2015-2019 LUNAR LANDSTAR

Each issue, Gentleman Jack focuses on a great secondhand motorhome. He then reveals which is the best of the bunch, what to pay and which problems to look out for

Lunar Caravans gained its moniker by being ‘launched’ in the year of the moon landings (1969).

The proprietors, Brian Talbot and Ken Wilcox, had worked together before, at Knowsley Caravans.

They hit the ground running and built their early (coachbuilt) vehicles on Bremen Mercedes, during the 1980s. Landstar was their first factory converted high-top, although they have also rebadged other converters’ panel van conversions as ‘Lunar’.

Landstar was unveiled during the October 2014 show at the NEC. Such was the intense level of interest from prospective purchasers, it was difficult to get close enough to photograph it.

Not surprising really, because at the time, the market was crying out for a UK volume van converter to get behind the three-pointed star.

The layouts were carefully thought out, both in form and function, which would have been a major factor in them remaining unchanged throughout the whole production run.

The Landstar RL features a nearside kitchen, and an offside washroom and wardrobe, all ahead of a palatial rear lounge fitted with two very long, inward-facing sofas.

EW – as the initials suggest – has a full-width end washroom. Moving forwards, the wardrobe is on the nearside and the kitchen straddles the central aisle. The forward lounge has a full-length offside settee and a shorter (extendable) nearside one.

In both layouts it is possible to sleep either as two singles, or in a palatial all-over double bed.

In addition, both layouts have a separate walk-in shower compartment within the washroom itself.

Space and water heating is provided by a Truma Combi boiler that will run on LPG or 230V electricity, or both for a shorter ‘warm-up’ time.