Focus on Fugly

---

Fugly is not the dream van that we thought we would buy when we were 'grown up' and which we thought we would buy on retirement.



Firstly, we bought the van way ahead of retirement - we wanted to enjoy it before we were too old to, and secondly (more importantly for me), it isn't a VW!



Having spent my youth aspiring to own a VW camper; and having been fortunate enough to invest wisely in both a T2 Brazilian Bay and a VW Crafter Race Van (both of which retained their value), we have enjoyed, for many years, the VW sub culture that includes events at the infamous Santa Pod raceway - and are keen to continue to do so. For this reason, only a VW would do. However, this was not to be...



We knew that we would need to replace the VW Race Van in 2017 as it was due to reach its 10th Birthday and the maintenance costs were rising (>£4K last time around). Our extensive European travel necessitated reliability. With this in mind we set out to find a replacement for our beloved VW, which we had lovingly adapted, over time, to meet our requirements.



The 'spec'...



Mmmm... Our requirements. Whilst not unique I am sure, in our ideal (forever) van, we were looking for a our utopia. A van that:


Wouldn't get stuck in the mud at festivals and Grand Prix tracks.Would carry our full sized (Honda VFR 800) motorbike in the internal garage (ie no speed restrictions associated with trailers); as well as our other camping gear and bicycles.That we could cook from scratch in (no microwave requirement here!).Was self sufficient 'off grid' (power / water).Had a fixed double bed (no making up the bed each night).Had air conditioning (a must after our Hungary trip where we virtually melted in our VW!).Was both pacy and manoeuvrable.Had sufficient payload to legally carry our not insignificant load.Was not a 'Hymer' (our definition of 'Hymer' being what we now know technically to be an 'integrated' van style)Was a VW... 😊



With our 'spec' defined, we tentatively started our search at the motorhome shows - first heading to the NEC; then to Peterborough in the driving rain; and then (on our wedding anniversary) to Newbury.



Needless to say, our search was fruitless - in that there isn't a van out there that met our spec (or at least if there is, we couldn't find it). However, we did see Fugly, in the flesh, on two of these visits - the first time (in Peterborough), fleetingly (just the exterior alongside a laminated spec sheet). We didn't get to go inside as he was locked up for the night and we were late leaving the show, having spent time speccing a Bavaria (the only other vehicle that we found may have taken our motorbike), only to be told that the 2017 vehicles would be more 'integrated' (Hymer like) in their styling... Not for us! The second time was at Newbury, where it was our aim to take a closer look, which we did, taking away the full spec sheet and options list to review in detail. This prompted a further visit to see Fugly at his home in Telford (en route to Bearded Theory festival); where we established that Fugly (the show van itself) could be adapted to meet the majority of our requirements. There were two issues. Firstly, it was a Hymer (shock, horror - in our minds, only purchased by GOATs (Grey Old Age Travellers) which, I for one, at 44, was not!) and second - it was not a VW 😞.



Having agreed that Fugly was the best fit with our requirements, we took the plunge, purchased the van and set about making all of the required modifications and additions that would ensure stress free travels, both on and off grid.



The technical bit...



This is where it all gets a bit technical. If you have ever read a full Hymer brochure and price list you will understand what I am saying here. The footnotes (literally hundreds of them) that accompany the options list necessitate not only a good level of education - but bucket loads of patience too (as well as cash!)... They are important however, as they enable you to determine which options are compatible with each other (or not, as the case may be)! Despite having spent hours (and I mean hours) we still ended up ordering two options that could not be fitted to our vehicle and that were not highlighted in the footnotes as clashing...



The result however is amazing (albeit that there are still a couple of technical issues to be resolved). Fugly is now equipped, as follows:



Base vehicle:


Mercedes Sprinter.Alko chassis upgraded to a GVW of 4050kg and with garage weight upgraded to 450kg.3.0l V6 190 BHP engine6 speed automatic gearbox and cruise control.Selectable 4 wheel drive.Cab air conditioning and swivel seats.6.99 metres long and 3.05 metres high.




Interior:


Leather interior (which has now been recoloured, post purchase) to grey, to match the cab interior. For some reason Hymer chooses only to offer a cream / beige interior, which is totally impractical when teamed with black or blue jeans! It may be useful for Hymer to learn that some of their clients do not wear crimpolene dresses! NB: Interior was recoloured by Craig Denton of Coventry - a fab job!A full cooker with gas oven, separate grill, three gas burners and one electric ring.Kitchen sink with folding drainer over (our own adaptation).120Lt capacity fridge with reasonable sized freezer compartment.An all important wine rack (another own addition).TV (although we haven't yet managed to get this working!, although we have not wanted to watch anything....)Convertible dinette (although we chose this only for the additional return on the dining table).Spacious bathroom with enclosed shower cubicle and separate toilet and wash basin.Small full length wardrobe.Extensive additional wardrobes / storage lockers.Fixed bed / s in what is now a very versatile convertible sleeping and relaxing area, in which we have two bean bags and a fixed transverse double (although this can be converted into a large longitudinal king sized bed or twin singles if preferred.Habitation air conditioning.Dual sun roofs.Fitted blinds.



Toys (external options):


4m awning (with full enclosure courtesy of Rick (as he proudly states, is spelled without a P) of Lillypad Leisure.Additional shower in garage.Reinforced roof with chequer plating and side bars.Roof ladder.Solar panels X 2 (we are still waiting on the second)1.9kw inverter with additional leisure battery.Dual view reversing camera.Fiamma bike rack.Spare wheel (although this is one of the options that is yet to be fitted to the vehicle as it wasn't compatible with a the bike rack and roof ladder).Fully integrated double DIN combined satellite navigation and stereo system.



Impressive!

---