1989 BEDFORD BAMBI CAMPERVAN

The following was written about the Bambi , not by myself :

 

Design, Inside and Out

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 comes with a small chemical toilet. 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Size of Bedford Bambi

Length = 3.7 m    12'-2"

Height = 2.5 m     8'-3"

Width = 1.56 m    5'-1"