We Love our Polars
An Article written by Johan Persson a freelance Swedish journalist for a publication in Sweden similar to the Practical Caravanning Magazine here in the UK
Polar is one of the most beloved caravan brands in Sweden, with many fans even in our neighboring countries.
Few know however that Polar’s reputation has reached to other latitudes, such as Britain. There the interest was
so great that an ownership club was formed under the name Polar Owners Caravan Club UK. We were of course curious about this, in particular to know what attracts them to Polar.
Therefore, I met with members of The Polar Caravan Club at a rally in Cornwall UK
In the late 70's Polar produced thousands of caravans annually. As a result of the large volumes they sought new markets, and the Polar brand entered the very peculiar market in the UK. For imports, Gordon Lamb in Chesterfield was responsible. Gordon Lamb was the Saab importer and as a complement to Swedish cars he chose to invest in Swedish caravans. It must have been a bold attempt as Polar differed from the domestic brands, most prominently by having the door on the "wrong side" and an entire windshield instead of a three-piece.
At the meeting in Cornwall, three Polar Caravans are parked next to each other. The oldest of these is a Polar 535 from 1980, owned by Stanley and Kay Watkins from Swansea in South Wales. They joined the club early and has owned three Polar Caravans since. Stanley talks about how he came in contact with Polar for the first time. "I saw a Polar caravan stand with defective brakes outside a workshop. The difficulty to get spare parts made repair jobs difficult, it was after all an imported caravan. But I had the facilities and technical know-how to restore the caravan to running condition. I offered to buy it for £600 pounds. A few years later I traded up to a Polar 500, and then the 535 that we have now. "
The club's chairman is named Bernard Darvill. He and his wife Helen bought their first Polar in the mid-80s, and joined the club at the same time. Today they own a Polar 560 CTH model year 2003. It is the youngest caravan in the party, and their third Polar. "My first Polar was a 470. Then I switched to a Polar 500, and then an Aero 570. The latter has a special history as it was previously owned by the Swedish rally driver Stig Blomqvist," says Bernard.
Bernard and Helen are, like most of the members, retired. Bernard has been working in the heating industry and has become the UK's own expert on boilers from Primus.
We are of course curious to know what attracts people to the Polar caravan brand, and Bernard explains that it is the following. "They are well-built, they keep the heat in the winter, and the supply of spare parts is extensive even for older models." When asked how it is to have the door on the right side they all agree that "it has never been a problem".
With the company is also Bryan and Betty Wales who traveled from Essex with their 1990
Polar Aero 570. They previously owned an 83 590gl and a 86 500gl
Bryan tells how durable Polar are, and also shows various repairs on their caravan. It has been involved in a traffic accident and ended up on its side, and all that needed to be replaced was the draw-bar awning rail and plastic trim—damage is still visible in places, but the van is intact. Unfortunately on their way home from Cornwall it was T-boned by a Portugese Articulated lorry in The Membury Service area. Club Member Stan Watkins is undertaking the repairs at his place in Swansea, in order for the caravan to continue in service for the forseeable future.
John Semple with his wife June from Yorkshire joins the group the second day. They do not have their Polar 570 Aero with them and traveled instead with a campervan. John discovered the brand by accident when a Polar was parked along a road in Derbyshire. John can also attest that Polar is a very well-built caravan, and especially in the 70s and 80s were far ahead of English makes in terms of quality.
"We had our caravan put on a seasonal pitch in the German alps in the 90s. Thick snow lay on the roof, and I climbed up on to roof to clean it off. With another caravan brand it probably would not hold up so well” says June.
Polar Caravans were the first manufacturer to have a fully bonded roof with a curvature, and at one time advertised the strength of the caravan by photographing a Volvo saloon car sitting on the roof
The Polar club had at most about 55 member families. Today it is not as many, and the major reason is the difficulty in recruiting new members because Polar imports ceased in 1983 and Gordon Lamb then switched to Bürstner caravans instead, and then LMC.
We conclude by asking the question to the entire group: Would you consider switching to a new Polar? The response from everyone is: "Yes, if we could afford one."
Facts: The Polar Owners Caravan Club UK
Formed: 1982
Number of member families: About 30
Number of rallies in 2016: 5
Website: polarcaravanclub.co.uk
An Article written by Johan Persson a freelance Swedish journalist for a publication in Sweden similar to the Practical Caravanning Magazine here in the UK
Polar is one of the most beloved caravan brands in Sweden, with many fans even in our neighboring countries.
