Zealand. If anyone has seen one of these vehicles outside of the UK the Bambi Owners Club would love to hear about them. Unfortunately only 1,500 Bambis were made, as Autohomes went bankrupt in 1992.

Design, Inside and Out

As the companies that built the Bambi were working together, and both went through a number of name changes, or had different names for different areas, it is possible to find the Bambi badged as Bedford, Vauxhall, Opel, GME (General Motors Europe) or Suzuki. These are genuine Bambis, so please be kind. They are mainly beige and cream, although some of the later models may have a different coloured cab.

Being a two-berth, the Bambi is small, but young children can be fitted into the area above the driving seats, making the vehicle suitable for young families. As the children get older, a tent is often used - normally to send Dad outside to sleep, while children share the roomy double bed with Mum.

There is more than one arrangement of furniture inside the Bambi; generally the double bed is set up with the table and two 'bed boards' being placed between the bench seats, and the cushions rearranged to form a mattress (just like most touring caravans). For singles, or couples who might not be such close friends, the double bed does not have to be set up as the bench seats can be used as two single beds. Another arrangement is for one of the bench seats to be turned into a forward facing seat with a backrest, with a 'coffee table' positioned in front of it. The other bench seat is used for sleeping.

Fixtures and Fittings

The Bambi has some usual motorhome features; a small fridge which will run on gas or electricity, a two ring gas hob with grill and a sink with a tap. There are plenty of storage lockers under the seats/beds, overhead cupboards and shelves, and two outside lockers which are generally used for the spare wheel on one side and the gas bottles on the other. It has a 50 litre water tank, although many owners don't fill it to capacity when travelling, as the weight slows the vehicle down.

The Bambi originally came with a small chemical toilet. It sits under one end of one of the underbed lockers which folds up and out of the way (including the front piece of the locker, unlike the rest of the underbed storage). It can be used in situ, but it is very inconvenient as all the cushions have to be moved, the curtains closed and any residents removed from the van. One needs to be very dexterous to get down that low, into such a small gap. If a larger loo is required for any reason, it will not fit into the locker. However, it can be placed between the bench seats, covered with a lacy doily and used as a coffee table while travelling. It is recommended that it is emptied, responsibly, if possible before using it this way on the return journey.

Carrying more than one passenger is an issue; recent legislation with regards side-facing seats in the rear do not cover vehicles of this age, and are unlikely to in the future. From 2009 if there are seat belts fitted in the rear of the motorhome, it will be illegal to carry more passengers than there are seat belts. If there are no rear seat belts this will not apply. Police may still prosecute, or take other action, if they consider that passengers are considered to be 'dangerous' if they are unrestrained.

Mechanical

The Bambi has the normal Rascal engine, 970cc. This has the advantage of being cheap to insure and, in the UK, in the cheapest road fund licence (car tax) bracket, but does have the disadvantage of being rather slow to accelerate and the top speed on a downhill run with a tail wind tends to still not quite make 70 mph. The Bambi is happiest at around 50 mph.

Fuel consumption is not too bad, around 30 miles per gallon can be gained, but is often lower than that; 28 mpg is the average. Driving in a fuel-efficient way helps to improve it, but nothing can change the fact that many of these vehicles will be 20 years old sometime in 2006, which means the engines are not as efficient as modern engines, and wear and tear does take its toll.

Exterior

As previously mentioned, the Bambi is small, less than four metres in length, in total 370cm. This makes it 30cm shorter than a typical Ford Fiesta, mainly due to the engine being underneath the driving area, so it has no bonnet. It is also 20cm narrower than the same typical Ford Fiesta, meaning that it can fit in a standard car parking space (although at nearly two and a half metres tall it won't fit into car parks with height limits). As it is so convenient for parking, many owners use their Bambi as their only vehicle.

Buying your Bambi

There are no records of how many Bambis are still in existence today, but there seem to be plenty out there still. Prices range from around £800 for the neglected, to £5,500 for the well-looked after, but most seem to be sold for between £2,500 and £3,500.

Owners Club

The Bambi Owners Club has been around for nearly as long as the Bambi has, and has around 300 members. Started in 1988 by Iain MacPherson, the inaugural meeting was held in August and the club was formed. Autohomes supplied the initial finances and the club logo.

Every two months the club produces a newsletter/fanzine, Bambi Tales, which is available strictly to owners of genuine Bambis. The Club is split into six regions, with regional organisers made up from members of the club. They organise regular weekend rallies, and once a year a national rally is held, often going overseas. The Club is the best place to gain tips for the Bambi, as many modifications and improvements have been made to the vehicles over the years.