Extraordinary RV fuses Land Rover 4×4 toughness with Airstream model

Formidable British startup Duckworth Overland has got down to meld two of essentially the most recognizable merchandise in land journey: the Land Rover Defender and the Airstream/Bowlus-style aircraft-inspired aluminum camper. The ensuing “Aerover” mini-RV, then, is one thing of an anomaly, a gritty, go-anywhere 4×4 full with a tall, tree branch-snapping bulging zeppelin of an alcove motorhome shining brightly on its again. It is an RV that calls for to be seen, even when voyaging to locations the place there isn’t any one to see it.

A commonality we have observed amongst each skilled and novice overland and off-road builders: irrespective of how good and superb their last design is to the skin world, it by no means appears to fairly scratch that innovator itch. If something, it solely irritates the itch, pushing them to start conceptualizing their subsequent creation effectively earlier than ending the present one.

The Lorry Life, by Tom Duckworth, is a full-time residence constructed from an previous military lorry and a shed. The challenge is a finalist within the Sudden class

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That appears the case for Duckworth Overland founder Thomas Duckworth. Whereas finishing and touring within the Lorry Life , a shed-based tiny residence secured atop a retired Bedford MJ military truck, Duckworth grew to become hooked on the expertise of actualizing his imaginings into real-life off-grid journey automobiles and experiences. From the seems to be of his follow-up challenge, it additionally appears he gained an affinity for equipping rugged, military-grade machines with spacious lodging.

With the Aerover, typically referred to as the “Air Lander,” Duckworth focuses his particular person passions for overlanding and hands-on automotive restoration right into a single challenge. A construct just like the shed-on-flatbed Lorry Life did not train Duckworth’s restoration expertise, corresponding to panel beating and English wheel steel shaping, however a British-meets-American mixture of handcrafted Streamline Moderne motorhome and restored Defender actually ticks each field, as soon as, if not twice.

The panel van-style Land Rover Defender that started it all — The panel van-style Land Rover Defender that began all of it

Duckworth shortly discovered a shared enthusiasm for his challenge with engineer, CAD designer and all-around outdoorsman Michael Gerrard, and the 2 began placing collectively the somewhat unlikely pairing behind the Aerover idea. The pandemic lockdowns and normal slowdowns of 2020/21 helped create the time to begin pushing the challenge from imaginative and prescient to marketable actuality.

The Land Rover Defender TD5 130 van that served as Duckworth Overland’s place to begin seems to be strong and clear sufficient from afar in photographs, however zoom in nearer and you’ll see it is worn, bruised and battered … and that is earlier than you get to the roughness under the pores and skin. Evidently, Duckworth wasn’t about to meticulously coach-build a shiny, new motorhome on its again with out some restoration.

A have a look at the brand-new marine paint-coated Land Rover chassis and RV mounting body

Duckworth Overland

The startup crew stripped the Defender right down to unfastened components, changing or restoring every part, starting by swapping the unique body with a brand-new galvanized metal J.E. Marsland Defender chassis. It additionally reconditioned the diesel five-cylinder and gearbox, added a self-leveling air suspension with a number of trip heights, rebuilt the axles and differentials, added new disc brakes, swapped in a more recent, reconditioned energy steering field, and repaired and repainted the physique, amongst quite a few different replacements and restorations.

To create the “habitation pod,” Duckworth first put collectively a CNC-cut skeletal wooden buck, which it used to type the aluminum body and hand-shaped exterior panels. As soon as the alu pores and skin and bones had been full, the wooden items had been faraway from inside, permitting for the ultimate meeting of the body and physique panels through the innumerable rivets that dot the polished shell.

Putting together hand-shaped panels — Placing collectively hand-shaped panels

The Land Rover and aircraft-inspired camper complement and distinction one another to spectacular impact. Few different earthly articles are as symbolic of releasing, self-guided journey as a Land Rover Defender and a basic 1930’s aluminum RV, they usually come collectively to assist that journey extra successfully than both can do alone. However, few issues look as distinctly totally different because the exhausting, curve-less face of the Racing Inexperienced Defender cab and the rigorously streamlined, shimmering bare aluminum of the aeronautically impressed camper.

Duckworth accomplished the shell simply forward of a primary exhibiting eventually month’s Goodwood Revival, constructing a short lived plywood ground and wooden benches to ship a greater really feel for the dimensions of the house. The remainder of the inside remained a skeletal balloon of shiny aluminum awaiting a full fit-out.

We look forward to seeing the finished interior, but there's something rather spectacular about the bare aluminum walls and Erector-like frame members — We look ahead to seeing the completed inside, however there’s one thing somewhat spectacular concerning the naked aluminum partitions and Erector-like body members

The Bristol-based overland store finally desires to safe a purchaser earlier than continuing with a custom-made inside construct, however it has printed some renderings and concepts of how the cabin may come collectively. Plans name for a extremely trendy setup that eliminates the necessity for LPG tanks with a robust electrical system that may run the induction cooking, lighting, water pumps, and different home equipment and gear. A 200-Ah lithium battery will likely be charged through a 220-watt roof-mounted photo voltaic setup, car alternator and shore energy hookup.

An initial interior rendering shows a layout with rear dining lounge/convertible bed, kitchen block and alcove storage area — An preliminary inside rendering exhibits a structure with rear eating lounge/convertible mattress, kitchen block and alcove storage space

The ground plan will finally be configured across the purchaser’s enter, however Duckworth intends to enrich the kitchen block with a convertible dinette/main double mattress. A stowable transportable bathroom will likely be on supply, as will the choice of a extra full lavatory compartment. The tapered nature of the large above-cab alcove signifies that it is restricted to storage or a smaller secondary mattress.

Plans additionally name for warmth, A/C, sizzling water and a second kitchen space for outside cooking. Duckworth is leaning away from the same old low cost plastic RV trim and towards greater high quality inside supplies like wooden, naked steel and leather-based, which recall to mind the inside of one other aluminum camper, the Lume Traveler.

That sharp angle at the rear-end breaks from the smooth, streamlined look of the Aerover camper but certainly helps departure angle — That sharp angle on the rear-end breaks from the graceful, streamlined look of the Aerover camper however actually helps departure angle

We despatched a pricing inquiry by way of Duckworth’s web site however didn’t obtain a solution earlier than publishing. We’ll replace if we do, however the last worth will certainly be closely influenced by the customer-driven inside structure and gear. In line with its web site and social media, Duckworth is eagerly on the lookout for its first purchaser, urging events to message it for extra info. After ending Aerover #001, it plans to proceed with a restricted manufacturing run.

We look ahead to looking on the last product as soon as the inside is full.

Supply: Duckworth Overland