Few know however that Polar’s reputation has reached to other latitudes, such as Britain. There the interest was
so great that an ownership club was formed under the name Polar Owners Caravan Club UK. We were of course curious about this, in particular to know what attracts them to Polar.
Therefore, I met with members of The Polar Caravan Club at a rally in Cornwall UK
In the late 70's Polar produced thousands of caravans annually. As a result of the large volumes they sought new markets, and the Polar brand entered the very peculiar market in the UK. For imports, Gordon Lamb in Chesterfield was responsible. Gordon Lamb was the Saab importer and as a complement to Swedish cars he chose to invest in Swedish caravans. It must have been a bold attempt as Polar differed from the domestic brands, most prominently by having the door on the "wrong side" and an entire windshield instead of a three-piece.
At the meeting in Cornwall, three Polar Caravans are parked next to each other. The oldest of these is a Polar 535 from 1980, owned by Stanley and Kay Watkins from Swansea in South Wales. They joined the club early and has owned three Polar Caravans since. Stanley talks about how he came in contact with Polar for the first time. "I saw a Polar caravan stand with defective brakes outside a workshop. The difficulty to get spare parts made repair jobs difficult, it was after all an imported caravan. But I had the facilities and technical know-how to restore the caravan to running condition. I offered to buy it for £600 pounds. A few years later I traded up to a Polar 500, and then the 535 that we have now. "
The club's chairman is named Bernard Darvill. He and his wife Helen bought their first Polar in the mid-80s, and joined the club at the same time. Today they own a Polar 560 CTH model year 2003. It is the youngest caravan in the party, and their third Polar. "My first Polar was a 470. Then I switched to a Polar 500, and then an Aero 570. The latter has a special history as it was previously owned by the Swedish rally driver Stig Blomqvist," says Bernard.
Bernard and Helen are, like most of the members, retired. Bernard has been working in the heating industry and has become the UK's own expert on boilers from Primus.
We are of course curious to know what attracts people to the Polar caravan brand, and Bernard explains that it is the following. "They are well-built, they keep the heat in the winter, and the supply of spare parts is extensive even for older models." When asked how it is to have the door on the right side they all agree that "it has never been a problem".
With the company is also Bryan and Betty Wales who traveled from Essex with their 1990
Polar Aero 570. They previously owned an 83 590gl and a 86 500gl
Bryan tells how durable Polar are, and also shows various repairs on their caravan. It has been involved in a traffic accident and ended up on its side, and all that needed to be replaced was the draw-bar awning rail and plastic trim—damage is still visible in places, but the van is intact. Unfortunately on their way home from Cornwall it was T-boned by a Portugese Articulated lorry in The Membury Service area. Club Member Stan Watkins is undertaking the repairs at his place in Swansea, in order for the caravan to continue in service for the forseeable future.
John Semple with his wife June from Yorkshire joins the group the second day. They do not have their Polar 570 Aero with them and traveled instead with a campervan. John discovered the brand by accident when a Polar was parked along a road in Derbyshire. John can also attest that Polar is a very well-built caravan, and especially in the 70s and 80s were far ahead of English makes in terms of quality.
"We had our caravan put on a seasonal pitch in the German alps in the 90s. Thick snow lay on the roof, and I climbed up on to roof to clean it off. With another caravan brand it probably would not hold up so well” says June.
Polar Caravans were the first manufacturer to have a fully bonded roof with a curvature, and at one time advertised the strength of the caravan by photographing a Volvo saloon car sitting on the roof
The Polar club had at most about 55 member families. Today it is not as many, and the major reason is the difficulty in recruiting new members because Polar imports ceased in 1983 and Gordon Lamb then switched to Bürstner caravans instead, and then LMC.
We conclude by asking the question to the entire group: Would you consider switching to a new Polar? The response from everyone is: "Yes, if we could afford one."
Facts: The Polar Owners Caravan Club UK
Formed: 1982
Number of member families: About 30
Number of rallies in 2016: 5
Website: polarcaravanclub.co.uk
Bryan & Betty’s 570 aero Caravan below
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Left the contact right the damage bottom left the repair so far and a evening get together
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