Hi all, Just about to buy a nice Trophy R Ascot van, I see there is no owners club or central info pool and the makers have long since departed so shall we start one? I should be able to get a simple web site going unless you'd prefer to meet here?
Anyone who was involved with Trophy could you also leave input?
Hello, Stevie. Nice to hear you have a Trophy. We owned two in the past, a 1987 Agrarian 6 berth, then a 1991 Olympic Silver 4 berth. Both were excellent 'vans and gave us good service. I do have a leaflet on the 1987 'vans, which inludes some data for the Ascot of that year, if that would be of interest to you.
I spoke too soon! I've just checked the leaflet, and it only covers Medallion, Agilic, Agistar, Aglia and Agrarian models. I think the Ascot wasn't being produced at that time. But if anyone needs information (weight etc) for any of the above models, I may be able to help.
My very first van was a trophy, I loved it but it went damp on the front window. Dunno what model it was though (I was young and naive) it had a double and side bunks and a flip down sink in the bathroom but no tap in the bathroom and a foot pump in the kitchen to pump water through, the kids loved it when they were little!!
------------- Jan:Braids Gretna, Feb Stanwix Park Silloth & Braids Gretna,
Chrissie7 if you still have that brochure is there any chance you could scan it in and send it to me? Or list some details here?
Have been offered a Trophy Medallion and would like some info on it as it is quite far away from me and am struggling to get information from the owner (friend of a friend of a friend kind of thing!)!
Ozzie. I haven't been logging in much lately (sadly, we had a death in the family). After tomorrow, when things begin to return to normal, I will see what I can do. Don't have a scanner, but I would be happy to copy it and send it to you. I'll be in touch.
Quote: Originally posted by ozzie1989 on 25/6/2009
Chrissie7 if you still have that brochure is there any chance you could scan it in and send it to me? Or list some details here?
Have been offered a Trophy Medallion and would like some info on it as it is quite far away from me and am struggling to get information from the owner (friend of a friend of a friend kind of thing!)!
Many thanks :)
My advice is to run, don't walk, away.
We bought a 1997 Medallion brand new - less than 18 months later it was rotten in all four corners under the bed boxes, it had hardly been used and the seals looked perfect.
I once went to Lostock Hall, near Preston, where they threw the things together - and it was a revelation. A ramshackle old Mill building, piles of fittings heaped under tarpaulins in a yard - and (worst of all) stacks of timber left out in the open without any covering at all. It was chaotic, shabby, and an all-amateur production.
No wonder our van went rotten! - they really were shockingly badly made vans, even by the dismal standard of UK caravans.
The Medallion also had a cheap chassis made by 'Ashwood Developments' - another little local firm (and also long gone) . This was as crude as thing as you could wish to see - and made Alko look positively space-age by comparison.
If you haven't yet bought the Medallion - pour yourselves a drink, high-five each other, and count your blessings
------------- 'If it ain't broke, don't worry - it soon will be'
That really was not our experience at all - we bought a new Trophy in 1987,loved it, but were forced to sell it in 1991 because of the recession, then bought another, secondhand one a few years later when we got back on our feet. We were delighted with the build of both 'vans, and thought the Ashwood Developments chassis was actually stronger than the usual offerings. But I would always advise seeing a van before buying - there are poor examples out there of every make.
I've just pulled out the leaflet. In 1987 the Medallion was the cheapest of the Trophy range, so possibly less well finished and equipped than some of their vans - as far as I can tell, only the 2 berth seems to have had a fridge fitted, and there is no mention of mains electricity, although that might have been added later. It came in five variants, 350-2, 350-4, 450-4, 450-5 and 550-5. They were fairly lightweight vans, with the max. weight varying between 14.73 cwt for the two berth, up to 17.67 cwt for the five berth models. If you are still interested, I should be able to get the leaflet copied on Monday.
Quote: Originally posted by ozzie1989 on 26/6/2009
Chrissie, don't worry too much about it!
If it's that old and without fridge etc. it would not be of much use to us anyway!
Thank you very much though for your offer, though this time I will definitely need to go and look at it!
I'm getting tired of looking for vans now, just nothing decent within our price range! Not to worry, we'll soldier on
They did have fridges as standard, and the Carver 'Caravel' space heater (which is almost impossible to get spares for now, I think)
No hot water as standard - and I seem to remember that I added mains electricity myself.
The Medallion's were (as had been noted) the cheapest Trophy's (I think ours cost about 3k brand new from Campbells in 1987) but the build quality (or lack, thereof) was shared by all the Trophy models.
I do understand how hard it is to get a good van for a cheap price - but, honestly, if a Trophy went rotten at 18 months old (which it did) what on earth do you think it will be like after more than 20 years?!! - in fact, it's a minor miracle that the thing is still holding together!
I can also understand how tempting it is just to buy *something* in order to get on the caravan ladder - but, again in complete honesty, there comes a price point beneath which you're just throwing good money away.
On a positive note, your best bet (by far!) would be to look for an old German van which, if weight is not a problem, stands a good chance of still being dry, even after 15 years or so.
Watch out for the wide ones - but with some careful shopping you could land yourself a cheap van that would be in a different league to a Trophy.
Best of luck in your search.
------------- 'If it ain't broke, don't worry - it soon will be'
The Medallion's were (as had been noted) the cheapest Trophy's (I think ours cost about 3k brand new from Campbells in 1987) but the build quality (or lack, thereof) was shared by all the Trophy models.
I have absolutely no reason to defend Trophy, as I sold my last one in 2004, but in the interest of truth, I cannot let that statement go unchallenged. Our first Trophy, an Agrarian, was only three years old when we had to sell it, but had performed very well and shown no sign of any construction faults. For that reason, we were very happy when we were looking for another caravan to buy a 1991 Olympic Silver, then 7 years old. We kept this, with only the need to do minor repairs, as would be the case for any caravan, for a further seven years, at which point we had no difficulty getting a very good P/X price for it from a dealer.
It is a shame that your caravan was such a disappointment, but to move from there to condemning the whole range is really taking a grudge too far. We still see many Trophies out there on sites, giving a lot of pleasure to their owners.
I've got a Trophy Ascot 500/4 EB it's a lovely van and in fab condition even though it's 16. The oven has never been used etc... If it's been lokked after properly it's a better buy than something 'better' which has been through the mill? As it's my first van it does us grand!
Hi all ive been given a Trophy 450 GL 1993 model making it 17 years old and ive heard alot of bad comments on these vans,however it did have a leaking roof hatch which i have now repaired, and it is immaculate inside i can't wait to go away on my first weekend caravaning this weekend if i lasts a couple more years i will be happy as i have spent hardly anything on it apart from a whale sub pump and hose and everything works aswell .......BONUS
Does anyone know what model this is? or is it just a 450 GL lol
Oh and it came with every manual and part service history too
I just hope the weeknd doesn't turn into a disaster and hope i dont get any funny looks with turning up at the site with a Trophy caravan.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: TROPHY caravans
