The Beagle was an

estate car A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

conversion of the

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

HA 8 cwt van, which itself was based on the Vauxhall Viva HA. It was launched at the 1964

London Motor Show London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O Ev ...

. The conversions were undertaken by Martin Walter Ltd in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

, Kent, most famous for

Dormobile Dormobile is a 1950s-era onwards campervan (motorcaravan, motorhome) conversion manufactured by the coachbuilder Martin Walter of Folkestone in Kent. Initially based on the Bedford CA van, the name is associated more with those and subsequent ...

campers based upon the larger

Bedford CA The Bedford CA was a distinctive pug-nosed light commercial vehicle produced between 1952 and 1969 by Bedford in Luton, England. It was manufactured in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase forms, each form available in either a 10–12 ...

commercial vans. Whilst the vans were very common at one time, the Beagle was altogether rarer and there are very few left today. The Beagle formed the basis of the Roma, a

camper van A camper van, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motor caravan or RV (recreational vehicle) in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitt ...

that was marketed in standard and deluxe forms, both featuring standing headroom of 6 ft 5ins and a full length 6 ft double bed. A third bunk, fitted into the canopy of the elevated roof, is a feature of the deluxe version of the Roma. Introduced in 1964, originally with the 1057 cc engine mated to a 4-speed gearbox, the Beagle was basic, with drum brakes all round and minimal interior trim. Later engine upgrades arrived in 1967 (1159 cc) and 1972 (1256 cc), bringing the top speed up from to about , but the Beagle was finally discontinued in 1973. It was more or less replaced by the superior Viva HC estate cars.

References

Bedford vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1964 {{Classicpow-auto-stub