Formula 1 champion Nigel Mansell interview: 50 years of caravan holidays
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Caravan magazine's features editor Ben Hackney caught up with F1 legend Nigel Mansell at the NEC Motorhome and Caravan Show to hear some touring tales and more
Sandwiched between old and new – a 1938 Eccles President and Knaus' innovative Caravisio prototype – speed demon, keen golfer and magician (yes, really) Mansell puts one foot up on the vintage van's A-frame, leaning in and listening intently before recounting stories from over 50 years of touring from his childhood, through safety and tech improvements to future developments.
How are you finding the show? Have you been here before?
I’ve been to caravan shows many years ago but I’m having a great time here. I mean, look how many people are here! They reckon there are around 20,000 people here today so it’s an astonishing turn out.Give us an introduction to your caravanning life.
I started caravanning around over 50 years ago in Talybont, just outside Barmouth. It was a wonderful experience and I’m still caravanning 55 years later. We’ve had a static site down there, for all that time. It’s a wonderful escape.Have you done much in the way of touring and towing?
Yes, mostly years ago. I used to go touring a lot when we were on the racing circuit and karting, we used to tour around Europe, racing in Italy, Holland, Sweden and obviously through the countries on the way there and in Great Britain.So caravanning’s been intrinsically linked with your career as well as your family life?
Yeah. With the motor racing, you started in tents and gravitated to caravans then on to motorhomes too – we’ve done the whole thing! And we still continue to use them for different facets of our life.Were those changes in accommodation choice funding led, or were they based in improvements of technology and comfort?
The changes were necessity led more than anything. In the early days we couldn’t afford a caravan so we were in tents. As I progressed through my career we had a mix of both caravans and motorhomes.Motorsport has quite a strong link with caravanning and consumer cars, through things like aerodynamics, safety and that kind of thing. What do you think that pattern is going to continue like in the next few years?
I think it’s astonishing! We had a laugh at the stage here this morning because, in the early caravans you used to wake up with condensation on the inside that would drip on you and wake you up. And insulation… What was insulation?Now obviously the technology in caravans and motoring has surpassed everyone’s expectations in this last 20 years. So I think that will keep on going.
We’re standing not too far from a new innovation; what a caravan could look like in years to come and what kind of technology could be on it. The industry won’t stand still and it’s great to see. There’s so much more comfort now in caravanning. It’s really great.
How surprising do you find it in terms of how quickly everything has moved on when it comes to things like home comforts in a caravan?
It’s a great thing, what you’ve just said. You go back around 100 years and there were no planes flying in the sky. Now look at the technology in travel and it’s astonishing! It’s such a short period of time so what can be achieved in the next 10, 20, 30 or 40 years is going to be amazing.What would you say is the best thing about the caravan industry?
Safety standards. Years gone by, I can remember people losing their lives. Obviously, because we didn’t have electricity, it was a case of using the old gas mantle and various things like that. People were so cold, they used to leave the gas on and then get asphyxiated through the night.The safety standards, the insulation and the technology basically make caravanning more user friendly and so much more fun for everybody.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
Yeah… Thank you for all the support over all the years. It’s fascinating being here and coming to the show to see all the new innovations, which I haven’t seen for some time. My goodness me, the products have moved on quite a long way!I’m sure you’ve been asked it a lot, but just as a final thought… How have you felt about Hamilton equalling your record in Russia?
I think it’s fantastic. Lewis is a great guy. I’ve supported him for some time; I think it’s wonderful and at the next race he’ll get his 32nd win, setting new targets for a long time to come. Hopefully he’ll do the championship as well. He’s on the crest of a wave and it’s wonderful to see.Like this? Sign up to our caravanning e-newsletter for free
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