More Marni for your money

LDV’s Maxus van was voted as Best 3.5 Tonne Panel Van in the 2005 Professional Van & Light Truck Magazine Awards.

It was specially commended for its smooth and quiet engine, its excellent gear box and sheer driveability, but its strength and high-tech breaking system also promotes it safety standards to the levels of modern passenger cars.

The only wonder then, is that no other manufacturers were as quick off the mark as the Bacciochi family, owners of the established businesses of PCS Commercial, incorporating their extremely well equipped PJB Bodyshop.

With customers such as the Birmingham police force among their regular customers, you can be sure of the high quality of their bodywork, but their first motorhome, christened the Maxus Marni, goes well beyond mere cosmetics.

The Marni’s interior, designed by Scott Bacciochi, is something of a masterpiece of uncluttered elegance.

The bright, clean interior shows a continental influence in its styling but has succeeded in creating a look that is both individual and distinctly modern.

Even in its prototype state, the rear lounge was already light and airy, but side windows have now been added to enhance this still further, without compromising the strength and rigidity for which the original panel van is renowned.

New exterior graphics have been added and one-key central locking now extends to all doors; a feature that will cause envy among other motorhome owners, many of whom are forced to walk around lop-sided with bulky key rings wearing holes in their pockets.

The range of colours has been extended so that as well as the original metallic silver, you can now order a Marni in blue metallic, red metallic, charcoal metallic and white.

The kitchen has undergone a few improvements: the original design lacked a dedicated cutlery drawer, but this has now been added and the worktop has been brought forward slightly, giving it a curved extension at each edge – just a subtle alteration, but typical of the lengths to which the Bacciochis will go to get everything exactly right.

PJB want you to enjoy the Maxus Marni exactly as it was originally envisaged, so that there are a great many standard items that would be paid-for extras on models from most other manufacturers.

Take the twin Gaslow bottles for instance, which are also supplied with an automatic change-over system and coupled to an external filler point for hassle free re-filling at LPG pumps both here and abroad. You also get alloy wheels, a built-in LPG/CO2 gas detector, a TV aerial with booster, a wide Omnistor electric step and a slide-out canopy.

Many of these features have been installed as a result of customer feedback at shows, and as I sat in the office with Paul, Carl, Scott and Debbie Bacciochi, I was impressed by their obvious enthusiasm as new ideas were constantly being raised, discussed and noted during our general conversation.

It was already being hinted during my visit that some exciting new developments are in the pipeline but we will have to wait until the time is right for them to be revealed. Meanwhile, you should make a point of seeing the Maxus Marni and meeting the PJB team at the West Car Park display area at the International Caravan & Motorhome Show at the NEC from October 17th – 22nd. If you are not able to attend the NEC show, you will also find the Maxus Marni on display at Lazy Days Motorhomes near Market Drayton.

Info

PJB Motorhomes 1 Bangor Road, Century Park, Bordesley Green Birmingham B9 4NZ Tel: 01212 482860 www.pjbbodyshop.co.uk

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